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Shifting Progression

Zebes

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I'm not new to riding, but I am new to the NC700X. I have ~200 miles on mine. My previous bikes were a 2007 KLR650 and 2003 DR650 for a total combined mileage of over 15,000 mi. The shifting progression seemed to come naturally on those bikes and what felt right also matched what was recommended by the respective manufacturers. With the NC700X it feels like the 'recommended' speeds at which Honda suggests to shift (in the owner's manual) are a little low. When I cruise around town hold the engine at 2,200-2,500 rpm I notice what can only be described as a 'rhythmic knocking' though it's not actually knocking.

I have two questions:

Did any of y'all experience something similar during your low-miles / break in period?
At what RPMs do y'all like to hold while cruising around town (<50 mph)?
 
I feel the same thing. I like to keep my rpm up around 3000. I don't use 6th gear under 55. My mpg may suffer a little, but I feel that the bike is happier there.

Welcome to the forum by the way.
 
Puttering around town I shift in the 2.5-3k range which puts me cruising at 2-2.5k. Yes it has a rhythmic thumping at low rpms. If you go back and read some of the original press releases and interviews they built in some vibes to give it “character”. Seemed that they thought people wouldn’t like it if it was too smooth. Interestingly with the NC750, which we don’t get in the USA, they removed some of that character feel.
 
That's comforting to hear. I've also noticed is 3,000 rpm feels/sounds the best so far. It's easy for me to ignore 6th gear because I'm not used to having it anyways. I haven't been able to spend much time over 60 since my plates haven't come in yet and I need a toll tag. I'm hoping that odd vibration decreases with wear as it gets broken in.
 
That's comforting to hear. I've also noticed is 3,000 rpm feels/sounds the best so far. It's easy for me to ignore 6th gear because I'm not used to having it anyways. I haven't been able to spend much time over 60 since my plates haven't come in yet and I need a toll tag. I'm hoping that odd vibration decreases with wear as it gets broken in.

I like 300rpms. I use a throttle lock a bit. I find that 3000rpms is a spot where the bike will pull through the hills without lagging to much while the lock is on. I drive my jeep the same way. Like Bama I normally shift around 2.5-3000 rpms. Shift any lower than that and you'll really hear some of the engines character. LOL
 
I was playing around with shift points on today's ride and I found, like most of you, that 3K is a pretty good shift point when manually shifting.

The thumping took a while to get used to and now I don't even think about it anymore.
 
I'm not new to riding, but I am new to the NC700X. I have ~200 miles on mine. My previous bikes were a 2007 KLR650 and 2003 DR650 for a total combined mileage of over 15,000 mi. The shifting progression seemed to come naturally on those bikes and what felt right also matched what was recommended by the respective manufacturers. With the NC700X it feels like the 'recommended' speeds at which Honda suggests to shift (in the owner's manual) are a little low. When I cruise around town hold the engine at 2,200-2,500 rpm I notice what can only be described as a 'rhythmic knocking' though it's not actually knocking.

I have two questions:

Did any of y'all experience something similar during your low-miles / break in period?
At what RPMs do y'all like to hold while cruising around town (<50 mph)?

There's a really, really long thread on the forum where we were analyzing a thrum, thrum, thrum resonance feel that only certain new NC700Xs exhibited in the 2500-3000 RPM range. This was not your typical low speed lugging pulsing, but more of a resonance in the frame or foot peg brackets. A great deal of effort went into finding the root cause. Eventually, the symptoms apparently went away as the machines broke in.

The shift points in the owners manuals is usually pretty low - in the case of this bike they have you shift about 2000 RPM! That's not very realistic, so do what you think feels best.

As the engine breaks in it will smooth out a bit, but it will never be GoldWing smooth.
 
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I make (made?) it a point to shift where the manual suggests. In the upper half of the gearbox, doing so puts you at around 2,000 rpm _after_ the shift. In the lowest gears, it may be a little lower, but rpms build so quickly it's tough to be sure. The bike feels a little happier, or more relaxed, or something when I hold until ~2,800 - 3,000 before shifting up. I made some comparisons for mpg reasons, too, and initially the _higher_ rpm shifts were slightly better economy-wise. However, that didn't hold up as things wore in and settled in. At this point, I couldn't really say whether there's a significant mpg difference. I can say that making the engine pull hard much below about 2,000 rpm sounds bad to me, so I don't do it.
 
I can't imagine shifting at any RPM under 3000, it just doesn't feel right to me. I usually grab the next gear at 4000 at least, usually 4500. But that's just me.
 
I feel the same thing. I like to keep my rpm up around 3000. I don't use 6th gear under 55. My mpg may suffer a little, but I feel that the bike is happier there.


- I completely agree, ride the same way. 55 plus for 6th or I end up needing to downshift.
 
There's a really, really long thread on the forum where we were analyzing a thrum, thrum, thrum resonance feel that only certain new NC700Xs exhibited in the 2500-3000 RPM range.

Eventually, the symptoms apparently went away as the machines broke in.


As the engine breaks in it will smooth out a bit,

Thanks for this post. It has greatly alleviated my concerns. Mine does this exact thing. I'm determined to just ride
and NOT worry. I have a bad habit of trying to fix it until it's broke. NOT THIS TIME! Enjoy!
 
I've found the bike to be very smooth between 2-3K. My last bike (Buell Cyclone) would knock the fillings out of yer teeth if cranked on below 3K.
 
I really don't pay any attention to my RPM's unless I'm hauling butt and keeping an eye on the redline. Other than that I go by sound/feel. I hate it when it feels like it's lagging.
 
It's not unique to the NC either. I had a Super Tenere and it had the same low-speed, parallel twin vibration also.
 
I'll following the guidelines in the owners manual for the first 600 miles, but it really isn't much fun shifting at the low RPMs.

Only 300 miles to go!!!

belrix
 
I short shift her around town, happy to knock her into 4th at 30mph.

But the real sweet spot for smooth acceleration and lovely throttle response is above 3000revs for sure.

I took my maiden ride on Saturday in the Peak District of England and enjoyed the twisties shifting at 5000, I'd take her to 6000 after she is broken in, very nice ride.
 
I have a DCT and I get it only on 6th when it automatically shifts into at 65kmh and the jerkiness stays up until 90+ kmh, beyond which it goes past 3000rpm and smoothness returns. I can't tell if it's jerky at lower speeds cos it up shifts rather quickly, and the rpm goes up pretty quickly too. Only on 6th am I able to keep the rpm low long enough to get the engine jerking feeling.
 
Basically for me it's only done by feel. But the times I have glanced down, I'm in the 3 area.
 
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