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Hi
first ever post on this forum; first Harley ever recently purchased: 2009 Road King classic
absolutely love it!!!
but ....question about which gear and when from other riders with more experience
if you were riding at 30mph in an urban area...2nd or 3rd gear? 2nd seems to work for me as Im driving the bike forward rather than holding it back...but it still sounds quite "high pitched"
similarly
40mph on a speed restricted country road...3rd feels good...but it also works in 4th
I dont ever think about what gear I'm in except when i'm not moving............I keep the RPMS above about 2500......down around 2000 RPM's youre lugging the engine, NOT good!
Too high and its a waste
Hello old chap and welcome to HDF from just up the M1!
There is no simple answer to your question, to be frank. On a light throttle a Harley can be ridden at very low revs, in the right conditions, bearing in mind it won't suddenly get up and go. If you try to increase speed too quickly it will soon let you know you need to change down a gear.
A few years ago I turned up at my favourite dealer's open day, along with a lot of others. I watched as a couple arrived and parked, him on a Road King, she on a Sportster. He promptly set about telling off the poor lass for changing down a gear when overtaking a car. Harley owners don't do that, he told her, she should have stayed in top gear! Prat. Use your gearbox, it's what its there for!
Our engines can rev a lot higher than many owners use them, also ride well at low revs. The more you ride the more familiar you will get with what it can do. Best to use your own experience rather than any specific recommendations. For guidance your owners manual gives running-in speeds for each gear, so start with those and work from there.
Hi
first ever post on this forum; first Harley ever recently purchased: 2009 Road King classic
absolutely love it!!!
but ....question about which gear and when from other riders with more experience
if you were riding at 30mph in an urban area...2nd or 3rd gear? 2nd seems to work for me as Im driving the bike forward rather than holding it back...but it still sounds quite "high pitched"
similarly
40mph on a speed restricted country road...3rd feels good...but it also works in 4th
am i damaging the engine with this lower gear?
thanks for the advice
Those shift points are about where I ride. I tend to ride the bike at higher rpms than others I ride with. I don't even attempt to use 6th until 65+
Becomes another oil thread anything above 2100 rpms is fine except pulling a grade it 6th maybe. not as big an issue in the lower gears.. It is not a 10,000 plus metric no reason to ride it like one. Even tugging a sidecar I use 6th at 55 on a basically flat road never any issues
Last edited by smitty901; May 9, 2020 at 08:43 AM.
Thanks massively for the advice. On 90 degree country roads at eg 30 mph I can still positive throttle through the corner...but 2nd gear I can really drive through it.
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gear selection
