correct gear & rpm for cruising at 50kph (31mph)

r1guy88 said:
what gear does everyone cruise at when going 50kph, for me its 2nd gear at 3500rpm and when overtaking I change into 3rd gear.
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that has got to kill you when you can only cruise @ 30 mph -- you don't even have to get out of first (and you'd still be only around 6k)....is that you actual posted speed limit??
 
Yeah. 2nd is about right if you are cruising for a long period of time at 30-35mph. 1st will do it fine as well. I love 1st on this bike!
 
Osup said:
Yeah. 2nd is about right if you are cruising for a long period of time at 30-35mph. 1st will do it fine as well. I love 1st on this bike!
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I agree! As great as this bike is, 1rst gear may be the thing I like best. Once you've been in stop and go traffic for a half hour or more you'll really appreciate it.
 
Norm said:
I agree! As great as this bike is, 1rst gear may be the thing I like best. Once you've been in stop and go traffic for a half hour or more you'll really appreciate it.
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I really appreciate 1st when riding with my girlfriend who rides a Honda Rebel (very slowly). It's nice to be able to fully release the clutch at 10mph.

Its also nice that I can accelerate to faster than freeway speeds before shifting to 2nd! Awesome gear.
 
Osup said:
Yeah. 2nd is about right if you are cruising for a long period of time at 30-35mph. 1st will do it fine as well. I love 1st on this bike!
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cruising in 1st !.. that can't be good for the engine..

although I enjoy cruising in 2nd gear (less gear changing, sweet engine note, better braking), the temperature of the engine is really high (96 degrees and jumps to 104 at traffic stops). which brings me to a question for the veteran fazer riders, is cruising at 50kph in second gear ok or is it bad for the engine in the long run. I have noticed that 3rd gear at 50kph (3000rpm - cruising temp: 87 degrees) seems to be the correct cruising speed but in my opinion less gear changes makes my riding experience wayy better.
 
I can't imagine cruising for a distance at 30 in 1st or even 2nd, are y'all nuts? I have a pretty big neighborhood loop I have to drive around to get to my house (couple miles), and the limit is 30.

4th gear is just about right, 3rd OK too. It's almost comical to imagine cruising a few miles at 30 in 1st gear, damn. I can't imagine "cruising" in 1st at any speed, that's just not a cruise gear at all. Engine revving, super sensitive to throttle, burning gas like hell, getting hot, etc. People would look at you like an idiot with your engine revving like that.

I am frankly surprised someone even suggested cruising around in 1st, that's just damn strange. 1st gear is for accelerating away from a dead stop and getting to the next gear, that's about it.

Do we own the same bike? lol

I may be a forum newbie here, but I'm from a bike newbie, and that's just weird by any measure in my book. Reminds me of how my brother first rode his Honda 70 back in the 70's, until he realized you could shift it, lol.
 
guess it is the mindset -- do ya really cruise around in first -- probably not -- depends upon the environment, but you DO have the ability to do so and not cause any damage to the bike -- unlike other bikes where you are already in 3-4 gear before you reach 30mph.

And the ones suggesting, like myself, are still getting close to triple the mileage running in the higher RPM's then the normal cage daily driver (37mpg) and I'm :D all the way while doing it....
 
BroHay said:
guess it is the mindset -- do ya really cruise around in first -- probably not -- depends upon the environment, but you DO have the ability to do so and not cause any damage to the bike -- unlike other bikes where you are already in 3-4 gear before you reach 30mph.
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Exactly. You CAN in 1st, but I wouldn't recommend it just for comfort. It will not damage the bike if you do though. But 3rd or 4th at 30mph? THAT'S crazy. Lugging the engine can cause more damage then cruising at 30 mph in 2nd at 4k. The ratio is the same as cruising at 60mph in 6th for crying out loud. How is that damaging to the bike? I like to be somewhat in the powerband which is why I choose 2nd when going somewhat of a distance at 30mph.
 
Osup said:
Exactly. You CAN in 1st, but I wouldn't recommend it just for comfort. It will not damage the bike if you do though. But 3rd or 4th at 30mph? THAT'S crazy. Lugging the engine can cause more damage then cruising at 30 mph in 2nd at 4k. The ratio is the same as cruising at 60mph in 6th for crying out loud. How is that damaging to the bike? I like to be somewhat in the powerband which is why I choose 2nd when going somewhat of a distance at 30mph.
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I agree with you. It only makes sense when the powerband is more responsive and I feel more in control of the bike when at a decent RPM. I agree that cruising at 30mph in fourth or fifth gear is sillyness.
 
drclarksmith said:
I agree with you. It only makes sense when the powerband is more responsive and I feel more in control of the bike when at a decent RPM. I agree that cruising at 30mph in fourth or fifth gear is sillyness.
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i tried cruising at 31mph in 4th gear, it ruins the braking performance of the bike because the lack of assistance from engine braking..
 
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