Crusing RPM? Downshifting vs. braking? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Crusing RPM? Downshifting vs. braking?

tsdexter

tsdexter

Well-known member
I've been riding around as much as possible, getting practice. I've got downshifting, with throttle blipping, down pretty good now. Just wondering a few questions...

What RPM should I cruise at? As low as possible? For example, should I go right up to 6th when cruising around town at 60kph? Or stick around 4th which is like 6000rpm I think? (redline 12.5k rpm) - or should I always stick in the powerband 'just in case'?

Also, what's the general consensus around here on downshifting? As I said, I've got blipping down pretty good, so I am rev matching is downshifting no big deal cause it's a wet clutch? I'd rather save the brakes if the wet clutch means downshifting is no biggie on the transmission/engine like with a car.. Also, when I downshift, I lightly ride the rear brake to keep the lights on.. (rear pad is about 4x as thick as front pads currently) am I doing this all wrong? What do you guys suggest?


Thanks!


2008 Ninja 250, btw... redline 12500rpm, engine braking is very effective.
 
what RPM you cruise at is your business, but don't lug the engine... keep the RPMs up at a reasonable level. I like cruising at 4.5k on country roads and long hauls because it's a sweet spot where my bike vibrates the least. I cruise on the highway at 7-8K because that's where most of my power is.

lots of opinions on engine braking.. most people say engine brake down to 2nd but not into 1st. thats what I do. there is, however, an argument to be made that brake pads are made to be replaced, and engine innards aren't.
 
To be fair, replacing a bike clutch generally is fairly simple/easy compared to an automotive clutch. Brake pads are definitely easier though. Rev-matching, regardless of clutch type, will cause minimal wear on the clutch itself. As for rpm, I ride in the low part of the powerband in whatever rev range has the least vibration like tricky does.
 
OP you only have 5 gears if I'm not mistaken (not 6). most of the power on the 250 is above 8k rpm. That would be your cruising rpm. Do what you want- downshift or brake. downshifting is more fun though. Who cares if you wear out the engine. The bike only cost 5k on the road. Also You'll likely sell it down the road to some new rider.
 
I agree with most here. Cruising speed is specific to each bike... I cruise around 6-7k because that's the midrange of my powerband. Having said that, at 7k in second gear I'm doing 130km/h so it's all relative to what you're riding.

And as was posted above, rev matching with a wet or dry clutch is safe practice. I use a combination of downshifting and braking in the city, mostly just downshifting (unless coming to a stop) in the county.
 
Vehicles are generally tuned to run the most efficiently at around 80-90km/h. You should cruise at as low an RPM as possible without the bike lugging and should be able to accelerate slowly in that gear, downshifting when a faster acceleration is required.

I downshift in all of my vehicles and I have yet to replace the clutch on any of the seven cars or three motorcycles I've owned. I also don't generally blip on the street.
 
tsdexter said:
Also, when I downshift, I lightly ride the rear brake to keep the lights on.
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I prefer tapping/blinking the front brake more so to wake up the cager behind me but also to indicate than I'm slowing down. Did this on my M2 exit recently and it was fine.
 
johnnie_c said:
OP you only have 5 gears if I'm not mistaken (not 6). most of the power on the 250 is above 8k rpm. That would be your cruising rpm.
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you're actually encouraging a guy to CRUISE at 8000rpm? I feel sorry for your engine and your neighbours.

Cruise down low OP. Saves gas, engine wear, and sanity.
 
anark said:
you're actually encouraging a guy to CRUISE at 8000rpm? I feel sorry for your engine and your neighbours.

Cruise down low OP. Saves gas, engine wear, and sanity.
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okay, cruise around at a lower RPM and then find yourself in a tight situation where the bike cannot accelerate fast enough....
 
Sorry a bit uncalled for but still... who the hell cruises around at 8000rpm? I didn't even know that was an option.
 
Unless the engine would require less throttle input at a lower gear, I'm at the upper gear.

What that means for the Ninja 250 is, starting at 40+, I'm in the 6th.
 
Our brakes aren't that great, so you should get accustomed to engine braking. Just learn to do it perfectly so the wear on your clutch is minimal (if any, at all). I would recommend learning to rev match, downshift, and engine braking while still braking. It'll save your life one day (and it'll also give you that extra advantage if you're riding hard in the twisties)

I cruise in 6th when I'm riding late at night. Otherwise, I'm ALWAYS in the powerband just in case. At worst, we still get slightly better mileage than a 600ss even while going WOT everywhere.

Flashing your brake lights are a good idea, but I feel that it makes more sense to do it with your front brake lever. You can adjust your lever so that there's a bit of play - this means that when you squeeze it lightly, the lights come on without your brakes kicking in until actually you squeeze harder. Using the front brake to flash your light has 2 benefits: they're generally harder to lock up and it's unaffected by whatever side you're leaning on.
 
OP as others have stated the concensus on blipping I'll say I am fine with blipping the throttle and do it instinctively all the time. I also double/triple tap my brakes as I stop as a wake up as well. When traffic slows and I lift off the throttle i'll give a single tap of the brake to warn and as I apply brakes it's a double tap to say i'm actively slowing.

As far as cruising, it's dictated by looking ahead, far ahead and sizing up the traffic flow situation and whether you think things will change. If it's a clear road with not many cars i'll use as high a gear as I can to give reasonable acceleration for the flow of traffic (similar to a car) and best fuel economy.

If you give enough gap btwn you and the next car you should have enough space to be able to size up a potential change in traffic and gear up/down to be ready. Sniffing a car's butt in heavy traffic is not a safe practice in my opinion as you are always riding on the 'edge' in essence all fingers/feet are poised on all controls because you could require some/all instantly because you left no room to process info just react, depending on the vehicle you are behind you may not be able to properly see ahead so the situation gets even worse.
 
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