Katana600 Normal Range

[BOSS750]

I have an 06 Katana 600 and I've been told by several people that I should keep my rpms around 3500 or less, after 150+ miles of practice it's almost impossible to keep it below 3500 rpms. I normally have it around 4000 to 5000 being my max and my shifting point depending on the gear. To have it under 4k I have to be in at least 5th gear and doing less than 45mph. If anyone else has the katana let me know what your rpms are so I can have an idea if I'm treating my bike right or not.

[inspiron]

Basically, with just about any MC engine, they recommend to keep the RPMs below about 75% of the redline for the first 500 to 600 miles. Realistically, this isn't usually possible. Just make sure that the engine is up to operating temperature (you've been riding for at least 15 minutes) before taking the RPMs too high. Once the bike is running at temperature, you shouldn't have to worry too much about getting into the higher RPM ranges.

[BOSS750]

Anothe question about shifting, I'm trying to go by the manual and shift according to the speed but it seems as if I'm shifting too fast and by the time I reach 40mph I'll be in 5th working toward 6th if I don't run out of road. At what intervals do you shift? Is it the speed or the rpms?

[inspiron]

What's a GSX 1400?



4-cylinder, 4-stroke, air/oil-cooled with SACS, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
Bore x Stroke: 81.0 x 68.0.mm
Max Power: 106 hp (78.0 kW) @ 6,800 rpm
Max Torque: 93 poundfeet (126 Nm) @ 5,000 rpm
Piston Displacement: 1402 ccm
Compression Ratio: 9.5 : 1
Transmission: 6-speed
Drive System: O-Ring Chain

[BOSS750]

Originally Posted by BOSS600

Anothe question about shifting, I'm trying to go by the manual and shift according to the speed but it seems as if I'm shifting too fast and by the time I reach 40mph I'll be in 5th working toward 6th if I don't run out of road. At what intervals do you shift? Is it the speed or the rpms?

???

[BOSS750]

Originally Posted by GIXXERREDLINER

Dude I have one word "SWEET"

[BOSS750]

I'm glad to see that were all professional riders from day one

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by BOSS600

Anothe question about shifting, I'm trying to go by the manual and shift according to the speed but it seems as if I'm shifting too fast and by the time I reach 40mph I'll be in 5th working toward 6th if I don't run out of road. At what intervals do you shift? Is it the speed or the rpms?

I may be out of line posting here not owning a sport bike but a C50, but here's what I do.

If I'm out just cruising, not in any hurry with little to no traffic around me I go by the manual's recommendation. These shift points seem to keep the engine very much on the low side of the powerband. (I can't speak of rpm's as C50's have no tach.) So if I needed to take off fast I would have to downshift first. If I am in moderate or heavy traffic, I shift a little later putting me more toward the middle of the powerband, but still listening to the engine to tell me when to do it. You do develop an ear for it after a while. Hope this helps.

-Sandman

[Clint]

Originally Posted by GIXXERREDLINER

If we considered you to be a professional we would not have answered your question. We answered your question what more do you want? ...

LOL. Pretty sure he meant you. At least I did. He's way past reading the "manuel" to find out how to ride the bike, and listening to the engine doesn't help unless you have the experience to tell you what to do. You might refrain from offering this type of advice until you've been riding for more than an few hours.

BOSS, just don't wind it up and hold it there all day. You're far enough into the break-in that it isn't going to matter much any more as long as you don't constantly hammer it to the red. The recommendations in the manual are absurdly low, so once you get a better feel for the bike, the power being delivered at a given moment will tell you when to shift. It will come, trust me. Relax and ride, bud!

[KSU-Danimal]

Wow, 12 responses and no good answer to your question. GIXXERREDLINER, no offense dude but he's looking for specific RPM's to shift at. You have no idea, so leave it alone!

BOSS600, I don't ride a Katana. I got my GS500 brand new, and through the break-in period I tried to keep the revs below 6,000. This means I was revving to 6,000 and shifting most of the time. As inspiron said, deffinately wait until the engine is warmed up. Once it is warmed up, its not really a big deal if you get a little higher in the rev-range (i.e. 8,000 or 9,000) if you aren't putting a big load on the engine (accelerating quickly). It's really not an exact science.

As far as what the MANUAL (not manuel) says, those RPM's are very unrealistic. All car and motorcycle manuals give VERY low shifting RPM's. The two main reasons for these abnormally low RPM's are mileage and emissions. I don't see how it is possible for anyone to follow the manual's shift schedule.

Stop by www.katriders.com as it is a HUGE wealth of information on the Suzuki Katana. Head over to their forum and search for the information you asked here. I can garuntee you'll find your answer there.

Good luck and enjoy the bike!

-Danimal

[tlwisner]

Originally Posted by GIXXERREDLINER

inspiron whats a GSX 1400?

It's one of those bikes people in France ride.






(j/k - please don't kill me...)

[inspiron]

Originally Posted by BOSS600

Anothe question about shifting, I'm trying to go by the manual and shift according to the speed but it seems as if I'm shifting too fast and by the time I reach 40mph I'll be in 5th working toward 6th if I don't run out of road. At what intervals do you shift? Is it the speed or the rpms?

It's RPMs.

Remember, speed is a factor of the engine RPMs and the transmission gearing.

You should know the "power curve" of your bike's engine. I know, for example, that my bike peaks at 6,800 rpm. However, I never need full power, so I usually end up shifting around 5,000 rpm, unless I'm really pushing it.

For maximum acceleration, you should shift when you hit the power peak, so that the next gear drops right the engine right back onto the slope where it is climbing the slope again.

If you wait until you are one the redline to shift, the next gear will still be "over the peak" and won't offer as much acceleration.

If you are shifting too early (getting into 5th gear at 40mph), the engine will bog down because it is barely generating enough power to keep itself running in that gear.

[inspiron]

Originally Posted by KSU-Danimal

As far as what the MANUAL (not manuel) says, those RPM's are very unrealistic.

Maybe he was talking about Manuel, his friendly neighborhood mechanic?

[inspiron]

Originally Posted by tlwisner

It's one of those bikes people in France ride.

I do ride it in France occasionally, but I actually prefer the southern Black Forest regions of Germany (since I am fluent in German, and barely understand French. Sheesh, why can't those people use a civilized language?

[wookie]

Originally Posted by BOSS600

I have an 06 Katana 600 and I've been told by several people that I should keep my rpms around 3500 or less, after 150+ miles of practice it's almost impossible to keep it below 3500 rpms. I normally have it around 4000 to 5000 being my max and my shifting point depending on the gear. To have it under 4k I have to be in at least 5th gear and doing less than 45mph. If anyone else has the katana let me know what your rpms are so I can have an idea if I'm treating my bike right or not.

If you're asking about break-in procedure...

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

[KSU-Danimal]

Originally Posted by GIXXERREDLINER

LOL thats a good one so you speak german? and you ride in france and germany cool. Hows the food over there? Other than Mc Donalds and other american fast food places what types of dishes do you all have I hear germany has great food but france has horrible hard bread with cheese and wine.

Haha dude what? You haven't been able to give any help...why are you still posting in this thread?

-Danimal

[inspiron]

Originally Posted by GIXXERREDLINER

LOL thats a good one so you speak german? and you ride in france and germany cool. Hows the food over there? Other than Mc Donalds and other american fast food places what types of dishes do you all have I hear germany has great food but france has horrible hard bread with cheese and wine.

Okay, once for the record.

It is aparagus season right now. White asparagus with Hollandaise sauce and some ham slices ... mmmmm!

As was discussed in other threads - McDonalds is not food. It is something to still your hunger for a couple of hours, but it ISN'T food.

A "typical" German dish is very similar to a typical American dish - A steak (beef, veal or pork), some potato variation, and salad or steamed vegitables. Plus, in just about every town there are Italian restaurants, Pizzerias, Chinese and/or Thai restaurants. In larger towns there are Greek restaurants, Indian or Afgan restaurants, and even Mexican restaurants. Although the stereotype German is supposed to drink beer, the area where I lived (before moving to Switzerland) was wine country.

In France, the story is about the same - there are some "typical" dishes (which vary depending upon the region - the people in the south of France eat differently than the people in the north). Plus there are "foreign" restaurants in most towns.

French baguettes (bread) is not hard when it's fresh. The secret is to buy them fresh and eat them fresh (the same day). The next morning, they are hard. France is known for excellent wine, and an extensive variety of cheeses.

Germany is known mostly for wine and beer, and excellent bread.

Switzerland is known for cheese (there are hundreds of cheeses available here, not just the one "Swiss Cheese" as it's know over there), and hundreds of different breads. There really is more than just "Wonder Bread". And some excellent Swiss wines...

Damn ... I just finished breakfast and I'm already getting hungry again.

[BOSS750]

I would like to thank all who helped a noob such as myself. To all the knowleged riders: Inspirion, Sandman, RowdyRed, Wookie, and KSU-D. One day when a newbie ask me these same questions I'll be able to give him the same good advice (lol) I had to laugh after reading all the post that were put into this. Oh yeah I forgot Gixxer thank you also without your expertise none of this would be possible.

[Clint]

Originally Posted by BOSS600

One day when a newbie ask me these same questions I'll be able to give him the same good advice...

That's the plan! It's like we're reproducing without the messy transfer of fluids.

[inspiron]

Originally Posted by RowdyRed94

That's the plan! It's like we're reproducing without the messy transfer of fluids.

Rowdy, I think you're missing the point here.

Go ask Jolene about it...maybe she'll explain it to you.