2017 st bob 1 yr of riding. Wondering when to shift without damaging the bike.

 

New to manual transmissions, I assume?

Unfortunately, it's not a one size fits all answer. I shift anywhere from 2000 to 6200. Depends on conditions and intent. The more aggressive your intent, the higher the shift point, usually.

 

^ That for sure.

 

I guess I'd say, start at around 4k and adjust up or down as needed. Avoid the extreme lows and highs unless you have a good reason and/or experience.

 

after the yr I usually shifted at about 3k rpm

 

Different people have different styles. My ex wife was a short shifter. I often wring mine out.

Can't say there's anything particularly wrong with either as long the engine seems happy. You definitely don't want high load/throttle at extremely low RPM. That's called "lugging" and can be hard on an engine. Of course, riding in traffic at 6000 in 1st/2nd isn't real good either.

Bottom line, don't look at the tach so much. Learn to shift by feel. Lots of Harleys don't even have tachs. I don't agree with that, but there is a certain romance to just riding your ride and feeling the bike under you.

 

when I rode the freeway I sat at about 2300 at70 to 75. I just don't wanna destroy my first bike

 

Sounds OK to me, but you'll definitely want to drop to 5th at lower speeds (65-ish) and when passing.

 

First bike? Am I correct in assuming these are also the first miles on the bike? If so be sure to break it in like they told you, vary the RPMs.

As for me, I have a 110 so I'm not sure if the shift points are different but I usually cruise around 2500 RPM, I go more off how it feels than anything else. If I'm just putzing around I probably shift around 3000-3500. For me it depends more on how the bike reacts after I change gear.
If it chugged or seems low on power, you shifted too soon. If you hit the red line, you shifted too late. There is a power range in the RPMs, just got to find it and stay in it. If you're concerned about it I would say the biggest thing to remember is to not shift down too far when you're going to fast. Dropping a gear to pass is one thing, drop several at 60mph and you're gonna have a bad time.

 

Your owner's manual has the recommended shift points/speeds. If you have a tach use 2800 rpm's as your shift point.

first to second 15 mph
second to third 25 mph
third to fourth 35 mph
fourth to fifth 45 mph
fifth to sixth 60-65 mph
Hope this helps.