When do you shift to 5th ???

[draboo]

I usually don't use 5th until 70mph-ish. I usually cruise at 68/60 zone, so 5th works reasonably well, unless "we" are riding(2up) and/or towing the camper.

 

[StriperKing]

:agree: ...or even closer to 70-75.

I agree with Scotty. 70 is bare minimum for 5th and usually never till 75. This is on the RT though. If I set the cruse at 70 on the interstate I do it in 4th even if I ride that way for over an hour or more.

Maybe just me but I would like a sprocket to lower the final drive ratio. Better take-off in first and be in 5th on the interstate more.

 

[ARtraveler]

Pretty much the same for me. 65 and up I go to 5th gear. It took a while for me, but I have learned to watch the tach to keep the engine in the "happy" range.

 

[altonk]

When the rev limiter tells me to

 

[Marker]

I have RT and only use 5th gear at interstate speeds of 65 up :thumbup:..

Freebob...:doorag:

:agree: As a new rider to the world of bikes and trikes I have been playing around with shifting on my RTs SE5 and have found 5th gear works best for speeds over 65mph and when cruising I shift gears at around 5000rpms . I do not know if this is correct or not but the engine sounds great not over reving or bogging down.

 

[MarkLawson]

I have found that while "gently" cruising, I can shift into 5th @ around 55. If I need any more than a slight acceleration, I'll downshift.

 

[fispyder]

On my RT I cruise in 5th at 55 unless I feel it blog down (hill) than I shift into 4th. This is a great :chat: but it is left up to the :doorag: what gear he/she should be running

 

[Raptor]

65 MPH is 4th gear territory, at least for me. The middle of this power band is a bit weak in my view, and this V990 is a race-bred engine that likes to rev. I know a lot of guys come from other platforms that don't rev in this nature, so it can make them feel a bit uneasy to do so. But really, 5th gear only gets used on 14 when I'm at 6500 or higher, depending on the needs at the time. The odd thing is that this does not seem to affect fuel economy one way or the other. The engine is going to burn what its going to burn. Short shifting or trying to rev lower doesn't improve fuel economy. It just bogs the engine and reduces throttle response.

 

[Raptor]

When the rev limiter tells me to

:2thumbs:

 

[Firefly]

Like many others have said - I also don't even think about using 5th until 70+ mph. When hammering I'd still be in 3rd at 70----

 

[Bob Denman]

Here's the Olphart checking in... You guys aren't throwing out any info on which model you have; the RTs have a powerband that's 750 or so rpm lower that the RSs...
With that in mind... I the shortest-shifting ESSOBEE to hit this site... the Missus and I are in top gear at 38 ro so mph while out cruising and the motor never struggles. :thumbup: I also am getting 34 to 37mpg reularly, so I think that something is working right for me... I run 93 octane, so maybe that allows me to "lug" my 991?