Just a quick question from a newer operator - are these revs OK?

[DW190273]

Hello All,

I purchased a 2020 F3S from my stepfather last October. Pretty much new at 600 miles. It's since had It's first oil change and is hovering around 2300 miles.

My question is this:

I ride it to work most days and it's mostly interstate miles. Are they designed to handle that hanging 5000 rpm range at 80 mph for any amount of time?

I drive my Honda accord and it purrs at 2000 rpm at 80, so to keep up with traffic running 5000 rpms to do 80 feels excessive to me, but perhaps I'm just not accustomed to that engine.

Experiences please.

Thanks all.

Mike

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Hello All,

I purchased a 2020 F3S from my stepfather last October. Pretty much new at 600 miles. It's since had It's first oil change and is hovering around 2300 miles.

My question is this:

I ride it to work most days and it's mostly interstate miles. Are they designed to handle that hanging 5000 rpm range at 80 mph for any amount of time?

I drive my Honda accord and it purrs at 2000 rpm at 80, so to keep up with traffic running 5000 rpms to do 80 feels excessive to me, but perhaps I'm just not accustomed to that engine.

Experiences please.

Thanks all.

Mike

Where can you go 80 MPH in NY ????? ...... Are you in 6 th gear ?????? ..... Mike

[Deanna777]

Hello All,

I purchased a 2020 F3S from my stepfather last October. Pretty much new at 600 miles. It's since had It's first oil change and is hovering around 2300 miles.

My question is this:

I ride it to work most days and it's mostly interstate miles. Are they designed to handle that hanging 5000 rpm range at 80 mph for any amount of time?

I drive my Honda accord and it purrs at 2000 rpm at 80, so to keep up with traffic running 5000 rpms to do 80 feels excessive to me, but perhaps I'm just not accustomed to that engine.

Experiences please.

Thanks all.

Mike

and


I'll let some people chime in that have the F3S spyder models.

Deanna

[SeniorRider]

I have a 2015 F3-S, and 5000 rpm at 80 mph sounds about right to me. It seems like another gear would be useful.

[DW190273]

Yes I agree, I too wish it had that higher "prairie" gear. I just don't want to put excessive wear on the engine with too many rpms.

Although legally there's nowhere you can do 80 in nys, unfortunately on the thruway if you're not doing 80 you're a speed-up. Yes I'm in 6th gear...lol

Thanks for the welcome, and the replies folks.

[Peter Aawen]

That 1330 ACE engine from Rotax in your F3S really won't be bothered by doing 5000 rpm all day, or all year for that matter - if you can afford the fuel bill! . Just keep it maintained as per the schedule, and ....

Ride More, Worry Less!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Yes I agree, I too wish it had that higher "prairie" gear. I just don't want to put excessive wear on the engine with too many rpms.

Although legally there's nowhere you can do 80 in nys, unfortunately on the thruway if you're not doing 80 you're a speed-up. Yes I'm in 6th gear...lol

Thanks for the welcome, and the replies folks.

... OK - the 1330 engine is designed to give the best mileage at about 50 mph ..... 80 is going to give a serious decrease .... as you have found out ...... Mike

[T.P.]

Just an FYI here, Your 1330 has a stock RPM redline of 8100 RPM.

T.P.

[RayBJ]

Maybe you can change the sprocket for lower RPMs. The loss of acceleration would be minimal. As stated, above 50-60 mph the 1330 gets thirsty.

[acdcking12]

I worry about RPM's sometimes as well. As in do not want to lug the engine. So I typically try and always keep my RPM's between 3k-3500K at all times. Of course, you hit 6th gear on a highway and it will climb into the 4K range.

So I think 5K RPM in 6th gear at 80MPH sounds about right.

[Peter Aawen]

Maybe you can change the sprocket for lower RPMs. The loss of acceleration would be minimal. As stated, above 50-60 mph the 1330 gets thirsty.

Apart from completely modifying &/or replacing the ECU & playing with/possibly losing some of the computer controlled features, I don't believe anyone's successfully managed to do this yet, despite quite a few valiant efforts!

[fredgal]

i also like my rpm's around 3500-4000... i hardly go over 65 mph.. once and i while i will get on it and shift at 6000 rpms. doing 80 mph like nothing... how fast will this thing go ? whats the top speed on this 2020 F3L... not not i will go that fast..

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Maybe you can change the sprocket for lower RPMs. The loss of acceleration would be minimal. As stated, above 50-60 mph the 1330 gets thirsty.

Folks have changed Sprockets ...... and the NANNY didn't like it .... if it's an SE trans .... manual may be different .... JMHO .... Mike

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I worry about RPM's sometimes as well. As in do not want to lug the engine. So I typically try and always keep my RPM's between 3k-3500K at all times. Of course, you hit 6th gear on a highway and it will climb into the 4K range.

So I think 5K RPM in 6th gear at 80MPH sounds about right.

" LUG ENGINE " ..... Your SE trans won't do that ...... JMHO .... Mike

[Peter Aawen]

i also like my rpm's around 3500-4000... i hardly go over 65 mph.. once and i while i will get on it and shift at 6000 rpms. doing 80 mph like nothing... how fast will this thing go ? whats the top speed on this 2020 F3L... not not i will go that fast..

Hard to say exactly, but a stock condition RTL with a capable ryder, a good day, and with enough straight & level road ahead shouldn't be incapable of reaching about 134 mph/215kph... and while an F3L hast push a bunch of air ahead of it, an RTL hasta push a whole shed load more air ahead of it than any F3L!!

And then there's those of us with ECU Upgrades!! . The only bad thing about this is that regardless of the model, the 'whole shed load of air' thing that needs to get pushed down the road is still pretty much the same - and that has a significant impact on how fast anything'll go!

[Piratezz]

My f3s tops out @180 Kp/h, and I have a tuned ecu, mine is more tuned for torque, the off the line speed, so to say, 180 kp/h is fast ennuf....

[acdcking12]

" LUG ENGINE " ..... Your SE trans won't do that ...... JMHO .... Mike

What do you mean I cannot lug the 1330 engine?

[T.P.]

What do you mean I cannot lug the 1330 engine?

He means the transmission will down shift it self from low RPM

T.P.

[old Timer]

Just a FYI, lugging your engine is hi throttle settings at low RPM's. You can run the Can Am all day long at low rpm's using light throttle settings. Just because you are cruising along at low speeds in a higher gear does not mean you are Lugging the motor, however should you decide to increase your speed, rather than opening your throttle in that high gear and low speed (low RPM's) thus lugging the engine, down shift and then open the throttle.

[acdcking12]

So then what would lugging the engine look like? I feel that if I am in 4th gear and the RPM's are below 3K, I feel like I am lugging the engine.

So if that is not, what would be a good example of it?

[EdMat]

So then what would lugging the engine look like? I feel that if I am in 4th gear and the RPM's are below 3K, I feel like I am lugging the engine.

So if that is not, what would be a good example of it?

Drop down to about 40 MPH in 6th gear. Try accelerating briskly. That's lugging.

4th gear should be good down to 2,500 or so.

[Gwolf]

You can't compare the RPMs of a Spyder to a Honda Accord.

[JayBros]

What do you mean I cannot lug the 1330 engine?

The ECM is programmed not to let one lug the 1330 engine. Prove this to yourself by finding a long stretch of flat road and take the bike to 60 mph in 6th gear. Slowly decrease your speed watching the tachometer and watch the RPM to see when the engine automatically downshifts to 5th gear. Repeat the procedure in 5th until the engine shifts down to 4th gear, etc., until you're doing it in second gear and the engine automatically shifts down to 1st. The ECM in this case is smarter than you think it is. To prove it another way, turn on the ECO mode and accelerate through each of the gears as you gently increase engine RPM in each gear. Try to upshift before the idiot arrow comes on and you will see that the engine won't upshift because that would put you in a situation where you would be lugging the engine. You don't really need to put it in ECO mode, just crack the throttle in 1st gear and try to upshift. When the engine won't upshift it's telling you that you haven't twisted the throttle enough to give you enough RPM so you aren't lugging it. It will do that in every gear through 5th.

[acdcking12]

The ECM is programmed not to let one lug the 1330 engine. Prove this to yourself by finding a long stretch of flat road and take the bike to 60 mph in 6th gear. Slowly decrease your speed watching the tachometer and watch the RPM to see when the engine automatically downshifts to 5th gear. Repeat the procedure in 5th until the engine shifts down to 4th gear, etc., until you're doing it in second gear and the engine automatically shifts down to 1st. The ECM in this case is smarter than you think it is. To prove it another way, turn on the ECO mode and accelerate through each of the gears as you gently increase engine RPM in each gear. Try to upshift before the idiot arrow comes on and you will see that the engine won't upshift because that would put you in a situation where you would be lugging the engine. You don't really need to put it in ECO mode, just crack the throttle in 1st gear and try to upshift. When the engine won't upshift it's telling you that you haven't twisted the throttle enough to give you enough RPM so you aren't lugging it. It will do that in every gear through 5th.

If I stay out of ECO mode, and do the same thing in your second example, are you saying that if the RPM's do not get high enough when I shift to the next gear, it will not shift?

[vondalyn]

I have not tried that but I believe that's correct, the engine won't let you shift up if you're not in high enough RPMs for that gear. I have also experienced that if you don't shift up fast enough, the nanny prevents you from redlining it.