Loud shift from 1st to 2nd?

[FIZZER6]

Wow -- noob senses are tingling here.

I've mostly just ridden up to about 55 - 60 mph -- no interstate rides yet (damned Atlanta traffic). First motorcycle and all. Trying to be safe. Also 1st child due in a month.

I usually find a gear at which I can cruise at about 4000 - 5000rpm. Dunno that I've ever shifted above 6000rpm. That said, I've noticed that if I drop below 4000rpm in any gear, I can definitely feel it more -- like the bike is begging me to downshift and get the revs up.

Am I riding the bike too conservatively? Perhaps not "stretching its legs" as someone else suggested?

I understand the noob senses tingle. We were all new riders once! :thumbup:

Congrats on the little one on the way!

4 cylinder inline engines don't make much torque and especially 600cc and smaller engines. To compensate for that they like to rev up! :BLAA:

I've owned my FZ6 since 2006 and put almost 20,000 miles on it. The only time I will cruise at a steady speed below 5,000 rpms is when I'm in stop and go traffic. In general the bike will start to lug below 4,500 rpms or so, especially if there is any incline. You will actually burn less fuel if you cruise at 5 or 6K rpms which is a sweet spot for this bike, a good balance of power and fuel economy and if you have to accelerate you don't have to drop a gear or 2.

I know that riding around in a city makes it hard to keep the revs up but the bike will run better and jerk less if you keep the rpms at 5,000 or above when cruising on surface streets.

If you have never taken the engine above 6000 rpms you are in for real excitement the first time you do! That is what I love about high revving engines. At low rpms they are docile as a scooter. crank it up to 8K and open the throttle all the way and let it touch the redline before you shift and it's a whole different animal!

 

[MakersTeleMark]

I usually find a gear at which I can cruise at about 4000 - 5000rpm. Dunno that I've ever shifted above 6000rpm. That said, I've noticed that if I drop below 4000rpm in any gear, I can definitely feel it more -- like the bike is begging me to downshift and get the revs up.

Am I riding the bike too conservatively? Perhaps not "stretching its legs" as someone else suggested?

You are not riding conservatively at all. Conservative riding means being in the correct rev range that the bike was designed to be in to make the bike happy and be able to deal with the unsuspected.

You merely associate revs with speed. That is why we have gears.

Stop lugging your bike and not only will you make it happy, you will be much safer. I normally cruise between 7-9k. I'm all over the rev range during normal operation. Try it, your bike doesn't bite.

 

[nthdegreeburns]

The only time I will cruise at a steady speed below 5,000 rpms is when I'm in stop and go traffic. In general the bike will start to lug below 4,500 rpms or so, especially if there is any incline. You will actually burn less fuel if you cruise at 5 or 6K rpms which is a sweet spot for this bike, a good balance of power and fuel economy and if you have to accelerate you don't have to drop a gear or 2.

I know that riding around in a city makes it hard to keep the revs up but the bike will run better and jerk less if you keep the rpms at 5,000 or above when cruising on surface streets.

Had to go find a storage unit during an errand today. Got on the bike (g'dammit it had to be 91°F in Atlanta today) and headed out. I don't think I ever got past 4th gear -- kept the revs at around 5000rpms whenever I could, except in some heavy traffic. Definitely seemed to be happier.

I'll continue to practice. As for changing the oil -- can I get away with NOT replacing the filter too? Hate to remove an OEM filter before I've put 1000 miles on it.

Thanks,
nthdegreeburns

 

[FinalImpact]

Some perspective on your goals and why it may take some getting used too; Not all the splits are the same so you have to REV match differently for 1 - 2, than all the others as IT HAS THE BIGGEST SPLIT:

That's a change in RPMs of X% per gear:
1st > 2nd = 46%
2nd > 3rd = 25%
3rd > 4th = 17%
4th > 5th = 12%
5th > 6th = 10%

1 -> 2 ~ drop nearly 1/2 your RPMs upshifting
2 -> 1 ~ double your RPMs when downshifting

All the others are pretty forgiving. . .

 

[iSteve]

As for changing the oil -- can I get away with NOT replacing the filter too? Hate to remove an OEM filter before I've put 1000 miles on it.

Thanks,
nthdegreeburns

Yes you can keep the same filter. I believe yamaha even suggest changing the filter every second oil change.

I wouldn't get to caught up in what rpm you running at and watching the tach to plan your shift points. It all comes natural with time. I'm sure you can ask any of the regulars here and they will tell you once you are familiar with the bike it will be second nature.

 

[FinalImpact]

Yes you can keep the same filter. I believe yamaha even suggest changing the filter every second oil change.

I wouldn't get to caught up in what rpm you running at and watching the tach to plan your shift points. It all comes natural with time. I'm sure you can ask any of the regulars here and they will tell you once you are familiar with the bike it will be second nature.

FWIW: It was just a point of reference as in how much or how little to blip the throttle. On downshifts from 60 just hold it 3000 and bump down, let the engine flare a second as the revs come up (slowing the bike), bump down again. It'll be ubber smooth!

 

[ghostdog]

I've noticed the loudest clunk for me is always from neutral to first. God I hate that. 1st to second not so much but i've been riding mine for about a year.

 

[SweaterDude]

I know this is hard to believe but I used Mobil 1 last month and my shifting got rough and clunky... more then usual. I replaced it after just 600 miles with Valvoline and it seems better now.

I have now tried Mobil 1, Golden Spectro, Rotella and Valvoline all full synthetics and Motul Blend. I find the Blend to be the smoothest and mobil 1 crap. The others worked well and are about the same.

I know this sounds hard to believe oil can make a difference... I can't even believe I'm saying it. I found it hard to find good data about oil on the net because most people use just one oil all there life and they all swear it's the best so I figured I would try different oil every change. Mobil 1 is the only one that didn't get 3000 + miles.

I'm not going to be as brash as to critisize your opinion on the Mobil1, but you could have had a bad batch or something. I havent switched over to synthetic yet on the FZ because I always run the first 3 changes in conventional for a better break in on the engine (I'm due for a change though). I usually find that my stuff runs best with Mobil1, but when engines are designed they are usually tested with a specific brand of oil. If that specific brand is listed, I would go with that, then compare it to whatever your loyalty belongs to. I like Lucas, Motul, Mobil1, and Amsoil for motorcycles, personally. The old man's bike (BMW) calls for Rotella, but he runs Mobil1.

Also you could play around with different weights. You can run something thinner, but a thicker oil will cause damage (its like having too much oil). You might find that your bike runs/shifts better, but your intervals worsen. I dont ride my bike often enough to wait out the full 3000 miles, usually I change between 2000-2500 (or after every other ride on the dirtbikes).

 

[SweaterDude]

You are not riding conservatively at all. Conservative riding means being in the correct rev range that the bike was designed to be in to make the bike happy and be able to deal with the unsuspected.

You merely associate revs with speed. That is why we have gears.

Stop lugging your bike and not only will you make it happy, you will be much safer. I normally cruise between 7-9k. I'm all over the rev range during normal operation. Try it, your bike doesn't bite.

You should "cruise" at a lower RPM to keep noise down and fuel economy up. In traffic, sure, boost the RPM's and get into the sweet spot for instant response. By no means will running between 4-6k hurt the bike, especially since you're getting used to it still. Find a nice stretch of road though and really wring it out. Shift at 10-12k and notice how smooth it is. Be careful though, after 2nd gear you will be well above the speed limit.....