Which Gear?

I never remember which gear I'm in. I just change up & down ,
depending on my speed, what's happening on the road, etc.

But I still keep trying to change into 7th!

What do other people do? Do you count each gear change? Look at the
rev counter/speedo and do some maths? Just magically know?

I can't imagine that Rossi keeps experiencing that irritating blank
feeling when he gropes for that non-existant uber top gear.

Maybe I'm just a thick ****??!

 

Exactly the same as you, especially when regularly switching between
different bikes. If you're *that* worried about it, you can get digital
indicators to show which gear you're in, but why bother?

I can see how it might be a pain if you use the clutch to change up, in
which case don't, & the 'problem' goes away.

 

Yup, 90 mph is about 5000 revs, plus the sound of the bike compared to
speed, somehow works.

I wouldn't rule that one out

--
Spete
www.gimmemoney.mine.nu
www.spete.homeip.net

Occasionally, I'll be consistent

 

Sounds like you're short shifting and not letting the engine rev out.

WCIS?

 

Do they have iGears then?

--
Spete
www.gimmemoney.mine.nu
www.spete.homeip.net

Occasionally, I'll be consistent

 

Good plan, you don't need to worry about which gear you're in when the
engine won't start...

 

Just rev the fucker!

On my Bandit 600, I never even get to 6th. Usually thrashing around in 3rd
or 4th.

On the old FJ, I was forever trying to go into 6th - I never did fully learn
it only had 5 gears.

 

Yeah, 8k revs is always way too fast.

--

Stan Stannard - Grimsby, UK


"Statto's evil twin"

ANORAK#01 BONY#57 UKRMSBC#01
Kawazaki ZZR1100D

 

Andy Bonwick emerged from their own little world to say

AOL.

The CBR6 does not really get going until you hit 7000 rpm and carries on
to 10.5k before the redline IIRC. I went from a twin TDM to a CBR6FX.
You have to adopt a different mindset on the 4 cylinder bike. You will
find the bike easier to ride if you keep the revs up as you will not get
into the horrible flatspot at 5-6000 revs that plagues the FX/FY. 9000
rpm in third will put you into licence losing territory.

Ultimately, I got fed up with changing gears all of the time to keep the
engine running sweetly at 7-9k and sold the CBR for another large
capacity twin, the 1150GS.

 

I had a digital indicator fitted at its last service and I'm cool as ****.

 

All good, so far.

I used to do that on Kawasakis, on Hondas I keep leaving it one gear
down from top.

It's because you have a small, revvy, bike.

It really doesn't matter what gear you're in, as long as it's the
right one for the circumstances.

 

Colin Wilson wrote

Well yes but fundamentally you are riding too fucking slow. See, if you
go quicker then the time between gearchanges will get reduced to
something approaching the limits of your short term memory and the
problem will go away.

 

Colin Wilson formulated the question :

In the days when they only had three or four gears it was obvious, but
when they moved to five and six I started to get confused both on the
way up and down... Especially so on a strange bike.

I now have a digital gear indicator which helps prevent me looking for
7th, but it is useless when changing down. I still find myself looking
for a gear below 1st sometimes, if I miss the flash of the nuetral
light. The indicator needs the transmission to be locked up and the
wheels rolling for some time, before it can work out which gear you are
in. It is fine if you actually stop in nuetral, as it instantly
reconises the nuetral signal and assumes when it goes off you have
changed into 1st.

 

True - though the redline's at 13.5k

Maybe I'm strange. But I quite like the flat spot(!) It's not
ridiculously flat - just a bit gutless. When I'm 'having fun' it's in
the 8000-12000 range, and when I'm stuck in a train of traffic doing 60
at least the flat spot's saving petrol!

 

Heh

 

Hmmm. 140 in 5th?...

 

Happens to me sometimes as well.

If I change up and it won't go then I must be in 6th.

 

Champ says...

I do exactly the same. I must be a riding god too.

 

Bear says...

If you're going to admit to it, then I'm going to retract my reply to
Champ.

 

Bear says...