Drivability
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2,225
Likes: 4
From: fegfsg
RE: Drivability
ORIGINAL: simonknight
In 5th with very judicious use of the throttle I can go down to about 2000 ish rpm, 42 mph, but it only gets really responsive around 2500 rpm. In town, it doesn't hunt, but it's a bit touchy in 2nd gear in that 2000 to 2500 rev range.
In 5th with very judicious use of the throttle I can go down to about 2000 ish rpm, 42 mph, but it only gets really responsive around 2500 rpm. In town, it doesn't hunt, but it's a bit touchy in 2nd gear in that 2000 to 2500 rev range.
just keep the RPMs up.
I don't count my gas mileage but i spent about 3.50 a week. my commute is maybe 10 miles a day, not much.
Road Captain
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 727
Likes: 0
From: A Boston Yankee in Surrey, England
RE: Drivability
ORIGINAL: BergeRON
Lately, with the SE A/C and V&H Short Shots and Fuel Pak...I have no Tach. I'm not hitting fourth until I'm moving over 60. I am racing the engine a little, but I'm just riding it like it's telling me. If I really get on it I'm hitting 70 in third. I have an '07 Nightster.
I'm only getting 39 mpg...On city streets...What do i need to do to get that thing up to 50 mpg? Maybe i need to take it a little easier, But it then feels like I'm riding it her like she wants.
Ron
Lately, with the SE A/C and V&H Short Shots and Fuel Pak...I have no Tach. I'm not hitting fourth until I'm moving over 60. I am racing the engine a little, but I'm just riding it like it's telling me. If I really get on it I'm hitting 70 in third. I have an '07 Nightster.
I'm only getting 39 mpg...On city streets...What do i need to do to get that thing up to 50 mpg? Maybe i need to take it a little easier, But it then feels like I'm riding it her like she wants.
Ron
The shift points I've found are what others have said - match the gear to the 10s - ie - 2nd at 20, 3rd at 30, 4th at 40, 5th at 50. Those are just guides and you have to adjust for whether or not you're accelerating, going up hill, going downhill, slowing down, etc.
Harleys have great low end torque which means you can be in lower RPMs/higher gears and still have lots of power to pass or accelerate. Going from 50 to 70 in 5th is a piece of cake, for instance. She'll just stand up and go, unless you're going uphill, then you might have to downshift to 4th.
On the other hand, I think our original poster is keeping his in too high a gear and in danger of lugging the engine.
Forget the tach. Block it with a piece of duct tape or something. The engine'll talk to you. Drive by feel and sound. You'll soon figure out when it's happy and when it's not.
Shawn
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 44
Likes: 0
From: Los Angeles
RE: Drivability
ORIGINAL: JosephGarcia
I don't count my gas mileage but i spent about 3.50 a week. my commute is maybe 10 miles a day, not much.
I don't count my gas mileage but i spent about 3.50 a week. my commute is maybe 10 miles a day, not much.
Where do you live? Gas in Los Angeles is Currently $3.75 a gallon for Premium.
and Pitts;
As far as:
The shift points I've found are what others have said - match the gear to the 10s - ie - 2nd at 20, 3rd at 30, 4th at 40, 5th at 50. Those are just guides and you have to adjust for whether or not you're accelerating, going up hill, going downhill, slowing down, etc.
The bike ran similiar to that while stock. Since it meetdude's called Vance & Hines...I getabout 2 mpg better, and have a ton of more power at my disposal. Sometimes I look down and realize I'm doing 60 in second.
I don't ever think that I'm abusing it, I just laugh at what it used to be.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 8,641
Likes: 26
From: Ozark Country
RE: Drivability
You don't need a tach or anything like that on a Harley, in fact you don't even need to look at a speedometer to determine shift points.
Shift points depend on road conditions, so there isn't any 'set rule'..
After riding Harley's for a while you just 'shift by ear', as you can tell by how the engine rev's and how the bike feels when it is time to jump into the next gear.
Shift points depend on road conditions, so there isn't any 'set rule'..
After riding Harley's for a while you just 'shift by ear', as you can tell by how the engine rev's and how the bike feels when it is time to jump into the next gear.
Advanced
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 92
Likes: 0
From:
RE: Drivability
Welcome and congrats on your new bike. I just got my bike 2+ week ago and only have a mere 120 miles on it.
I talked with the guy down at the harley dealer and he said that the download is not as good as the performance chip. (He could have been trying to sell me something more). But he went on to say that when you buy the chip, it also comes with a dyno as well. I think my bike ispowerful enough for me. I am afraid to mess with the bike like exaust, intake and so on as I am afraid of the unknown.
I talked with the guy down at the harley dealer and he said that the download is not as good as the performance chip. (He could have been trying to sell me something more). But he went on to say that when you buy the chip, it also comes with a dyno as well. I think my bike ispowerful enough for me. I am afraid to mess with the bike like exaust, intake and so on as I am afraid of the unknown.
Thread Starter
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Novice
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
From:
RE: Drivability
The Sportster is the first road bike I've had without a rev counter. I'm used to riding without because I've had a bunch of dirt bikes. I'm fine changing gear by the feel of the engine and that's why I was initially surprised that the shift-up speeds in the user manual were really low. Idon't need the user manual to tell me how to ride, but I suppose I did think they were at least reasonable and expected a bitbetterdriveability at low revs. It definitely tendsto lug below2250 rpm.
CharlieBox - I'd definitely recommend the stage 1 and muffler upgrade. The bike stays under warrantly and there's a lot more usable power.
When the dealer installed the A/C they forgot to install the download - it really didn't run well. After the download it runs fine but I wonder if the SERT would be an improvement. The dealer said the HD downloads are way lean for EPA regs.
And I noticed a UK poster (I'm originaly from the UK). Don't forget US gallons are smaller. 40 mpg US is 50 mpg imperial.
Thanks for the welcomes to the board. I am really enjoying my Sporty. Should have bought one years ago.
CharlieBox - I'd definitely recommend the stage 1 and muffler upgrade. The bike stays under warrantly and there's a lot more usable power.
When the dealer installed the A/C they forgot to install the download - it really didn't run well. After the download it runs fine but I wonder if the SERT would be an improvement. The dealer said the HD downloads are way lean for EPA regs.
And I noticed a UK poster (I'm originaly from the UK). Don't forget US gallons are smaller. 40 mpg US is 50 mpg imperial.
Thanks for the welcomes to the board. I am really enjoying my Sporty. Should have bought one years ago.
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6th Gear
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
From:
2007 1200R low end idle
Sorry to say the low RPM performance is rather poor for these bikes. Not being able to get into 5th gear till at least 50mph is lousy. I love my bike but having to downshift even to make a rolling turn in town just to keep rpm's above 2500 (so there's no bogging down) needs to be fixed somehow. I'm looking for simple fixes to adjust this. Harley contacted me and suggested changing the sprockets (which would raise rpms in every gear). This would work but eliminates lower rpm's that are desireable at 60+ speeds (and subsequently mileage).
So..question is..what is the best fix? Air cleaner? This plus new pipes? Does adding both of these fixes actually make a real difference in low rpm performance?
So..question is..what is the best fix? Air cleaner? This plus new pipes? Does adding both of these fixes actually make a real difference in low rpm performance?
Club Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 16,320
Likes: 306
From: Boynton Beach, FloriDuh
A Stage 1 upgrade is the place to start, high flow A/C, pipes, & a tuner such as a PC III SERT, etc. After that, a cam such as the SE will improve low/mid range torque.
FYI: it's best if you start your own thread for questions like this, rather than dragging up a dead thread that's over a year old.
FYI: it's best if you start your own thread for questions like this, rather than dragging up a dead thread that's over a year old.