SuzukiSavage.com - Gear selection

IN-S40

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Gear selection
10/06/10 at 13:45:53

Hey all, hopefully this question goes better than the last one. Grin

Since being new to riding and motorcycles too i'm just curious about gear selection at different speeds. Going from home to work I travel on mostly 30mph roads and typically find I use 3rd gear most of the time, but if i accelerate while going 30 in 3rd I can feel the engine chugging a bit untill it speeds up. Can this hurt the engine? I know its probably not the greatest thing for the rubber dampers. The manual lists the max speeds for each gear but i'd like to know the avg speeds used for each gear.

Thanks all!
Darren
IN-S40

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bill67 Serious Thumper Offline old tired Posts: 8517 genoa city wisconsin Gender:	Re: Gear selection Reply #1 - 10/06/10 at 14:03:28 3rd gear is good for 30 mph,By 40mph I'm in high gear.
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EJID

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Re: Gear selection
Reply #2 - 10/06/10 at 14:06:29

To me it depends on the type of 30mph riding I am doing...if it's in congested traffic where I might need to accelerate quickly to get out of a cage's way then I stay in 2nd with higher rpms, but if it's a leisurely cruise on a 2 lane road with not much traffic then 3rd saves some gas keeps the rpms down. It's just a matter of feel until you are reaching for 6th Grin

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05 S40 15" Memphis Slim, FXDWG Bars, Moved Rear Signals, Saddlebags, Fork Bag, Mini-Tach, Raptor, Cone Filter, Fishtail Muffler, Mix Screw Out 2.5 Turns, 4" Fwd Controls, 147.5 Main/55 Pilot @ 4500

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Phelonius

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Re: Gear selection
Reply #3 - 10/06/10 at 14:09:42

On the Savage if you allow at lest ten MPH for each gear you will not hurt the engine.
1st to 10MPH
2nd to 20MPH
go into 3rd at 30MPH
4th at 40MPH
5th at 50MPH
On a 30 MPH road unless you are going up a steep hill, 3rd is not going to lug the engine too hard.
On hills if you feel a lumpy surging upon accelleration, you should be in a lower gear.
For safety sake a good rule of thumb going down a hill is to be in the same gear as you would use going up it. This maximizes control since the Savage brake system is not up to bragging standards.

Phelonius

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Phelonius

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IN-S40 Full Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 128 Michigan City, IN Gender:	Re: Gear selection Reply #4 - 10/06/10 at 14:12:18 These are mostly country back roads. I'll take on the highway when i have more riding experience.. I just wasnt sure if lugging the engine a bit on acceleration could cause any issues with the engine. Darren IN-S40
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bill67 Serious Thumper Offline old tired Posts: 8517 genoa city wisconsin Gender:	Re: Gear selection Reply #5 - 10/06/10 at 14:17:47 Weight makes a difference I weight 160,If your over 200 then you should stay in the gears a little longer.You will get used to it and will know what gear to be in.
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TestPro Full Member Offline Show up, shut up, catch up! Posts: 121 Florida Gender:	Re: Gear selection Reply #6 - 10/07/10 at 10:47:50 If you can put a tachometer on the bike it might help you understand the load on the engine and speed relationship.
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cursal

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Eugene, OR
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Re: Gear selection
Reply #7 - 10/07/10 at 11:26:19

I'm right there with Phelonius

and a

+ 1 Bill

When I ride two up and the weight is there a little longer in each gear is what I'm feeling too.

And a good tip to remember even if it's obvious, is
shift and apply throttle until you are not accelerating anymore that means shift gears Wink

and a little idiosyncratic note:
When I'm in 2nd and ready to shift into 3rd at about 28mph Suzi sure whines and rattles and just seems overly loud, but that's just how these bikes are.

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1998 Savage, 18,700 Miles, Wind Shield, Tach, K&N Airbox Filter, Leather Bags, CYCLE-TRON II Battery, verslavy cam adjuster, Kevlar F Pads Black.
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Paladin.

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Re: Gear selection
Reply #8 - 10/07/10 at 13:05:44

IN-S40 wrote on 10/06/10 at 13:45:53:

... gear selection at different speeds... engine chugging ... Can this hurt the engine? ...

I am not a good person to ask. I am not a very nice person. I always figure if a vehicle breaks it meant I needed a tougher vehicle.

I can hit 30 mph in first gear... at 30 mph I can accelerate chugging full throttle in fifth gear. I have been doing this for six years / 26,000 miles ... I have not broke it Yet. The Savage is a GOOD motorcycle for idiots like me.

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Boofer Serious Thumper Offline Nearly too old. Posts: 1760 N Ms Gender:	Re: Gear selection Reply #9 - 10/07/10 at 17:54:45 You will get used to shifting by sound, feeling, speed, etc. And yes, lugging can hurt engines, but sometimes I get a little lazy and let her lug to a higher speed.
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