In town 2nd and 3rd gear speeds.

[Moses195]

I know I've kind of asked this before but is it OK to run high RPM's in 2nd? It always seems like its harder on the engine at 5000 in 2nd than it does in 3rd or 4th at the same RPM's. I think it's because of the engine braking while de-accellerating(sp) that makes your brain think OMG I'm revving it too much?!

 

[ant_mb]

5,000? My bike idles at 5,000.

 

[kellybt1052]

Sure, this engine lives for revs. Very common on high paced rides and track days to be running quite high revs in 2nd >9-10k. 5,6,7K around town is no problem and may even get you out of a tight spot or two. Biggest issue is your comfort however. Higher revs can be a bit daunting, ride in the zone your comfortable with and don't worry about the engine, it is a rev happy little plant to be sure!

 

[BusyWeb]

Sure, this engine lives for revs. Very common on high paced rides and track days to be running quite high revs in 2nd >9-10k. 5,6,7K around town is no problem and may even get you out of a tight spot or two. Biggest issue is your comfort however. Higher revs can be a bit daunting, ride in the zone your comfortable with and don't worry about the engine, it is a rev happy little plant to be sure!

I always feel that fz6 runs better at high rpm with lowered gears..(me is city commuter)
However, for me sometimes.....
This high-rpm sounds may annoying the people at the city street.
And they may think that the person on the bike is some kind of un-socialized jerk???
Too much thought ?? ha ha ha

 

[steveindenmark]

If you think you are revving the bike too much then you are revving the bike too much.

It is not rocket science it is basic motorbike riding.

Steve

 

[Kriswithak]

If you think you are revving the bike too much then you are revving the bike too much.

It is not rocket science it is basic motorbike riding.

Steve

Coming from other bikes I can't agree with that, I've found the FZ6, especially in low gears has a real 'resistance' to revving hard and can be quite on/off in first and sometimes second. Having just gotten an aftermarket exhaust I'm pretty sure its the OEM exhaust thats the problem.
If you started on a 250 and moved to the FZ6 your probably going to feel like revving it much past 6k is strange, because it transitions from that smooth but strong acceleration and power to a real screamer and the torque difference is pretty amazing. The bike is also alot noisier and vibrates more past thing point.
That being said unless your nearing the red line your not revving the bike to hard, you might just be pushing your own comfort zone and boundaries. You obviously don't need to if your not an aggressive rider, since the bike can easily reach any legal speed below 6-7k revs if you use your gears appropriately, but there is also alot more power a bit higher in the revs which you should master if you want to safely ride the bike in all situations.

When I commute I barely bother going past 6k revs, its a very comfortable ride and I rarely have to go past second let alone into third unless I'm on a stretch of road with an 80km/h limit. If I'm hooning it a bit however there is alot more to the bike past that point!

 

[Jez]

In an attempt to define the Jekyll and Hyde characteristics of the FZ6 in a completely unscientific manner, on two consecutive days in similar conditions I followed the same route. It's about 35 miles around Suffolk, on a mixture of country lanes, single carriageways and market towns which can be seen here.

During experiment 1, which we'll call Thursday, I rode to obtain maximum fuel efficiency, while keeping to speed limits. This meant keeping in higher gears than normal, usually changing up before 6000rpm, so while cruising at 60mph I was in top gear, whereas normally I wouldn't be. The FZ6 didn't seem bothered by this at all, and was quite responsive, very smooth. In fact smoothness was the key word of the experiment; I imagined myself to be 30 years older, on an antique Triumph or something, and how I would ride. Smoothly.

Experiment 2 followed the next day, which I titled 'Friday' for the sake of convenience. For this session, rather than smoothness, the key word was 'performance'. This would be achieved by holding it in the lower gears longer than usual and resisting the urge to change up. On this route I never got above 3rd gear. I discovered a number of things. Firstly, that vibration which kicks in around 7000rpm tends to fade by 8000rpm. I found that by 12000rpm the bike is yowling like a demented cat but seems quite happy to do so. And that if you pass a convertible at 12000rpm in 2nd the driver will look like he just soiled himself. I found that the nasty corner on the A12 with the 40mph limit and multiple chevrons can safely be taken at twice that speed. And that by staying in a lower gear through the twisties requires precise throttle control, but if you keep your nerve, the bike will go exactly where you want it to. Mostly.

So there we have it. The conclusion, which we all knew already, is that the FZ6 is two completely different bikes. A comfortable tourer at low revs, and an R6 bastard lovechild lunatic sportsbike at high revs. The experiment was so much fun I'm going to do it again next week.

 

[DaveOTZ]

One of the most oft overlooked reasons that lower gear revving sounds worse to us is that doing 70 MPH we mostly hear wind... SOOOO when Im in 2nd and pulling up to 68-70 in 5 digit revs it feels smoother but I also have wind splashing my ears... in first I can rev it up past 30, but the wind is so quiet at that point that I hear the FZ squeal...

Incidentally I think Iv'e renamed my bikes (Gotta love sit-coms based on or featuring asian Diner owners)
FZ6 Fizzonzie
Scoot Potsie

 

[Kamloops]

R6 bastard lovechild lunatic sportsbike at high revs = :rockon:

 

[necrotimus]

Yesterday i bounced it off the revlimiter for the first time by accident... it was fun :thumbup:

 

[Kamloops]

I was passing a guy this summer on the hwy and just as I was going by his open window I hit the rev limiter for first time, once I realized what it was I was embarrassed. Thought something was seriously wrong with my bike. And then I did it twice more that day. Guess I am just pushing it harder now.

 

[Daryldaddy]

Once my scooter hits running thermals it's buzz city. The tach seldom sees anything below 8g. ( speed limit permiting ) these bikes are made to rev and do it willingly...allways being in the bikes agressive area is MY rideing stlye. The FZ6 rewards it owners by allowing each of us to choose there own rideing style without sacrificeing performance.....( versatility plus....Wow what a bike.....! Daryl :rockon: