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:
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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.
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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,