Stupid Question: Ideal RPM to shift gear?

[Dubaian]

This is the first bike i bought so am not familiar with when to shift on the spyder.. i usually shift at 5000 RPM, whats the ideal rpm to shift gear?

[IWN2RYD]

This is the first bike i bought so am not familiar with when to shift on the spyder.. I usually shift at 5000 RPM, whats the ideal rpm to shift gear?

I think that depends on a lot of things... Going uphill? Downhill? Flatland? Towing? Merging in traffic? Two-up? and is your Spyder done with the break-in period?

We are still breaking ours in, and find that we like 3500rmps-4600rpms for cruising in any gear on flatland.... Shifting @ 5000-6000rpms depending on hills and so on.

Once this baby is broken in I plan to shift for the next up gear around 6500rpms when two-up most of the time, and downshift at the same 3500rpms...

Keep in mind, in my area there are a lot of hills and mountains. So RPMs are needed in what ever we drive here.

BTW.... Just because the tac says it goes to 9k does not mean you should, just the the Speedometer going 200+

Hope that at least lets you know what one person does, not necessarily what you should do at all

[boborgera]

This is the first bike i bought so am not familiar with when to shift on the spyder.. i usually shift at 5000 RPM, whats the ideal rpm to shift gear?

First there are no stupid questions here at SpyderLovers, We are all here to help one another.
When I'm just putting around town i shift at 3 to 4 thousand.
When i really want to get up and go, I just shift by ear. Been doing it that way for many years.
My last bike before the Spyder didn't even have a tack.[vtx 1800] After a while you'll find what works best for you.
That said 5 thousand is a good rpm to shift at too.

[Pincushion]

between 4000 and 4500 seems to be the spot, at least for me!

[NancysToy]

Not a stupid question at all. As was said, it depends a lot on conditions, needs (more power for passing, for instance), or just your desires. There is only one "rule"...shift at high enough rpm that you will not lug the engine after it goes into the higher gear. As an example, if you find your Spyder does not seem happy below 3,000 rpm on a flat road, and you drop 1,000 rpm per gear shift, you would want to be above 4,000 rpm before you shift. In the hills, where the Spyder was not happy below 4,000, you'd shift up at 5K or more.

In a short while the seat of your pants will tell you when it is time. Then you can stop watching the tach. Don't worry, you'll figure out what is right for you real soon. Enjoy the Ryde!

[Dubaian]

thanks for the feedback

[kytten]

I generally drive on flat-ish land and on side streets where the max posted is about 55. I normally shift between 4500 and 5000. Closer to 4500 if I'm passing someone or getting up to speed in a hurry, closer to 5000 if I'm just driving. I sometimes do this by ear and sometimes look at the tac depending on traffic conditions.

You'll get a feel for it with some experimentation.

[Sarge707]

between 4000 and 4500 seems to be the spot, at least for me!

I never shift under 4,000.

If one of Dem Harley Trikes are behind me I shift at 6,000 PLUS!

[canam9]

If one of Dem Harley Trikes are behind me I shift at 6,000 PLUS! [/QUOTE]

[Florida Rev]

4,000 on the way up, 2,800 on the way down on an SE5 still in the break-in period.

[jabba11]

On a flat road if I am not trying to get anywhere fast usually around 4000-4500.

[SpyderWolf]

99% of the time I am upshifting above 5,000 RPMs and downshifting around 3500 on my SE5. Many times I don't shift until over 6,000 and the Spyder really seems to run better in that range for me.

I still have a hard time convincing my father in law that I need to run at higher RPMs, as his Suzuki Boulevard rolls at very low RPM.

[glynnk]

As has already been noted, no dumb questions around here. I'm generally shifting between 5,500 to 6,000 rpms.

Glynnk

[altonk]

when the needle hits the red spot

[sandrunr1]

If any Harley is around about 7500 and they never see the next shift. so It really doesnt matter. If wife is around, about 4500.

[SpyderWolf]

when the needle hits the red spot

I like that shifting point as well.

If wife is around, about 4500.

Yet another good reason why my wife has her own Spyder.

[hennyking]

Good thing I found this because I shift at like 7000 rpm so I night be shifting to high thank people for this info

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

[ARtraveler]

Good thing I found this because I shift at like 7000 rpm so I night be shifting to high thank people for this info

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

You seem to have found a thread that goes back to 2010. In "those days" we only had the 998 twin. Most people find that 5000 - 5500 is a good shifting and cruising range. The 2014 and up 1330 three cylinders like to be shifted between 3000 -3500. You can fine tune from this information as to what feel best for your particular machine.

[ingramwc]

The shift point depends on which engine you have, they are vastly different engines and have different optimal shift points.
1st thing to do is read the thread "Dos and Don'ts for new Spyder owners", there is a section there about when to shift. The V-twin produces the majority of its torque and horsepower
at higher RPM than the 3 cylinder engine. I found that to be very helpful. I have a 2013 STS which is a V-twin and I have followed the guidelines in that thread.
The only exception is when I want my hair or what's left of it to stand on end and run through a set of red line shifts! Now that is awesome!!!!

[hennyking]

You seem to have found a thread that goes back to 2010. In "those days" we only had the 998 twin. Most people find that 5000 - 5500 is a good shifting and cruising range. The 2014 and up 1330 three cylinders like to be shifted between 3000 -3500. You can fine tune from this information as to what feel best for your particular machine.

Yes I'm start shifting a lot sooner

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

[Bob Denman]

We've got no information in here, about which Spyder you have...
A lot of folks will either list it in their profile, or add it to their signature line. (the one that comes up underneath each post...) It helps to sort out what information might be most useful.

[revtom]

Helpful discussion, guys. As noted above, when I had an RT SE6, I generally upshifted around 3500/4000 unless under load and/or passing in which cases I would let it rev up higher. With my present 2015 RS-S v-twin SE5, the sweet spot to upshift is above 5000/5500. In that rpm range on the SE5 there is seldom the delay in engagement that can occur when upshifting at lower rpms.

[jroberts650]

This is the first bike i bought so am not familiar with when to shift on the spyder.. i usually shift at 5000 RPM, whats the ideal rpm to shift gear?

I don't normally go by RPM. I go by the speed and if you do that you'll always be in the best RPM range.

I shift into 2nd at 30, 3rd at 40, 4th at 50 and 5th at 60+. Seems to shift the best and keeps me in power band the whole time.

[Kasper86]

I have a 2018 F3T SE6 what is the best RPM to shift up?

[Al Gully]

I have a 2016 F3L SE6, the tach does not have a red zone for maximum RPM, anyone know what the max redline for this trike is.