rpm's for riding

[Wando]

So I am new to this board and I have had my 1150 R since 2003. I have put on almost 17k miles on it so far and I still am wondering what your rpm's are at normal cruising. I have always been riding the bike at 2500-3000 rpm's and when I was at the dealership the other day I was told that I had been riding the engine too low. They told me at normal cruising speeds I should be at least 3000 rpms preferably 3500, then shifting at 4000. So I tried it out for a few days and I have noticed the bike has a little more "stiff" to ride, it's louder, has more vibrations, and I feel the engine heat more than I had before. My supreme question is do you guys ride around higher rpm's and if not does it hurt the bike any by doing it? Thanks for your help.

[Hawk]

My 1150R is quite happy at 3500 to 4000 RPM, I do have the "tall" high gear which might make a difference. 4000 RPM is an indicated 80 mph probably 75 mph per hour if I checked it against a GPS.

[taosports]

Your dealer is correct Wando. Never ride below 3,000 rpm unless you're cruising downhill in 6th gear at 85mph.

[DJ Downunder]

I have always been riding the bike at 2500-3000 rpm's and when I was at the dealership the other day I was told that I had been riding the engine too low.

I'm also guilty..but you can tell if you're loading the engine or not...I also often change two gears at a time.

DJ

[johnnyjs1]

I usually cruise at 3500rpm, I do it because when you need that litte bit of giddyup, the power is there and the engine doesnt need to catch up to the throttle

[wncbmw]

Anything below 3,000 is lugging the engine. Just cruising, I run between 3,500 and 4,000. While having fun on mountain roads, it stays between 4,000 and redline. Besides the additional grunt for accelerating, the higher rpms mean more engine braking and less brakes required.

My favorite rides involve long runs without shifting or braking. Rev it up on the straights a little, back off and let the engine take off some of the speed, lean, accelerate and repeat! Recipe for a fun day!

[The Velvet Monkey]

Hey Wando. Yeah, you're missing all the sweetness of the engine by keeping the revs so low. I cruise around town, like the others have stated, at between 3500 to 4000 rpms, but each day I commute about a 100 miles and keep the tach consistently between 4 to 5k (where I live if your doing 80 mph on the freeway you are blocking traffic). I generally shift at between 4 to 4500k, but I might shift at 5 or higher when merging into fast traffic. The engine's torque and braking are really highlighted above 4k--it's an engine that likes to be revved and sounds great IMO when it is.

Grab a handful and enjoy

[boxermania]

I'm sure that this response will bring the usual response by the board pundits, but so be it......

Let it be known that the best performance is obtained if you shift the first 5 gears at an indicated 7716 rpm.....the fun factor is arrived at 7000 rpm in 6th gear.....Wando....I will venture to say that at 17K miles your bike is using a fair share of oil after a couple of outings......

The best mileage figures are obtained at 877 rpm in 6 th gear......you heard it here first......

[Ves]

Here's my thoughts...
Just normal putzing (Hey, how do you spell putzing?) around town... shift at about 3000-3500...
Accelerating slightly more spirited... shift around 4000
Just keeping up with traffic... no real acceleration... shift at 2500
Trackdays... 7000-7500... downshift at about 4000...
Feeeeeel the engine... you can putz at 2000, but the minute you try to accelerate, the engine will shudder... Put another way, the engine idles fine at 1000 rpm with no load, the closer you are to no load the closer you can get to the low RPM's... So, if you are spinning at low rpm.. downshift before you accelerate...