When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Primary/Transmission/Driveline/ClutchFind answers to general powertrain, primary and transmission. Have clutch issues and need suggestions? Post them here.
Just got a new Street Glide and need some info regarding the rpms and shifting. Searched the owner's manual and can't find what I need. Need to get a service manual asap. I have never had a tach before and want to know:
1. At what rpm should I up-shift?
2. What rpm should I down-shift?
3. What should the rpm be when at highway speed
to keep from lugging engine?
Most of the guys I ride with seem to agree with shifting right around 3000 rpm. It keeps you from lugging the motor and it is really when the bike starts to pull. I prefer to be around 2500 rpm when I downshift. When you're cruising on the highway, I would stay in 5th until you reach at least 60 mph. Any slower and you will feel the bike chugging. I have actually cruised at 75 mph in 5th and the bike didn't feel like it was winding out at all, so that shows how tall the 6th gear is on the new bikes.
Most of the guys I ride with seem to agree with shifting right around 3000 rpm. It keeps you from lugging the motor and it is really when the bike starts to pull. I prefer to be around 2500 rpm when I downshift. When you're cruising on the highway, I would stay in 5th until you reach at least 60 mph. Any slower and you will feel the bike chugging. I have actually cruised at 75 mph in 5th and the bike didn't feel like it was winding out at all, so that shows how tall the 6th gear is on the new bikes.
Thanks. That's kind of the area I was thinking. I normally don't shift to 6th. until at least 65.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.