Just a reminder that the Green Upshift Arrow is going to be indicating & calling for a change up at that are revs pretty close to the lowest possible viable revs for the next gear, and it's called 'ECO Mode' (for ECOnomy Mode) with the intent that you verrrryyyy gently roll on the revs after the upshift too!! However, as most here will support, using ECO Mode might save you 2/5ths of 5/8ths of fuel in the long run, but most find it's really not much saving at all & barely worth it considering the amount of your attention it takes from the road & surroundings! :banghead: The engine is capable of revving safely A LOT harder than that! So tell her she can use those revs whenever she feels up to it.
Similar to the ECO guided upshifts, the 'fail-safe' computer initiated downshifts are just that - they are a 'fail-safe' downshift prompted just before the engine revs drop below the lowest safely viable revs for the higher gear at that given road speed, and intended to protect the engine by saving it from low rev lugging rather than giving you the best/safest riding profile & gear selection. Sure, you can chose to let the Semi-automatic SE6 gearbox do the downshifts for you if you wish, they'll work sorta OK, especially if you're just tooling along &/or not actively engaged in the riding experience; but if you want the best from your Spyder's engine & its transmission, which is still effectively the same trans as the manual SM6's only with the addition of the sexy and fast flappy paddle initiated electronically activated shifting, you'll be revving at least 'a bit' harder than the Green Arrows call for AND using both the UP & DOWN shift paddles under your left fore-finger & thumb, and getting a bit more engaged in enjoying the macjphine & the ride itself! :thumbup:
Besides all of the above, using ECO Mode not only gives you that Upshift Arrow, but it retards the 'fly by wire' throttle input to something slower & less than the normal setting, which itself is somewhat downgraded from that the engines are able to handle and run best at, as evidenced by the number of riders bringing their Spyders to life with Power Commanders & the like (those devices are simply throttle input enhancers tho, there's not actually any power gain at all! :lecturef_smilie: ) or those who actually DO gain more power by getting their ECU's Upgraded and so unleashing some of the additional power available from these engines in other trim/on other platforms that BRP saw fit to restrict in the Spyders - and most who go down the ECU Upgrade path find that if they can resist the temptation to wring the throttle hard all the time, they get even better fuel economy!! Which just goes to show that the restrictions BRP has placed on your engines performance really aren't giving you the best from the platform - just like their 'LESS than ideal' OEM tires restrict it's handling performance! :gaah:
So I'd strongly suggest that, when she's ready & getting comfortable on the bike, you might want to encourage your wife to turn OFF ECO Mode & start using the greater rev range a bit more!hyea: She doesn't need to use WOT all the time or even at all if she doesn't want to, but revving the 1330 motor juuust a bit harder than those green arrows suggest will make it get up & go a little better - and personally, in the riding I've done on 1330 Spyders, I've always found that using more revs & gear selection to try & keep the revs in the 2500 to 3500 or even 4000 range as much as possible (there's generally no need to use those higher gears at all if you're just tooling around town!
) returns a much nicer & more enjoyable ride, AND for me, it results in better fuel economy than using ECO Mode & slavishly following the Green Arrow's directions ever does!! But then, that's just me, and I still do prefer riding my 2013 RT, with it's far more exciting, revvier & peppier V-Twin motor! :yes:
Over to you! :cheers:
Thanks!!! She has gotten it down now where she isn't looking at the tach or arrow and just shifting when it feels right. HUGE step!!!!!!
