Rpm, Shifting Guides 2015 T100 - Dont Wanna Lug!

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Saraswati

Saraswati

Member
Hey all. You've all been so helpful thus far on my new endeavors with my '15 t100 and I appreciate that immensely.

I have a few questions about RPMs, shifting, gears, etc. I'm worried i've been lugging my engine this entire time.

When a friend of mine took me out to get used to riding the T100 he told me a good guideline was to stick to around 3k rpm at all times and to be in the highest gear possible. Ive been following this and its seemed ok, then again I have NO idea how to listen or feel the bike like all of you experienced riders talk about.

I started getting worried because, well, im still a terrible downshifter (i get the idea of rev matching but i cant seem to apply it... I mean... What number am i even matching? ), and so when I come to a corner I generally just roll off the throttle, and sometimes when i am in fourth or fifth and i come to a light I just pull the clutch in, shift down a couple (never knowing where i end up...) and then the light turns green before ive stopped and i just take Off in whateber gear im in (its usually 2nd or 3rd).... Oh and then there is the uphill in fourth gear thing that im pretty sure is making my bikes iron heart cry.

I also go reeeeal slow in 2nd sometimes (while feathering the clutch) because ive been told first is strictly for starting to move.

So... Fast forward to me reading a million forums where people say 4k-5k is the sweet spot for the t100. I tried this and at 4k in 3rd im going 45 which means my commute to work rarely would go above 2nd gear... Is that not strange? What is even the point of a fifth gear!

So... What is the lowest RPM i should be at? At what RPM is shifting best (my shifts still always include a bit of a jerk or pull)? Was my Harley friend dillusional when he said to stay at 3k? Any advice on smoother shifting also welcome.

I just dont want to break my bike or shorten her lifespan because ill be paying for her for quite some time...


Thanks ya'll!
 
This is not going to easy to put into a few words, but here goes.
You should be able to tell from the feel of the bike and how it's acting if you're lugging the engine.
When the lugging becomes noticeable the engine will start to shudder and feel like it's bucking or jerking. That's the danger zone. Get out of that gear immediately and down a couple.
This is probably just something you're going to have to learn by the seat of your pants, but lugging is hard on an engine.
Fuel injected bikes are very forgiving and will come down in rpm to a very slow speed compared to bikes with carbs.
If you're motoring along fairly slow and the engine feels like it's jerking and starting to shudder, this is not good. You need to shift down a gear or two ASAP.
Running along in 2nd gear at 4-5k is waaaay too high. You should be in high (top, 5th) gear by then - unless of course you're only going 30mph or less.
At 45+mph you should be in high gear (5th) and motoring along nicely. If you're only in 2nd gear the engine will be howling like crazy! That won't hurt the engine - just not necessary and makes for a terrible riding experience.
First gear is to get you going for sure, but you need to wind it out to 2+k and shift up.
Most of us go by sound feel and don't bother looking at revs. This is where experience comes in and it will come to you too in time.
If you're in slow moving city traffic, running stop light to stop light for example, then you will probably always be in the lower gears.
Don't be too concerned about rev-matching. Triumph's have a good transmission and downshifting should come easy.
If you have to come to a stop you should shift down one gear at a time and try to time it to be in first gear as you reach a dead stop.
When you get down to about 30 mph you should start gearing down one at a time as you coast to a stop.
If you're down to a crawl and the light goes green you must be in first gear. If you're in 2nd or third the engine will protest big time with bucking and jerking and that's not good for it.

Experience is the only thing that's going to teach you these things, but it will eventually come to you.
I never look at rpm's when I'm shifting. I just wind it out and let it go.
Yes, I know, easy for me to say BGRIN
I hope some of this helps.
 
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Okay,this may take a bit of getting used to as it sounds like you've only ever driven/ridden things with auto transmissions.
No real problem though but please don't spend too much time looking at the tacho instead of around you.....
Unlikely as it may seem at the moment, you will develop an ear or feel for what the engine's doing, don't worry, it'll come in time.
If you want to try an exersise, find an empty piece of road and just ride along speeding up and going up through the gears and slowing down and going down through them. You'll soon get sick of it.
As I said in the beginning of this thread, just ride the thing. Don't over-analyse, don't be too self-critical.
Success is best defined as the progressive realisation of a worthwhile goal. The important word there is 'progressive', very little that is worthwhile happens overnight.
 
As Doug said don't look at the tacho for information get used to feeling it as that will be your best indicator in the end, it is something that will just come with time and when it does you will just click into it and wonder how you never noticed it before.

Another thing that seem to be lost in modern riding is gearing down and using compression to slow you down, this way you always have a good feel what gear you in at that moment and also gives you the emergency get up and go if you need it. In other words you always in the correct gear if you need to power out of any bad situation. Being in a high gear when slowing down and if you really need to open it up the bike can just splutter and die on you right there.
 
All good, no make that great advice in the above posts. I don't think I can add any additional info that's any better than what has been said.

When I've ridden with new riders or while teaching my sons to ride, I used the same advice DaveM gave. Gear down as you are slowing down, use the engine compression and you will get a better feel for your engine and it keeps you in the right gear should you need to gas it to get out of a situation.

Another reason to use engine compression is with aftermarket exhaust cans, or some stock ones, the bike sounds awesome. :y2:
 
Thanks guys!

A friens of mine had me downshifting by clutch in>Shift>rev>clutch out.

He said my engine revs fast so I need to let the clutch out really fast... However when I domy bike either jumps forward or pulls back which tells me im not doing it right.

Is it bad for my bike to always be letting the clutch out slowly when downshifting?
 
Saraswati said:
Thanks guys!

A friens of mine had me downshifting by clutch in>Shift>rev>clutch out.

He said my engine revs fast so I need to let the clutch out really fast... However when I domy bike either jumps forward or pulls back which tells me im not doing it right.

Is it bad for my bike to always be letting the clutch out slowly when downshifting?
Click to expand...

That procedure described for downshifting is pretty well spot on - but letting the clutch out really fast is not!!!!
I only blip the throttle a bit if the transmission doesn't shift down. This can vary from bike to bike so do whatever works best for you. It really doesn't matter.

Letting the clutch out slowly will not hurt it at all - unless you hold the clutch partly engaged and allow it to slip and slip and slip. That's un-necessarily wear and tear.
Just let it out smoothly. Clutch action should be smooth and not suddenly let out or the bike will either lurch forward or bog down as you have found.
When you're downshifting don't just let the clutch lever fly out; let it out slowly - which means it takes only a second or two to fully engage as you release the lever.
Just don't let go of the lever and let it slam back into place - if that's what you meant by "really fast."
It doesn't need to be let out much slower beyond that unless you're chugging along slowly in traffic, for example.
Smoothness is the key and is often dictated by traffic conditions or the situation you're in at the time.
When the clutch fully engages, and if the bike chugs (lugging) or jerks forward you're probably in the wrong gear.
If you're coming to a red light don't be in a hurry to get to first gear. Go down one gear at a time and try to time first gear as you roll to a stop or a crawl.
Motorcycle transmissions are not synchronized and the gears need to be lined up one at a time at a relatively slow speed to avoid clashing the gears and possibly chipping a tooth on a gear.

The more you ride the bike the more all of this will come naturally to you.
As Dave said, we've been doing this for so long that we don't even think about it.
 
DaveM said:
I think this is a problem when you have been riding for years you just don't think about some things as they just become natural in the end
Click to expand...

So true TUP
None of us were born knowing how to ride a motorcycle. We all had to learn how to do it - like everything else in life.
Many things may seen daunting at first, and you may think you will never learn, but with time and experience it becomes second nature and you don't even think about it.
When it comes to operating a machine it will soon tell you if you're doing it wrong; stalling; lurching; chugging; shuddering BGRIN
 

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