ST1100 - Which Gear ? - 50 to 60 mph (80-100 km/h)

[JJames]

No straight highways here , no straight roads here. Up and down and around ,when passing traffic, it is almost always going to be in the on coming lane. So the speed isn't going to be constant for very long. The speed limit is 55mph (80 km/h). Til now , I have left her in pretty much in top gear when I get there. The engine is strong enough for a little variation. But today I kept her in 4th for some reason , and it felt "right". More power and more rpm. The ST11 runs at about 3000 rpm at 55mph in top gear, and 3700rpm in 4th .
I've also noticed in the past, that when on trips with others -were I have to keep up with them /more spirited driving, I seemed to be getting better milage (though I didn't really belive it at the time) .
So what do the ST folks think - 4th gear better at 55 mph - when there is going to be constant , smal variation in speed ? Like to hear what ya think !

 

[kiltman]

4th gear responds better between 80 and 100kms/hr. For sport riding I will leave it in 3rd, that keeps it in it’s power band at those speeds

 

[Al st1100]

if you don't care about gas mileage and want the instant power use the lower gear.

 

[Tenmilsocket]

Me and my ST seem to be most comfortable at about 4K rpm so between 50 and 60 mph I would probably be in 4th especially if the road/traffic was dynamic at all.

 

[klaproth]

It seems that all the Hondas I’ve owned, and even some other bike brands are “happiest” at about 4k RPM. My 1300 and the NC700x are both at about 4k at highway speeds.(70 mph)

 

[ST Gui]

Like to hear what ya think !

Use your seat of the pants dyno. Whatever feels right to you for your needs is right. If the bike feels a little sluggish in a gear then drop down a cog. It's possible that too much throttle with not enough gear could decrease mileage even without lugging the engine. Maybe that's why you feel your getting better mileage – it just might be the case.

Unless your fuel budget needs Draconian oversight use the highest gear that doesn't impinge on instant gratification.

On the highway my ST is a little slow on the 5th gear giddy-up. It's rate of acceleration easily increases right into the Award Zone but it needs to wake up. So if I have to bust a move I drop down one.

My V65 Sabre was completely different. It had a 6th which was OD. Roll on at 65 was very impressive. On open roads even with moderate inclines down shifting was almost never necessary. Drop to 5th and Mav going to full military power. Go to 4th at it was AB. I never get that on ST.

 

[ST Gui]

My 1300 and the NC700x are both at about 4k at highway speeds.(70 mph)

That's the same with my ST and IIRC the same with my V65S in 5th. That's why I loved 6th. I don't remember the RPM in 6th but it was more relaxed with out the buzziness 4Krpm has always instilled in me. My Duc 750S was even lower at FWY speeds. It just loped along. A very relaxing ride even though the ergos weren't the best.

 

[rwthomas1]

An 1100 doesn't care what gear you are in. The torque curve is a flat line. It'll pull cleanly from 2000 up, so do whatever works, but the engine won't care. I commute in traffic, so mostly lower rpm. Roll on power at 70-85+ in 5th is more than adequate.

 

[Sunday Rider]

I worry about carbon build up in the lower rpm. There is a rider who had a cylinder die and found there was a carbon deposit on the spark plug, that luckily hadn’t dislodged. Agree mileage is better at lower rpm but I think around the 4000 rpm is a sweet spot.

 

[Larry Fine]

You have much better control around curves in a lower gear, with the engine in its power band. You can accelerate and decelerate better, with less braking, and be in the right gear for coming out of the curve.

If you ever find yourself needing to downshift after a curve, then you should have already been in that lower gear at the beginning of the curve. Try downshifting before the turn, even just to hold a steady speed.

A vehicle feels like it's freewheeling if the engine is barely above idle speed. There is no engine braking at low RPMs. The same is true in a four-wheeled vehicle, by the way, even with an automatic transmission.

 

[ST1100Y]

An 1100 doesn't care what gear you are in. The torque curve is a flat line. It'll pull cleanly from 2000 up, so do whatever works, but the engine won't care. I commute in traffic, so mostly lower rpm. Roll on power at 70-85+ in 5th is more than adequate.

Keeping the mass rolling even lower, I frequently come out narrow back-sweeps in 2nd @1200 and just throttle away...
IIRC is max torque @4200, max power @6500, keeping it in between there results in a very happy, agile engine/motorcycle...

 

[rwthomas1]

I worry about carbon build up in the lower rpm. There is a rider who had a cylinder die and found there was a carbon deposit on the spark plug, that luckily hadn’t dislodged. Agree mileage is better at lower rpm but I think around the 4000 rpm is a sweet spot.

If you always rode really gently and lugged all the time I could see that argument. However in addition to trundling along in traffic at low rpm, mine sees plenty on WOT acceleration runs at lights and on ramps. Its not a worry, one engine with carbon buildup is a single data point. There is zero history of 1100's carboning up. Dont think, just ride!

 

[afrymoyer]

If you always rode really gently and lugged all the time I could see that argument. However in addition to trundling along in traffic at low rpm, mine sees plenty on WOT acceleration runs at lights and on ramps. Its not a worry, one engine with carbon buildup is a single data point. There is zero history of 1100's carboning up. Dont think, just ride!

There is no argument. Sunday Rider is correct. And to a certain extent, so are you. It was my bike that blew a chunk of carbon and wedged itself between one of the plug electrodes. This was reported with pix on another popular ST forum. Sorry you missed it.

My engine is in a high state of tune and I STill got skunked. But, I blame myself. I used the bike every day for several weeks exclusively for commuting back and forth to work (10 miles round trip) and local errands. I'm not easy on the bike, but she was STuck in town for a while. I was several towns over from home and she dropped a cylinder. Believe it or not, it STill ran halfway decent, so I just rode it home. The following day, the first thing I did was I pulled the plugs and found the bad one. It's a shame too because they were the nice NGK Iridiums with about 10K miles on them. I threw them away and put in a fresh set. I put in a STiff dose of Chevron Techron, filled up the tank and hit the highway for a long hard run. Fixed...

So from there on, I use the other bikes for in town duty and save the 11 for longer hauls.

 

[red one]

Guess I've had my bike so long I go by the sound. I don't ride those speed on the interstate. My bike is happy running 75 to 85 mph at 4K to 4.5K rpms. in Top gear.

 

[rwthomas1]

There is no argument. Sunday Rider is correct. And to a certain extent, so are you. It was my bike that blew a chunk of carbon and wedged itself between one of the plug electrodes. This was reported with pix on another popular ST forum. Sorry you missed it.

My engine is in a high state of tune and I STill got skunked. But, I blame myself. I used the bike every day for several weeks exclusively for commuting back and forth to work (10 miles round trip) and local errands. I'm not easy on the bike, but she was STuck in town for a while. I was several towns over from home and she dropped a cylinder. Believe it or not, it STill ran halfway decent, so I just rode it home. The following day, the first thing I did was I pulled the plugs and found the bad one. It's a shame too because they were the nice NGK Iridiums with about 10K miles on them. I threw them away and put in a fresh set. I put in a STiff dose of Chevron Techron, filled up the tank and hit the highway for a long hard run. Fixed...

So from there on, I use the other bikes for in town duty and save the 11 for longer hauls.

I don't doubt that it happened. But one data point isn't representative of anything. Possibly a weak plug? One tank of crappy fuel? Might even be a weak ignition coil. Debris or a problem in that carb causing it to run rich temporarily? There's a whole lot of reasons why this might have happened. However the fact of the matter is 1100's aren't fouling plugs with any regularity. It just isn't a thing. Nobody should be worrying about this.

 

[ST1100Y]

I used the bike every day for several weeks exclusively for commuting back and forth to work (10 miles round trip) and local errands.

Indeed, using it for short hops only and the engine runs like crap... whilst it purrs smooth and clean after been out on tours for a week or longer... always takes 3~4 days to clean out...

 

[Larry Fine]

I never start riding until the engine runs well with zero choke.

 

[Pop-Pop]

No straight highways here , no straight roads here. Up and down and around ,when passing traffic, it is almost always going to be in the on coming lane. So the speed isn't going to be constant for very long. The speed limit is 55mph (80 km/h). Til now , I have left her in pretty much in top gear when I get there. The engine is strong enough for a little variation. But today I kept her in 4th for some reason , and it felt "right". More power and more rpm. The ST11 runs at about 3000 rpm at 55mph in top gear, and 3700rpm in 4th .
I've also noticed in the past, that when on trips with others -were I have to keep up with them /more spirited driving, I seemed to be getting better milage (though I didn't really belive it at the time) .
So what do the ST folks think - 4th gear better at 55 mph - when there is going to be constant , smal variation in speed ? Like to hear what ya think !

I ran mine at 4000-4300. Didnt care about the mph. If I needed to slow down, I'd downshift.

 

[Pop-Pop]

Indeed, using it for short hops only and the engine runs like crap... whilst it purrs smooth and clean after been out on tours for a week or longer... always takes 3~4 days to clean out...

Yea, after a few days on the road, my red became a dirty old lady! I didn't ride it much in the city at all. I thought the red didn't get warmed up properly.

 

[JJames]

Thanks ! A lot of good points here. I'm definitely going try running her at lower gear more often than I have been. To tell the truth ,I've never been very high up on the rev counter with the ST at all . It hasn't seemed necessary, but as I said , the Big Girl felt more at home spinning the engine a little faster. Coming from a HD, a good while back , I might have picked up some habits that just don't suit the ST.