Changing Gears!

[GIXXER-Mike]

Hello, All!

Bear w/me as I tell & ask a bit of info.:

Let me start by saying that this site has been very informative & extremely, extremely helpful to me since discovering it last week.

I'm 32yrs old & finally relieved my burning desire to ride by just purchasing my 1st bike, '04 Suzuki GSX-R600. My friend rode it to my house from the dealer for me & it stayed parked in my garage for 2 whole days before temptation got the best of me. I could no longer stand going into the garage at odd hours of the early morning & late night just to stare at something I've wanted for so long & finally had at my disposal I think I was trying to get enough courage to stick the key in & start it up let alone ride it.

But I rode it through my neighborhood for 2 straight days practicing my stops, starts & turns. Got bold enough to ride 2 miles up the road before I decided to seek further information which is why I'm on this site...& that is:

How far (speed in mph) can I go in 1st gear before changing into 2nd then 3rd then 4th then 5th then 6th?

Mind you that I am breaking in the engine but still tell me under normal circumstances what the speeds would be. I'm giddy & ready to ride fast & hard but I wholeheartedly understand that experience on this type of machine doesn't come in a few days. I'm prepared to be slow & smart for the next few months as opposed to fast & dumb over the next few days. I am patient & loving every minute on my new bike. I tried to be calm & cool as I pulled into my yard after my very first ride ever on a bike. Tried to step off in a calm & mature fashion but as I took my helmet off, I couldn't help but ball up my fist & jump as high as I could while repeatedly yelling, "Yeah, Baby, Yeah!" No way to contain the excitement I had & it was everything I'd hoped it would be & more.

Let me say here that I have proper gear & I am enrolling in a MSF course but it won't be available for another month.

[inspiron]

Your first bike is a Gixxer 600? Oh my ...

To answer your question ... talk to the dealer. When I bought my first new bike (a Honda 125 V-2), the dealer explained everything to me ... like don't go over 8,000 rpm in the first 600 miles, try not to exceed 10,000 rpm in the first 1,000 miles ... the first service (1,000 mile) is the most important ... etc. The numbers will vary for your model, but the idea is the same - don't overrev the engine until you have had the first service, since alot of metal shavings collect in the oil during the break-in period.

Now I'll climb up on my soap box for a moment ...

You have gear - good! Be sure to ALWAYS wear it...the helmet won't protect your brain when it's on the shelf at home.

Take the MSF course a.s.a.p.

Read the book Proficient Motorcycling.

Learn and practice using both brakes efficiently.

Learn and practice counter-steering.

Practice emergency stops and slow manuevers. In an emergency, your brain switches to autopilot and will do whatever it has practiced. You don't have time to think "throttle back, pull the clutch, hit the rear brake, pull the front brake, look straight ahead, ..." The sub-concious is in control at that moment.

Ride like no one can see you - make yourself visible.

Ride safe and enjoy!

*step down from soap box*

[Clint]

What he said.

With a bike like that, you can pretty much shift whenever you want. You don't usually refer to speed on this topic, but rpm, because each bike has different gearing and a different engine, so speed is inconsistent. For easy cruising, shift at about 3,000 rpm. For more pop, wind it up to 5 or 6. And when you're ready for nads-to-the-wall-go, wind 'er to the red. But that won't be for a go while, right?

After a while you'll get a feel for it, and you'll shift at the proper rpm without even thinking about it. It won't take long.

[canjond]

I remember reading in the manual for the '04 GSX-R a speed shifting chart, per se. It detailed recommended speeds as to where to shift. FYI, my dealer told me keep it under 5000 rpm's for break in...

[GIXXER-Mike]

'Preciate the info, guys!

Can't believe the huge amont of info. I've found just surfing through this site. Let me tell ya, it means a lot to me.

And yeah, I meant rpms in my question that was posted earlier. Gimmie a little time to get all my TERMINOLOGY together I look forward to learning a lot just by reading from all you guys.

[Uncle Bob]

Welcome to the site, and yes that info should be in your owners manual.

Please take it easy with your new toy it's way more bike than anybody needs.

[Batoussi]

I have a similair question, I will be picking up a 2004 GS500f soon and wanted to know when do you shift? I recently took my MSF course but they really didn't explain it to us. One of my friends was like "just listen to the engine, it will tell you by its sound when its time to shift gears. However I feel there is a way to shift that is just as responsible as shifting in a car when you drive a manuel or is a motorcycle totally void of that rule?

[TL chris]

Well in response to both questions, listening to the engine will tell you when to shift. Bikes are not like cars. Rowdy is right about how you'll know when to do it. Remember, practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice does. I'd recommend to limit riding to your street and neighborhood before you take the course. Just piddle around so you can get a better feel for the ergonimics, power, throttle response, brake sensitivity and the weight and just plain physics of riding a machine such as a sportbike. After some time in the saddle, your skills will become instinct. Since you're pretty much able to shift when you want to (after break in), you shouldn't look down and take your eyes off the road to look at your tachometer. You have more to worry about than shifting at 5k or 6k for the gear and speed you are going. Please be careful with your new machine. It is called a street legal racebike for a reason. That kind of power must be respected and never underestimated.

*Steps down from soapbox*

[saleemas]

Originally Posted by TL chris

listening to the engine will tell you when to shift. Bikes are not like cars.

TL, respectfully those two sentences appear to be contadictions to me. Would you explain?

G-

[jaydog19833]

When breaking in a motor (and learning) there are many things you should do and not do.

First off, always let the bike warm up to abou 120 degrees before you move it. If you have been driving but shut the bike off for 15 minutes and the engine is still warm (160-180 degrees), let it warm up again to make sure the oil has circulated the motor.

When shifting you should not bring the motor above 8,000 RPM for the first 500 miles. During this period you should shift at all areas under 8,000. This builds the seals up at different gear ranges and makes the bike more "used to" being driven in different conditions. You should "play around" with the throttle accelerating and decelerating while in different gears as well.

Once you reach 500 miles, SCHEDULE A MAINTENANCE appointment. At this point your oil needs to be changed due to debris breaking off in the motor from break in. This should usually cost anywhere from 70 to 100 dollars.

From here(500 to 1,000 miles), you can bring the bike up to about 10,000-11,000 RPM's. Once again try to shift at different points (but please don't bring the RPM's up really high too much because this can lower the life-time of the motor). This is mostly the time period where you start to drive the bike the way "you drive it." If you are a speed demon, drive it hard and high RPM but expect the motor to die earlier. If you just enjoy cruising, be smooth and shift and ride at lower RPM's.

Once you're up to 1,000 miles, drive how you want.
My bike is broken in with 2,000 miles on it. I have only brought it up to 15,500 twice, and its kinda scary. I usually drive shifting about 5 or 6 on the RPM's and cruising at 4-5. If I am driving more aggressively I take it to about 9 or so and hover around there.

Take your time and learn first before taking it hard.

[veteq]

Congratulations on your new toy.... I got mine a month ago (same model different year) and I learn something new every time I take it out. I shift mine between 4000 and 5000 rpm. I try to keep the rpm around 4000. This ensures enough power to get me out of a difficult situation. This is a fast bike.... be careful
I took the the Canadian version of the MSF course and that was very helpful but after I completed the course I still found myself having problems taking slower turns.
Thanks to this forum and the "counter steer" technique, I am getting better at.
Some members of this forum also recommended at book by David Hough called "Proficient Motorcycling - the ultimate guide to riding well". Great book for a beginner.


Enjoy your new ride and be safe.

here is a pic of mine.

[GIXXER-Mike]

Pg. 44 of my manual reads:

Shifting up Schedule

1st to 2nd 12mph
2nd to 3rd 19mph
3rd to 4th 25mph
4th to 5th 31mph
5th to 6th 37mph

Shifting down Schedule

6th to 5th 31mph
5th to 4th 25mph
4th to 3rd 19mph
Disengage the clutch when the motorcycle speed drops below 12mph.

My question is: Does the above apply to regular riding? Or Break-in? By the way, all of this is listed under USING THE TRANSMISSION.

[TL chris]

Originally Posted by saleemas

TL, respectfully those two sentences appear to be contadictions to me. Would you explain?

G-

Sure saleemas-

I meant that by listening and feeling vibrations of the bike, you can hear it with your ears and with your body. Cars, on the other hand, you can't always hear the engine. Mostly the fact that cars have a stereo that takes away your attention. Also keep in mind that there's also a firewall, dash, sound dampening equipment and various other things going on. Engineers like to build cars with quiet engines too. So yes, you usually (not always) have to look at the tach to know when to shift.

Now I know not everyone has a quiet car. There's always an exception to the rule. But if you have the music turned on, a passenger talking, the windows rolled up, usually(again not always) you can't hear your engine. Unless you shift at redline, normally you gotta look.

That answer your question saleemas?

[badkitty]

for the first 400miles (2days for me ) i didnt go past 5K and when i hit 800miles (2more days later) i went to 8K and when i hit 1K miles (next day) i redlined it. It is not only important NOT to exceed certain RPM's while breaking in a new engine...it also helps in letting Newbies get a feel for their machine.Especially those of you who elected to get gixxers for your firsts. All i will say is TAKE IT EASY. Better to look like wuss next to a idiot wanting to race or wheelie than to bite hard and look even worst doing it.

[Batoussi]

Originally Posted by GixxerNewbie

Pg. 44 of my manual reads:

Shifting up Schedule

1st to 2nd 12mph
2nd to 3rd 19mph
3rd to 4th 25mph
4th to 5th 31mph
5th to 6th 37mph

Shifting down Schedule

6th to 5th 31mph
5th to 4th 25mph
4th to 3rd 19mph
Disengage the clutch when the motorcycle speed drops below 12mph.

My question is: Does the above apply to regular riding? Or Break-in? By the way, all of this is listed under USING THE TRANSMISSION.

I believe that it applys to normal riding conditions, Its thee extact shifting patterns listed in my MSF course instruction manuel.But I guess its kinda difficult to keep looking at the speedo while you are busy riding, one thing the MSF instructors taught us was to look ahead where you want the bike to go. I guess the info Rowdy gave was the best just to keep the RPM below a certain point until the break end, while you listen to the engine and learn when its best to shift.

[Drake]

Listening to the engine to determine shifting is a lot easier with cars. Usually, the gear ratios don't overlap so much. Those first 3 gears on the bike can be flicked through quite fast and you'll still have great acceleration. I shift based on need. If I'm in traffic I'll accelerate and shift up to drop my revs down to a comfortable cruise. No need to get my engine all toasty keeping my revs high, if I'm not going much faster than 25mph. However, if I'm on a nice set of twisties, I will keep those revs high so that I can use the engine to slow me down if needed, as well as accelerate to come out of the curve better. If your rpms are too low, the turn of your throttle won't provide much responsiveness.

When breaking in a bike, it's all about getting those lobes of your camshaft, nicely polished and "in a groove" so to speak. Once it gets itself "worn-in" then it can take the abuse of the high rpms, without possible warping/vibration and damage. So, definitely stick to any manufacturers guidance on breaking in your bike, if you want it to actually last you a while.

[LayinLo]

Hey Novaz3, oops I mean Batoussi, when are you picking up your GS500? Keep it under 5,000 rpms until you go for break in service between 500 and 600 miles.

[TL chris]

Originally Posted by LayinLo_usmc

Hey Novaz3, oops I mean Batoussi, when are you picking up your GS500? Keep it under 5,000 rpms until you go for break in service between 500 and 600 miles.

LMAO LayinLo





I think he's right.

[saleemas]

Thanks TL. I've always shifted the cars only by hearing but it's not so easy for me to hear the gizzer strain. It'll go right to redline and sound worked but not strained and I don't think my ear is tuned enough to it to rely just on sound for shifting. I probably should set the shift light
G-

[TL chris]

Originally Posted by saleemas

Thanks TL. I've always shifted the cars only by hearing but it's not so easy for me to hear the gizzer strain. It'll go right to redline and sound worked but not strained and I don't think my ear is tuned enough to it to rely just on sound for shifting. I probably should set the shift light
G-

No problem