What minimum RPM constitutes 'lugging' on my 96ci Stage 1?

BTW, where is the rev limiter set at?

 

Lugging depends on weight, grade, atmospheric conditions including wind. If you accelerate and there is a lag, you're lugging. I keep mine above 2200-2500.
Not sure about your year, but on mine Rev limited at 5600, 6200 with stage one.

 

Without looking I believe the Rev limiter is set at 5200 rpm. As a rule of thumb if you twist the throttle and the bike doesn't accelerate freely your lugging it.

 

The others have you covered. I've always explained it to other riders by stating that if the RPM's are too low in a certain gear so that you can't smoothly accelerate in that same gear, you're lugging.

Hobo

 

Starting out from a stop in 2nd gear would be lugging the engine. Going around and coming out of a 90 degree corner in 3rd would be lugging the engine. Riding the bike in 6th gear at 30 MPH would be lugging the engine. Etc, Etc, Etc.

 

5600 ...

 

A little refinement on the above explanations (which are basically correct)..

You can be running very low rpm at low throttle in any gear at a steady speed without lugging..
it's LOAD placed on an engine at such a low RPM that it can't respond properly that causes lugging.

If you are running 50mph in 6th on level ground (I don't recommend this, it's just an example),
and are only using a touch of throttle, you aren't lugging.. but your bike won't be able to
respond to a throttle increase without lugging because you have increased the load at too low
an RPM for the motor to deliver what you're asking of it. As long as you drop down to a lower
gear before increasing throttle, the engine isn't really lugging.

Again, I'm not recommending 6th gear at 50mph, but road speed and gear alone do not determine
lugging.. it's load..

 

I always thought they were factory set to 5500 rpm. If you give gas and hear cachug caghug cachug your lugging. You will phisically feel that chuging, downshift immediately or ease off the throttle and keep putzing along!

You wouldn't put a manual tranny car in 5th going 25 mph right?

 

On both of my bikes, lugging is 2200rpm and below...rev limiter is set, from factory, at 5500, but with a tuner, you can change it.