Sooooo, I'm a little confused.

[Laila's Dad]

As I have stated a few times before I am a new spyder driver and at this point I am still driving exclusively around my neighborhood and practicing in the parking lot of a local church. Well I have been doing that for almost 2 weeks now so the urge to go faster and further is almost boiling over, but I don't have the M on my license yet so I have to be a little more patient. Any whoooo, I have been building up my speed as much as I can without being too far past the local speed limit(some spots is 35, some are 45, actual residential street I only do about 10 to 15 mph) so I have been up shifting at 4000 rpms. The thing that concerns me about that is I could literally be in 5th gear at 50mph. Is that okay? That seems odd to me because the speed range for 4000 rpms for shifting to 2nd, 3rd and so on seems to be only 10mph faster for each up shift. So does 5th gear range from 50mph to the top speed on the spyder??? Just trying to get a handle on these things before I hit the real highway in a couple of weeks. Thanks for any tips.

 

[MouthPiece]

Listen to your ears and trust your instincts.

Chris

 

[MRH]

With respect, I listed to my instincts the first few months I had my Spyder, and found out I was shifting far too early.

This is likely the most useful post on the entire forum, and should be included with every new Spyder sold:
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/...t-Do-s-and-Do-Nots-quot-for-new-Spyder-owners

 

[Laila's Dad]

With respect, I listed to my instincts the first few months I had my Spyder, and found out I was shifting far too early.

This is likely the most useful post on the entire forum, and should be included with every new Spyder sold:
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/...t-Do-s-and-Do-Nots-quot-for-new-Spyder-owners

This may have solved my issue by reading that thread again. I was think that when you reach 4000rpm that you shift each time plus I didn't know that it was okay for the motor to sound a little high before shifting...now I have to get these headlights adjusted. I was sitting still about to turn and got flashed again. :banghead:

 

[MRH]

This may have solved my issue by reading that thread again. I was think that when you reach 4000rpm that you shift each time plus I didn't know that it was okay for the motor to sound a little high before shifting...now I have to get these headlights adjusted. I was sitting still about to turn and got flashed again. :banghead:

I get the headlight thing too; I think it's part of the design (??). I'd rather be more visible and have more visibility when I'm riding at night where there isn't street lighting.

 

[can-am sam]

If you are going 50mph in 5th gear, the engine will be lugging. Shift into 5th gear when the speed is over 60 mph. Remember the engine is designed to run at high rpms. The power comes on strong at around 4500 or higher rpm.

 

[Laila's Dad]

I get the headlight thing too; I think it's part of the design (??). I'd rather be more visible and have more visibility when I'm riding at night where there isn't street lighting.

Yeah Kratos has a thread about the headlights being too high. He also posted the recommended specs from the manual. However after reading the section in the manual myself getting to those specs can be a little difficult so I am going to use the "eye ball test" and just adjust them very slightly and give it another go tonight. Luckily it is simple to adjust and believe me, if I am doing it, it is very very very simple.

 

[Ivorspyder]

I shift from 1st to 2nd about 26 mph,2nd to 3rd 4500 to 5000rpm,3rd to 4th 4500 to 5000rpm and 4th to 5th at 60mph minimum.At cruise on the straight I use 5th at 60 or above.
You can cruise in the 50,s all day in 4th.Pay note to what others have said about high revs.This engine loves them.I learnt all of this from folks on this forum.

Ivor:spyder:

 

[Laila's Dad]

Still in learning curve...

I shift from 1st to 2nd about 26 mph,2nd to 3rd 4500 to 5000rpm,3rd to 4th 4500 to 5000rpm and 4th to 5th at 60mph minimum.At cruise on the straight I use 5th at 60 or above.
You can cruise in the 50,s all day in 4th.Pay note to what others have said about high revs.This engine loves them.I learnt all of this from folks on this forum.

Ivor:spyder:

You are right, knowledge on this sight is amazing. I think part of my issues stem from being a car/truck guy my whole life and all of my vehicles have been automatic so listening for how the engine sounds or watching the rpms has never been a driving skill I needed before going faster. One day at a time.:doorag:

 

[flamingobabe]

I started shifting at about 4000rpm...then read all the post on spyderlovers and made myself shift at 5000rpm...now it's closer to 5500rpm and more...I get better gas milage when I shift at higher rpm......really looking forward to meeting Laila's Dad in Dallas in a couple of weeks

 

[Laila's Dad]

I started shifting at about 4000rpm...then read all the post on spyderlovers and made myself shift at 5000rpm...now it's closer to 5500rpm and more...I get better gas milage when I shift at higher rpm......really looking forward to meeting Laila's Dad in Dallas in a couple of weeks

Same here, Flamingobabe...do you think our Texas shirts will be delivered before the event? It would be cool if we could wear them to the event and take pictures.

 

[NancysToy]

You are shifting too low for an SE. You need to upshift at or above a point that will let you operate at 3,500 rpm or above in the gear you shift to. That means virtually never shifting below about 4,500. That is the minimum. You can shift anywhere from there to the redline. I personally prefer the way the Spyder runs at 5,000 rpm or higher. It has more pep, better throttle response, and sounds happier. Above 5K you will discover a completely different machine that you have experienced at the lower rpm ranges. Try it, I think you'll like it.

To answer your question the best I can, 50 mph is too slow for fifth gear. Fifth gear will handle anything from about 55 mph to top speed if not under heavy load or at full throttle. Fourth gear would be appropriate for anything from about 45 to 100 mph, etc. You can get by cruising on flat ground at 3,500 rpm if in the lower gears, but extended low rpm operation can be damaging in the higher gears or in any gear at any lower rpm. Don't worry about where you shift, worry about the rpm you ride at.

JMHO

 

[Sarge707]

RS/GS and RT differ greatly! I can ride comfortably in 4th gear at 45 MPH and 3,600 RPMs with my GS!!
With my New RT I use 3rd gear All the way till 50 MPH and only go to 4th if on a Flat country road.
I Find the RT Needs to be more at 4,500-5,000 if you want throttle responce because it is considerably heavier than the GS.
I NEVER run the RT lower than 4,000 on flat and level NO matter what gear.
I love then both and am taking the GS Crotch Rocket today before Sandy comes!!:yikes:

 

[billybovine]

Let come at this from a different direction. It is not required to up shift at 4000, 4500, 5000 or 6500. The up shift range is from 4000 to 9000. Shift at 4000 to 5000 under extremely mild acceleration conditions, shift at 5000 to 6000 for normal acceleration and shift at 6000 to 9000 when you are in a hurry or having fun.

 

[Bob Denman]

This was a quesiton that I specifically asked one of the Can Am reps today...
I was told that you should keep the revs at or above 4000 rpm in order to ensure that those clutches (On the SE 5s) are fully locked up...

 

[ARtraveler]

Previous posters have you pretty much covered. You can easily drive 50 mph in third gear. Im a little more comfortable in fouth gear if I am going 55 to 60. I generally don't use fifth gear unless I am on the highway at 65 mph plus.

I always try to keep my :ani29: in the "happy" zone. 4500-5500 rpms.

I think you are probably ready to head out on some roads with higher speed limits so you can try those higher gears. It takes a little bravery but you will find yourself up to it to make the move.
The area where I live has 5 miles of slow twisties and several 15 mph curves. The first person I trained to ride spent two months on that five mile strip because she was hesitant to go any faster--there was also a school with a big parking lot adjacent. The trip to other practice roads entailed going on a 65 mph stretch, and it was real hard for her to do that--but she did. I had her driving 50-65 mph without any problems after that first driving session.

 

[Daisyjoe]

RS/GS and RT differ greatly! I can ride comfortably in 4th gear at 45 MPH and 3,600 RPMs with my GS!!
With my New RT I use 3rd gear All the way till 50 MPH and only go to 4th if on a Flat country road.
I Find the RT Needs to be more at 4,500-5,000 if you want throttle responce because it is considerably heavier than the GS.
I NEVER run the RT lower than 4,000 on flat and level NO matter what gear.
I love then both and am taking the GS Crotch Rocket today before Sandy comes!!:yikes:

RS/GS and RT differ greatly! Thank you, thank you!! I have a 2010 RS. I have read these threads about when to change gears and would shake my head thinking , This is not how my bike runs!!!. I even made a comment once about my bike straining when I changed at the recommendations made on these posts. One post suggested that I could run up to 60 MPH in 4th gear for extended periods of time and if I changed sooner than this it was damaging my bike and I would be sorry later on. I learned to use my EAR for best results. It gave me some peace of mind when I read this post.

 

[viperred]

shifting

I think ther is no dyed in the wool on this on, you have to shift at different times for different types of rideing and what may come your way.:spyder2:

 

[smoky]

Shift....

You'll do a lot better if you shift at 5k to 5.5k ripums....

 

[zrc]

Shifting around 7K to 8K RPMS allows for an almost completely fluid upscale, and great fun. Listening to me might be a good way to meet local law enforcement.