Where do you like to keep your RPMS

[cdnuser]

Just curious to hear from other NC riders on where you like to keep your rpms when cruising and at what point in the rpm range do you prefer to shift at?
Anyone got a special technique they would like to share? I am a fairly new rider so I always like to hear from other riders to improve my skills.

I had an embarrassing moment the other day, stopped at a street light on a slight incline and being 5 degrees C my finger tips where pretty frozen and I stalled trying to pull away. More Gas!

 

[bamamate]

Most of my riding is in town, neighborhoods, etc on fairly flat terrain so I’m usually shifting by 2500 and cruise in the 2-2.5k range.

 

[Hmcp88]

4k usual shift point. I will run 4th at 40-45mph 5th at 50-55mph and 6th at 60+. This bike doesn't much like 6th gear under 65mph but at 60 it's not bad.

 

[OriginalRocket]

Computer controlled shift. In D mode, light throttle tooling around town. 3k. Sport mode likes to shift slightly less than 4k with moderate throttle.

Bike is in 6th gear by 40 MPH (38 says manual)

 

[bamamate]

For starting on an incline, hold the bike with the back brake. A little throttle and ease the clutch until you feel the bike pulling nicely against the brake. Let off the brake and you should start forward. You have let the clutch out slower on an incline than on flat ground. Doesn’t matter how long you have been driving a clutch you will on occasion kill it, miss a shift, etc.

 

[Hmcp88]

Doesn’t matter how long you have been driving a clutch you will on occasion kill it, miss a shift, etc.

+1 I think I get lazier the more miles I ride

 

[670cc]

95% of the time it's between 2 and 3 grand. Below 2 is lugging it, and unless I'm on the highway, there's not much reason to be above 3.

It would be interesting to correlate poster's RPM choice with their Fuelly signatures.

Greg

 

[bamamate]

Too many other factors to do a good comparison. Terrain, speed, stop and go all play major factors. Aerodynamics starts kicking in around 50 and becomes a stronger factor as speed increases. Flat terrain is better than hills. Stop and go is bad. Even with my daughter on the back and riding in the hills my mileage increases 4-5 mpg over all in town riding.

 

[Jguarfn28]

I am of the school that below 50 mph you should probably be in 5th, on my manual NC anyway. It feels kind of hinkey if she's running below 2500 rpm and runs smoother to 3500. I average around 70MPG at about 5000 ft elevation on regular gas. Mostly city driving around Albuquerque.

 

[glenbo]

I've never found a reason to go above 3K, normally shift around 2500. Mine has no problem pulling from 45mph in 6th gear, but that's probably because I ride like Grandpa drives, real easy, since I figure if I needed to get somewhere faster, I should have left yesterday.

 

[netizen]

It would be interesting to correlate poster's RPM choice with their Fuelly signatures.

Greg

Good idea!

The earlier you shift (within reason), the higher MPG you are going to get. If you ride around in 6th gear at 40-45 mpg you may hit 80 mpg even.
But that doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out. In the end it's what's most important to you... speed or fuel milage.....

 

[L.B.S.]

OK, I begin to see why my mpg numbers suck (comparatively speaking) compared to most (all?) of you guys, lol.

I am mega short shifting, but only from MY perspective, I see. I'm trying to do it below 4,000 (am aiming for 3,000 when I can remember to) but it's tough for me to get the hang of it, I admit.

It still feels alien for me to be shifting at less than 11,000 rpm!

I'll keep working on it, but I also am in love with how the NCX sounds on the over run, backing off the throttle in first or second from 5-6,000 rpm. The nice bass from the exhaust and the whirly gear noise from the engine, yum. Half the time I find myself going up to that rpm just so I can slow down again, and hear the sound, lol.

 

[happy]

For me, it is about enjoying the ride, and not the fuel economy (which is already excellent).
I shift sublimally til 6th and sometimes 5th (aging).
It cruises well at around 4000rpm anyway.

 

[Rocker66]

I never really check on the rev counter I just change gear by the feel of the engine. I managed for years with no rev counter on my bikes

 

[wozza]

+1 I think I get lazier the more miles I ride

You should have got a DCT then........lol

 

[JDE]

4k usual shift point. I will run 4th at 40-45mph 5th at 50-55mph and 6th at 60+. This bike doesn't much like 6th gear under 65mph but at 60 it's not bad.

This is what I do as well.

 

[turbodieseli4i6]

Unless I'm in a hurry, I'm in 6th gear at 45 mph.

 

[dduelin]

Hey, it's a motorcycle. It may not rev out above 6500 but it's fun wring it's neck now and then when on the curvy roads. Most of the time though I shift around 4k so the revs don't drop below 3K under acceleration but in steady state cruising on flat ground I'll allow revs to fall to 2500-2600 RPM.

 

[Beemerphile]

I don't run mine under 3,000 with any significant load because it just does not seem happy there. My normal upshift point is 4,000 rpm if "easy-going" and 5,000 if "spirited". So 3-5,000 rpm is the happy range for mine. More than that is just wringing it's neck for no gain. Less and it complains (mildly).

 

[bamamate]

I think having been a long time since I’ve road a bike and driving Civics and Mazdas was an advantage for adapting to the NC. The HP and torque curve pattern is almost identical to my last Civic (non-Vtec) so I just naturally drove it like the Civic. It will pull from way low but really starts waking up around 3k, 4-6k it is screaming, and over 6k you aren’t gaining anything. Best gas mileage comes from getting to the highest gear possible while keeping revs under the waking up point. If you want to have fun then you definitely want to stay above 3k. I love the deep throaty sound it has at full throttle and as LBS described the overrun. Reminds me of my ’83 CVCC Civic after I uncorked it.