spirit 2001 vt1100c shift points

maurice · 06-19-2009, 2:18 PM

since i'm a newbie i wanted some knowledable opinions of taking care of the engine. Using sound to determine shift points, mph are much higher that manual suggest. ex: 4th-5th gear in manual is i think 32mph. my bike chokes, chug-chug at that speed. is riding in 4th gear 55 mph gonna wear out my bike quicker than if i just shifted into 5th? i like having the response on the throttle. any thoughts on this, when you change gears would be appreciated. love the bike so much want it to last.

maurice

daninspokane · 06-24-2009, 11:20 AM

Maurice,

I have an '07 1100. I am not sure if there's much variation between the years, but I can tell you that each bike may be a little different. For me, I listen for the engine and also for the feel.

The manual is ridiculous with their recommended shift points and in my opinion they make no sense. Shift where you find you need to, not what the manual says. I can hit 35-40mph in 2nd but the manual says you should be at what.. 25-30? I remember reading my manual and thinking the same thing you are... "What the hell, this is all wrong?"

maurice · 06-24-2009, 9:26 PM

yeah, i think that is understood, but what i wonder is if you are riding where the rpm are higher than they could be, is that going to wear my bike out faster. Ex: since they say shift to 5th gear at say 32 mph, everyone knows that is silly, but will riding in 4th at say 55 mph wear out motor quicker is the question. I like to shift to 5th around 60.

maurice

daninspokane · 06-25-2009, 1:53 AM

Short answer - No.

I asked a similar question a few months back... the red-line on an 1100 is like what.. 8k? If you are sitting at red-line for long periods of time yes, you can damage your bike. The thing is you will never really hit max rpms... I mean you *could* but I can get to 85-90mph in 5th gear hitting 3500-4000 rpms.

If you have the clutch pulled in and are just revving, you can ding 8k rpms easily however.

A tachometer will help you visualize what's going on and give you some good visual feedback. They are quite easy to install and fairly cheap.

2007 Shadow Spirit 1100 Question

^My old thread that goes over this.

maurice · 06-25-2009, 8:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daninspokane

Short answer - No.

I asked a similar question a few months back... the red-line on an 1100 is like what.. 8k? If you are sitting at red-line for long periods of time yes, you can damage your bike. The thing is you will never really hit max rpms... I mean you *could* but I can get to 85-90mph in 5th gear hitting 3500-4000 rpms.

If you have the clutch pulled in and are just revving, you can ding 8k rpms easily however.

A tachometer will help you visualize what's going on and give you some good visual feedback. They are quite easy to install and fairly cheap.

2007 Shadow Spirit 1100 Question

^My old thread that goes over this.

thanks daninspokane. That answers it. me riding 55 mph in 4th cannot be very high on the rev range. I am not too interested in putting tack in as i can hear pretty well. Like your linked post, i had same concern, wanting to do whatever will make the pleasure last! Took another day off so i'm off for a couple hour ride! be safe.

maurice