When shifting my motorbike, should I shift, like a car, when it sounds like I should, or when the manual says?

Answer 1

I'm curious about what the manual says . . .?

You didn't say whether you're riding a long stroker like a Harley, or a short stroker like a Ducati.

If you're accellerating hard, you want to keep the RPM up. High RPM for a Harley is 5,000 RPM. High RPM for about anything else is 6 to 10 or even 14k depending on the engine specs.

If you're just taking in the scenery and not pounding the thing for power or speed, you can prod along at 1 to 2k on a Harley, or 2-4k on anything else.

The issue is predetonation. You can melt a hole in your piston real easy if you let it predet for too long. Predetonation is when the charge fires before the spark plug sparks. The spark plug then fires and creates a second flame front. The two flame fronts put extraordinary pressure on the fuel/air mixture between them, and the result is a violent explosion generating alot of force and heat.

You can hear the explosion as a rattle that's often referred to as a ping or engine knock. It sounds like something mechanical tapping against something else.

If you hear knocking, shift to the next lower gear and wind it out a bit more before upshifting.

Always think of a knock as an expensive mechanic knocking at your door. The trick is to never let him in.

Answer 2

It depends what you're riding and what the manual says. If you're on a big cruiser, you can probably do what the manual says. On a sportbike, the manual is VERY conservative. You will not reach the powerband of the engine, and can do damange from bogging it down too much.

If it's a new bike, just break it in like the manual says with one exception: get your first oil change at 100 miles. Otherwise, you're breaking the engine in with all that crap in the oil, which hurts overall performance.

When you do decide to twist that throttle all the way to redline, HANG ON! Don't do anything you can't handle, especially if you're a newbie. But understand that bikes have a wide RPM range for a reason, and learn how to use it wisely.

As always, wear full gear and have fun!

Answer 3

Depends on what you want to accomplish. For maximal acceleration, you want to shift so the the peak of the torque curve is equidistant between the top of the rpm level and where it falls to on shifting. Usually really close to red line. Hard on the engine, but a real rush. For engine life and economy, follow the manual!

Answer 4

Sometimes shifting like then manual says seems like your shifting too soon. But it is the best way to reduce wear and tear on your tranny...However as long as your not red-lining it before you shift then winding it up doesn't really damage it either.

Answer 5

Shift according to the manual..
Different models have different RPM range.

Answer 6

when the motor tells you to shift

Answer 7

when the manual says.

Answer 8

when the manual say's. for best gas milage and performance.

Answer 9

manual

Answer 10

shift when you think you should