Shift Points on the Tach

Just moved from a VTX 1800 to my beautiful '05 ST and obviously it rides totally different. My question is, what are the normal shift points for this bike. The VTX was full of torque and I usually shifted with fairly low RPMs. The ST has a tach swing that, to me, looks enormous and sometimes I can tell I am shifting too early, like I did on my VTX. Anyhow, if y'all can tell me what is normal I'd be thankful for your advice.

Dago

In all honesty, I have no idea at what rpm I normally shift. Unless I'm working the bike really hard, and might be approaching red line, I shift by "feel."

I can say that I rarely, if ever, approach redline in normal riding. Reving higher than necessary can be fun, but will definitely cut your gas mileage.

If you need to accelerate quickly, give it more gas and rev it higher. If not, give it less and shift sooner. I think you'll eventually get a feel for it, just as you did with your VTX

I think you'll find that your shift point will vary according to how you are riding it at the time. The engine has plenty of torque and you can pull away from a stop by just using the clutch. I too will shift early if it is a leisurely ride. You can get it into triple digits without hitting the rev limiter without much effort and still have a couple of gears left.

90% of the time I shift between 3000 and 3500 rpm. If I need to get away from the cage drivers at a stop (I can lane split in CA) I will go higher. I feel there is no need to go higher and that is why I get 45-48 MPG, and 12,000 + miles from my rear tire!! It is fun to "let her rip" now and then though!

As others mentioned depends on the mood and hard hard you are pushing it.
She makes power just about everywhere
I'm probably around 4k when shifting if loafing along.

Thank you all for all the replies so far. I am sure I will find the right shift points by feel eventually, but those points are definitely higher than the VTX was. Again, thanks bunches.

D

And for real fun shift out of each gear around 7200 rpm's...brings you right back to the max torque range..only problem is hangin on..wheewww

No kidding!!! That 1->2 shift when you're WOT and wind it up to >7k... yeow! The front wheel may still be on the ground, but it feels like the bike is pointed _way_ uphill! And if you're not paying attention and shift too hard, you might find yourself sliding to the back seat... :burnout

I don't do that too often though... (I want my tires to last!) When I'm just putting around, I'm shifting somewhere between 3.5k and 4.5k. I try not to run the bike below around 2k to avoid lugging. If I'm in town and feeling nervous, I'll hold it above 3.5k and shift a bit higher as well. I want to have more power available immediately in case some idiot in a cage is suffering from a case of selective blindness.

From what I understand, installing a Turbocity FPR will go a long way toward getting the engine to run smooth at a much lower RPM. I haven't put one on my '05 yet, but it's on my short list.

BTW, congrats on picking up a ST... you're gonna love it!

One thing for *sure* Dago, don't let yerself get in the habit of shifting the ST too soon.

With a cruiser type bike, this may not often be an issue, with the low end torque. But the ST you don't ever want to "lug" the engine (don't be in too high a gear at low engine speed).

Here's a quote, from a v-twin forum I just found, looking for a good explanation of this: It's by MileHog:
------------------
Lugging is a moving target, no one can quote an exact rpm.
Here's my stock response;
If the bike freely and easily accelerates when you roll on more throttle, you're OK. If the bike struggles or dosen't immediately respond to increased throttle you're probably lugging it. When in doubt, gear down. If you find yourself wondering about gearing down, do it.
--------------

I'm sure you understand that, but if you're shifting too soon, you're risking lugging the engine, while the ST does have a lot of torque, you could potentially damage the engine... so give it some gas woooohooo

regards and enjoy,

It's all in where the torque is. On the VTX, you stop making more torque at about 3300 RPM:


On the ST, the shape of the curve is different, and you don't run out of smoke until almost twice that:


If you're sensitive to it, the first peak at 4000 will make you shift early, but there's lots of fun to be had between 4000 and 6000.

--Mark

yea I'm old school low rpms kinda guy too. I usually shift both my Honda Civic and my ST (and my Nighthawk for that matter) between 3200 and 3800 rpms and I think the ST made it to 6000 once but the other 2 haven't come close. Before the ST I had a Yamaha FZ1 and it was never over 6K either. LOL

The shift points per Owner's Manual are outrageously low; I can't believe many of us follow them. I've found that shifts between 4000-4500 are best for smoothness and reducing drivetrain lash.

8500RPM :twisted:

Anywhere from 3,500 to 8,000 rpm, usually around 4-4.5k.

(I can lane split in CA)[/QUOTE]

Wait a minute!!!! I WANT THAT!!!!!!!

c-lapier said:

The shift points per Owner's Manual are outrageously low;

Click to expand...

Reviving an old thread- I was going to start a new one but did a search first.
What is up with the O/M shift point suggestions? Pg 57
Anyone know?
pg 57
1-2 12 mph
2-3 19 mph
3-4 25 mph
4-5 31 mph

5th gear at 31 mph?

Down shift: Avoid down shifting to slow your motorcycle?
5-4 22 mph
4-3 16 mph

Depends on road and traffic conditions - and who you are chasing!

I shift between 3-4K R's minimum, anything lower will cause some pinging as the engine is short on torque at low speeds...

Recommended means nothing to me, especially stated in MPH. I shift by RPM. I presume the recommendations are predicated on max fuel economy and/or other things I really don't care about.

Feeling chill and driving leisurely around town? I shift at about 3.5K rpm, and 'cruise' in whatever gear keeps me lugging along around 2-2.5K

Driving "spiritedly" (my norm)... shift around 6K, keep it around 3K to 'cruise'

Driving "aggressively"... shift just before redline all the way to top gear, of course.

I use the governor to let me know when I must shift to a higher gear...
The rest of the time it's all by the sound of the revs as I try to keep the engine in the power-band.