Is C90 manual wrong about shifting?

[tmac0033]

The C90 manual says you should shift at 12, 19, 25 and 31 mph.

Does anybody actually follow these guidelines???

Myself, I don't shift from fourth to fifth until I hit 55 mph at least.

Am I doing something wrong?

[The_AirHawk]

It's just a suggestion. You might add 2-3mpg to your average by doing-so, but that's to what? 50+mpg already?

[tmac0033]

True enough, but we're talking about a more-than-20 mph difference, from the suggested 31 mph to 55, from fourth to fifth.

"The gear ratios have been carefully chosen to meet the characteristics of the engine," the manual says.

When I shift according to the manual, I get a certain amount of "chugging" in some cases. That can't be good for the engine.

[seruzawa]

No. No one follows the guidelines. The manual for my old CB750 had me shifting into 5th at 31 mph. Lawyers write those parts of the manuals.

[trenttheuncatchable]

If I shifted the little Ninja 250 according to the manual's instructions, I'd be a road hazard. Before I knew better, I wondered why that 250 was so gutless. Then I started shifting at 7000 rpm instead of 4000, and voila! fun bike! And considering it has a 12.5K redline, 7000 rpm wasn't anything ridiculous.

[The_AirHawk]

Originally Posted by trenttheuncatchable

If I shifted the little Ninja 250 according to the manual's instructions, I'd be a road hazard. Before I knew better, I wondered why that 250 was so gutless. Then I started shifting at 7000 rpm instead of 4000, and voila! fun bike! And considering it has a 12.5K redline, 7000 rpm wasn't anything ridiculous.

Beat on it. Hard. It likes it.........

[Kenneth_Moore]

Originally Posted by tmac0033

The C90 manual says you should shift at 12, 19, 25 and 31 mph.

Does anybody actually follow these guidelines???

Myself, I don't shift from fourth to fifth until I hit 55 mph at least.

Am I doing something wrong?

Here's some dynojet graphs for your bike, you can see the torque/hp peaks and shift there.

http://gmanindustries.com/images/dyn...s_stage2_l.jpg

[pushrod]

So, the lesson there is to 'know your bike'.

The HP/Torque curve indicates you should shift before you get to 5000rpm. That's where the engine runs out of steam. Although the curves are like rainbows, the bike seems to make good power everywhere from 3000 to 5000.

Any time before 5000 is fine; it's up to your riding style. Any time past 2000rpm, that is. You shift down there and then try to accelerate, the engine will lug, which is bad. No usable power, pinging, lurching, getting run down by old ladies in Buicks... like that.

When I sold my Harley and started riding my Triumph Triple, it took me a long time to stop 'short-shifting' the bike. Where the Harley made its best power was roughly the same place the Triple gags and stalls.

So, the not-so-short answer is: Shift whenever you want to. It's your bike!


Oh, a note: Real Men don't need no stinkin' manuals!

[tmac0033]

Oh, a note: Real Men don't need no stinkin' manuals![/quote]

I guess I'm half a man -- I didn't read my manual til I'd had my bike a year...

[MOKE1K]

Originally Posted by tmac0033

The C90 manual says you should shift at 12, 19, 25 and 31 mph.

Does anybody actually follow these guidelines???

Myself, I don't shift from fourth to fifth until I hit 55 mph at least.

Am I doing something wrong?

Why does everyone on this site seem to be so exact, bookworms perhaps? Dude ride to learn, learn to ride not trying to be a dyck but
thats just too anal, its a guide thats all.

I have always ridden by feel, let the engine tell you when to shift, ride by feel. Not enough people do this.