Proper Shifting? Please Help!

[Anonymous]

I am new to the motorcycle world. Like most of you I have wanted one ever since I was a kid. Well now I have one. I own a 1985 GS550L and after finding this website I am very glad its the bike I bought.

I only have one prob. The needle on my Tach is broken off. Since I am not an experienced rider I am not sure when I should be shifting. I know when to shift out of first and second but I am not sure when to shift from third to foruth. I have been cruising around at 60 Km (which is about 40 miles ) in the fourth gear because I am afarid of how high the engine sounds like it is reving in third. But I dont know how then engine should sound.

Could someone please tell me at what speeds they shift their GS. If you just tell me in miles ( I know this is an american website ) I will do the conversion my self.

Thanks very much
New proud GS owner.

[ptm]

To answer your question (sort of), it's really all a matter of 1)keeping the engine speed high enough so it doesn't lug, which you can tell by the lack of ability to accelerate quickly, and the engine kind of bogs down; and 2)keeping engine speed low enough (below the redline) so the valves don't float and hit the pistons or other engine damage happens. These bikes have a fairly high redline, so it will be really screaming when you get that high. (If you're not used to it, it can sound like the engine is really screaming when it's only at 5000 rpm, mainly because that's about redline for most cars, and you're in a car, not sitting on the engine!)

If you want to accelerate very quickly, then you want to get up closer to redline before every shift (say 8000 rpm). If you're just leisurely cruising, you can shift much lower, although you should keep the revs high enough so you have some ability to accelerate quickly if you need to. Most riding is done somewhere in between.

I don't know what exactly your 550's power and gearing are, but it is probably somewhere between my 400 and 750. The lists below are the speed in mph when at redline in each gear.

Hope that helps. You should keep an eye on eBay for a working tach...


78 GS750 at redline (9000rpm)

1st - 41mph
2nd - 60
3rd - 77
4th - 95
5th - 112


77 GS400 at redline (9000rpm)

1st - 35mph
2nd - 48
3rd - 63
4th - 77
5th - 89
6th - 101 (theoretically - it can't reach redline on 6th gear)



Also - you'll probably get more responses if you post questions like this in the Tech section...

[Anonymous]

yeah my 450 will do only about 92, and i cant get it to red line in sixth. but usually when u are affraid of over reving, you still have a ways to go before you actualyl are.

[Anonymous]

it seems somewhat odd to me that the 400 has six gears, and the 750 is only a five speed. that's what i get for thinking, eh?

[ptm]

I think it's because the 750 has a much broader power band so each gear can cover a wider range of speeds and still have the power it needs.

It is odd though, I keep looking for another gear on the 750, even though it doesn't need it.

[feelergaugephil]

I wish my GS1000G had 6.....

[dpep]

I wish my GS1000G had 6.....

If someone ever figured out how to get an overdrive gear onto the G models, they would have a long line of customers.

[feelergaugephil]

And I'll be 1st in line.

[Anonymous]

gearing

Well on my 400, I keep it in the lowest comfortable gear unless I am on a long straight stretch or on a highway. This is something I learned in my course.

I can stay in 3rd until about 60kms, if you hear it winding out, getting really loud, shift up. It is just something you would get an ear/feel for. I almost never end up in 6th, because of hillsand curves etc. I like to ride the highway (70-80) in 4th if there is alot of traffic, or 5th if its good. Once I am up around 90-110, I can use 5-6th, but like I said I don't use 6th alot. My bike will do 140 kms/hr easy.

You sheould kep traction to the rear wheel in traffic, make sure you are not in too high a gear and basically coasting.

Fawn

[chrissinc]

I knew a guy at work who had a girlfriend who thought you ONLY shifted at redline! He totally freaked out the first time he drove with her.

[GS_hoolagan]

i got my 82 450L up to 102.2 mph on a flat strech of road about 6 miles
usually when i take off modertaly hard i shift at 4 grand in first and 55-65 hundred rpm for the rest of the gears when you get good you learn where the power band sweet spot is and when to shift

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:twisted: