Stop Chasing the Perfect RPM - Backroad Riding Simplified
Vložit
- čas přidán 6. 06. 2024
- Get my gloves at bisontrack.com/ for 10% off with Discount Code SKYOOM2024 🙂
High End custom Suits, Street Jackets, and Street Gloves available as well
Shifting/Gear selection drove me absolutely insane years ago and I hope this helps some stuck in that same hole get out of it quicker than I did. The less time you spend thinking about shifting and the more time you spend on everything else as a new rider the safer and more enjoyable your riding will be. As a disclaimer as well since some seem unable to distinguish this, this is a video for NEW riders. I am very proud you're able to back it into corners through aggressive downshifting and stay in the powerband of your inline 4 but please save those comments for videos oriented to your skill level.
And please don't make fun of mirrors :'(
#motorcycle #newrider #motorbike #sportbike #300cc #400cc #500cc #600cc - Auta a dopravní prostředky
I am 69 - riding for 50 years, and I am still learning a lot thanks to you. Greetings from Switzerland
Good topic. Few people talk about this.
I had to recalibrate shifting patterns when I moved from a cbr600 to the multi 1200. Eventually I settled that on twisty roads, second was for going hard and third was for chilling, and that’s it. 3 more gears to cruise on the highway and 1 gear for moving from a stop.
“You paid for the whole tach, use it.”
dumping gravel in the road purposefully is honestly some sick shit no matter how upset you are at bikes existing on a road
11:26 that cat was a paid actor
😂
The less inputs the better is definitely the most optimal way to ride. Haha, I like shifting gears a lot though. Micro managing revs and torque is fun.
having a quick shifter and auto blipper is the best thing to happen to motorcycles
I’m so scared to try an auto blipper, I think I enjoy pulling in the clutch to shift… 😅
@@lowoctane try a bike with one, you will never want to go back
also, you can turn off the QS/AB off on bikes if you feel like going clutch only
also, you can use clutch, the QS/AB only works if the clutch is engaged, but if you're gonna use clutch, i recommend turning off the QS in settings so you don't accidentally end up auto blipping while doing a clutch gift lol
I have watched a ton of motorbike videos, mostly from North America and I always wondered why there are so many videos about how to shift gears or work the clutch, until I realized that virtually every American has grown up with automatic transmission. I am from the Netherlands and every boy born in de fifties or early sixties got himself a manual shifting moped at the age of sixteen.
So upgrading to a motorbike at the age of 18 went effortless in that regard.
It has become a second nature and even re-rolling after a 22 years hiatus, the muscle memory is still there. I hardly look at my rev counter and shift mostly by ear.
But a great video though for those who aren’t familiar with manual shifting!
100% something i did when i first got my bike. I would shift my street triple at 5000 rpm basically every time and was worried about the revs getting too high. Focusing on that way more than I was on safely navigating. 2nd gear has a useable 15-90mph range It wasn't until i got more experienced that i understood and was comfortable with not shifting unnecessarily. (though it's definitely fun to slam down 5 gears with the quickshifter just to hear the overrun >:D )
very interesting topic that’s not getting covered enough! when i started riding id shift around 4k on my triumph sprint 955i. it’s pretty torquey and cruising around at 3-4k is what felt natural to me at the time. the more i rode, the more i realized that i don’t need to go up and down 4 gears just putting around the town. cruising at 5k feels way better. also another thing is higher rpms have “more grip” since each cylinder produces a “smaller bang” at higher rpm more frequently giving the rear tire better chance at gaining traction compared to being at lower rpm and trying to achieve the same acceleration (not necessarily WOT), where each combustion cycle produces a “more powerful bang” that might be just enough to loose traction in slippery conditions like gravel or rain.
To get the same acceleration you need the same power. To get the same power at lower rpm in a higher gear, you need more torque. To get more torque you need the throttle to be wider open. Wider throttle means more air per stroke, and more gas.
That’s the physics summary of your “more powerful bang.”
The engine tends to respond to small throttle changes a little bit faster at higher rpms as well. That’s another reason riding the mid to upper range of the rpm is beneficial.
@@aluisiousexactly, i just cant phrase things how they’re in my mind haha
True. And if you want to do a quick race against someone, waiting longer before you shift, will allow you to get the most power from each gear
i found when i got my new bike that 4k was the sweet spot for me (750 hornet), so it felt natural & became a bit of a habit to keep it around there i suppose. I think one of the things why i shift so much is i dont like the thought or feeling (or perception) of 'lugging it', and neither did i think that higher revs did the bike any good, but ive discovered that's not really the case, most bikes love to be revved and it's actually better of the engine at higher revs (within reason) as you put less strain on it. GL
I'm on a KTM 200 Duke. This is a lesson that's been "emerging" with experience for me. Thanks for just saying it, since it makes more sense to me. There's not much content on the topic, it's good info.
Congratulations on your bike choice. The Duke 200 is an awesome bike and an excellent tool to develop skills at any level.
God I’m jealous of your videos, but it’s completely deserved you know what your talking about, keep it up brother. Ride safe
Another great informative video. I'm in my 2nd year riding and am starting to do exactly this. For whatever reason I had it in my head that I needed to be in the highest gear possible for the speed I was going and shifted constantly. Now I just leave it in 4th around town, 5th if its a longer road, 6th on the highway.
Like you said, it is just about being comfortable with your bike being buzzy. It's not always needed to have that extra control, but learning to ride with it can only help.
Oh no, I have been shifting way too much! Thank you for highlighting this. Have always been afraid of going out on ‘twisties’ because I feel like there’s so much to think about when cornering. I am definitley shifting way too much that I can’t concentrate properly (have frozen brain). That and fear of going wide/everyone telling me I can’t add inputs mid turn has made me too afraid to go back out (your other video on this was so true as well). As someone who came to riding recently and not from a manual car, I really appreciate your content. You are the first person I have seen on CZcams who just talks about the absolute basics and I appreciate this so much because there are so many things in the basic course that aren’t covered or are plain wrong. Keep up the great work!
I Can never skip a skyoom vid💯
another great video. Even as a non-beginner, it's nice to hear you explain these things because it makes them easier to explain to my people who are knew to riding when I can't quite articulate it.
Nice video! Thanks for explaining that the rpms are not critical, and the revs are good during normal driving.
Clutchless shifting is where it's at. Once you're rolling in first gear, you can basically just push up on the clutch pedal and let off the throttle a little, and it will slide into the next gear, and then you get on the gas again. It's so satisfying. 😊
Might as well get a quick shifter
@@Adrenalean767 you can't get them for all bikes, and this eliminates the need for one, or at least when shifting up. Don't do this for downshifts. 😂
@@thomasolson8417 i think I've see some riders do clutchless downshifts tho.
@@Adrenalean767 probably possible, but I ain't gonna try it. 😂
Great advice as always, keep it up!
This is the most helpful video i have ever watched , im a new rider and u captured my exact mind-set. Thank u
Great vid. I was literally thinking about this yesterday while out riding. Returning rider (cruiser background) that got a 500 (451 actually) sport bike to try something different. Thanks for the vid.
Ninja 500 I'm guessing, pretty cool bike
Very nice presentation! This is as simple as you can get with the description while still being thorough and clear on how things works on a bike.
Greetings fae Scotland , love your vids
Few months in on my xj6n, loving it
Interesting you found gears hard; didn’t even cross my mind, but then pretty much all cars are manual here
Beautiful setting btw
Im new to sport bikes but Ive been riding a long time but I set up the gear and rpm before the turn
Hey mate love all your beginner videos. Out of topic what mic do you use
I am new to clutch on a bike I've been on scooters. Picked up easy and quick. Only 2 stalls way home one was creaking in traffic. I can admit dont like hearing the racing engine sound. Probably do shift quick. I just shift when feels right. Lately have been in lower gears getting upset traffic in front cant shift up. Downshifting still makes me nervous. When first got bike rear was locking up, but from malfunction. Made me paranoid was shifting down crappy. Trying to rev match down some gears now, usually only down to 3rd.
Another great video!!!
I've been on bikes since I was about 6, so things like this never crossed my mind. It's been second nature for so long and it's interesting to hear what newer riders deal with.
New rider. Less than 10 trips on my new 22 rc390 (just hit 100miles). Yes shifting and what gear to be in at certain speeds are definitely a big focus for me. Video definitely taught me something.
Really needed this one, definitely relieved a bit of my anxiety. Currently learning on Honda NC750X DCT, got pretty confident doing slow speed manouvers, u turns, city riding etc. A bit anxious about how well it will translate once I get a manual bike that I want, even though I've been driving manual cars for years now and shifting and clutch control is second nature. Hopefully, not overthinking it, along with some practice will do the trick 😅
some good thoughts, thanks. even after a few years riding i know i'm a little guilty of changing gear too much even though i know my bike (honda cb750 hornet) has plenty of low down torque in 3rd gear to do most of what i need comfortably when riding in the lanes, so i'll bear what you said in mind next time i'm out & see how it feels. GL
skyyyoooooom 💨💨
Interesting points, I'd argue it's a bit more nuanced on bigger bikes though, especially ones with shorter usable rev ranges. A 390 you can rev the tits off of, a 1000cc inline 4 has 14k rpm to work with 2nd gear will get you anywhere from 20mph to 120mph.
But on something like my 1290 it's a lot more awkward. Take 3rd gear for example. You don't really wanna drop below 3500 because the bike starts chugging at large throttle inputs, so lower end of 3rd is ~35mph, then as you go up top the bike becomes very twitchy in the higher RPMs, around 6-7000 RPM onwards even in 3rd you have so much instant power available that the front end will lift clean off even with half throttle. So unless you're going through the gear coming out of a bend, you can't really cruise around a 70mph bend at 7000rpm in 3rd, it's just one awkward bump away from sliding the back end out. So your realistic usable range is like 3500 to 6000rpm which is conveniently 35-60mph... Anything below it chugs, anything above it's only for hard acceleration.
And due to the extremely long gearing for how little RPM is available, in 4th gear that 3500rpm equates to ~45mph up to still only 75 at 6000rpm.
The thing is you'd think this is horrible, but as i said you have so much power that you can just power through the gear and change up for the next bend to be in a usable RPM range.
This is the same concept of what you were explaining as "comfortable rpm" for new riders, but in this case there is actual real downsides and ramifications to being outside that.
Obviously it's a bit more flexible than what i explained here, and also it has a quickshifter which is basically both the solution and the cause of this issue (bikes designed around quickshifters generally have really close ratio gearboxes, aka long 1st and 2nd, then 3-6th is very close together.) But it allows you to go through the gears without thinking about it or upsetting the bike.
Again, this is just me putting out reasoning behind my thinking but in reality i just go through gears as appropriate like it's 2nd nature
Interesting you bring those up as examples cause I agree with you 100% and another reason to throw on the pile of why 150hp+ bikes are so much less friendly to learn on hahaha
I think this is inherent to v twin sport bikes. My Sv1000 is the same way, it likes to be over 4k, but past 7k it's really ready to rip. That 4-7k meaty torquey range is best for most riding. The inline 4's and even parallel twins ive ridden were just smoother down low than the v twins and have a wider range of comfortable RPMs
How many cans of tuna you pay that cat? Mate, great information for a newish CB500X rider. Really envious of your ride today as the scenery is awesome...stuck inside with the flu and this made me want to get out into the hills around Perth, Western Australia as temps have finally started to come down! Cheers
Thank you! And hope that flu goes away soon man last time I had it I was convinced my time had come 😂
@@skyoom1 Thanks mate; yeah wife gives me grief too lol. Got out into the hills today..all is right with the world 👍
Something to keep in mind is that as you lean the bike over, the rpms of the engine will increase due to the reduced diameter of the tire. So make sure you're in a gear that allows the revs to increase with lean and not hit the rev limiter.
my qs and clutchless shifting down makes me shift too much. Its so easy for me to jump up and down gears. I'm just aiming for the powerband on the exit of every corner. Might be good for the track, but I think I should be stretching my rpm range more on the road.
Hi! I just started 2 weeks ago! No motorcycle experience at all, no license yet. Didn’t even know how to start the engine. Just took 4 ride lessons with an instructor on 125cc bike and then bought my own 125 Duke (my car license allows to ride 125cc and nothing higher here in EU). Would you give me some advice how to shift gears in the traffic to stay safe and especially when approaching the stop please? I feel like there are few traps here like stalling, not using brakes enough or not reducing your gears fast enough and ending up on 2nd at the stop. Should I reduce a gear one by one and release the clutch each time to let it engine brake? Or maybe just downshift all the way down to 1st and just keep the clutch pulled in and don’t bother with engine breaking? When to start downshifting and braking when approaching full stop? ✋
Yup
Great video!
As a newer rider my struggles are in knowing if lanes are clear prior to making lane changes as my mirrors are useless and on a sportbike I need to take a hand off to twist my waist to see for my shoulder checks which takes too much time and causes lane drift. My inability to gather situational awareness behind me in 3 lane traffic is causing me to ride faster than my skills.
Maybe a video idea as I never seen anyone talk about mirror adjustment or one handed shoulder checks at speed in traffic?
Funny enough got this one on my list already haha. 99.999% chance I'll make this my topic for next tuesday's vid 🙂
@@skyoom1 I have major struggles with it, wish I had an owl neck!
My stock mirrors buzzed too much and I had to twist my elbows to see under my arm pit. I switched to Rizzomas and can only see the knuckles of my gloves. I'll take a hand off to twist my body but I drift and am at risk of hitting the car in front of me. Definitely staying tuned for this one.
@@calvin2516 haha assuming stealth mirrors?
@@skyoom1 Yeah Rizoma Stealth on an RS660, I took them off and put them in a box until my skills grow, stock are not that much better. I'm amazed by the number of riders that don't even use mirrors.
If you're a daily rider, shortshifting becomes your best ally for fuel economy though 😅
Man I just love to send it with those down shift rear locks. They’re fun as all get out. Just twist it and kick it, then let her slide 😂
And here I was thinking that I was under thinking shifting
Fortunately, the rev range where the engine sounds the smoothest generally coincides with the most fuel efficient and less engine wear. And I tell you what, neither fuel nor motorbike are free, specially not in europe. So, if you are just cruising around, then the best is to change gears constantly. Else just buy an "automatic" transmission motorbike...
And you're 100% correct, BUT its just a misguided concern when you're new on the street is what I'm getting at. I would much rather you get 45mpg with perfect attentiveness of whats ahead as a new rider than meh attentiveness at 55mpg 🙂
Man those shadows are giving me serious anxiety 😬
8:31 47 Nm is the torque to be precise😅
My problem is that my bike does not have a tachometer so I have no idea where I am relative to the red line.
Doesn't matter. I almost never look at my tach, everything is done by feel.
Use your ears
As speed increases you upshift,as speed decreases u downshift. Simple.
I respectfully disagree with your shifting strategy. Leaving it a gear that's lower than necessary does not make sense to me. When I am riding at a steady pace, I leave the bike in the highest gear it's happy with, you get a smoother and quieter ride this way as well as better MPG. Same with my manual transmission car. I can always just downshift if I need to accelerate or slow down. For me it's almost entirely a closed loop mental process and I literally do not have to think about it at all it just happens. I think what you are missing in this example is that you can shift down as you slow down. Obviously in an emergency braking scenario you don't have time to do this and need to downshift after you slow down, but if you are seeing a need to slow down you can just downshift before you do. The thing with downshifting, is you must revmatch. If you don't you really can't make the shifts smooth.
This is one of those things where it's a nuanced skill, sure you can do it minimally and have a fun and safe ride but I think part of the fun is perfecting the skill. You really shouldn't settle for a mediocre version of it where you keep the gear artificially low just because you don't want to worry about downshifting so much. It's really a feel thing and I don't think of it as memorizing RPMs or speeds for certain gears but more of a question like "What gear is going to be the most comfortable in a few seconds, and do I need to upshift or downshift to get there?" If I'm building enough revs to handle the next gear, I'll shift up. If I'm about to slow down, I'll start shifting down. If I'm about to accelerate a little hard and my RPMs are too low to do so without chugging or bogging I'll also shift down.
If you're a new rider and your shifting is still kind of complicated for you I recommend you spend some time practicing in an empty parking lot. focus on being in the highest comfortable gear as you go back and forth across a parking lot. When you get to each end make a very tight corner that forces you to get back down to first, be sure to blip the throttle as you change down the gear to try to make it as smooth as possible. You should start to learn what feels good pretty quick I think. There are lots of videos that demonstrate rev matching techniques so just look some of them up. There are two distinct methods I can think of. First is the typical blip. Lets say you are already decelerating, throttle is closed, you need to downshift. You clutch in, blip thr throttle, click down a gear, clutch out all in one quick motion. The second is lets say you are anticipating needing to slow down but are at a steady throttle setting and maintaining speed at the moment. With a motorcycle you can leave the throttle at that steady setting, clutching, click it down a gear, and clutch out. For certain throttle openings that will give you a very smooth downshift. That's something I use often in traffic where I'm constantly going between slow and very slow.
I think you're misconstruing who this advice is aimed at by a bit. In summary I'm trying to point out flicking through gears isn't near as necessary as many like myself made it out to be when I first started. You're going to become more confident and more proficient focusing on whats in front of you and responding well to that rather than staring at your tach making "perfect rpm's" your top priority. Shifting effortlessly comes with time, the harder and more time you spend thinking the more complicated you're making it for yourself 🙂
@@skyoom1 I agree with keeping things simple with shifting when you don't have the time to focus on improving, like in traffic and other tougher road conditions. But I also think it's important to make sure you practice on improving, otherwise you probably won't improve much or as quick as you could have with dedicated practice. It's really not about looking at the tach and aiming for perfect RPMs but just feeling how hard the engine is working and knowing whether shifting up or down is going to help it work better. Dirtbikes for instance often don't even have a tach or speedometer or shift position indicator. You determine when to shift on one of them completely by feel and it's my opinion that this is the right way to handle shifting. The Tach and shift position indicator are just slightly useful extra info you can glance at if you're curious, but it's pretty much not important at all.
Tell me about those gloves....
Thor.1's from Bison track, got the link and 10% off code in description 🙂
the quick shifter on the new stack is frickn sweet (by directional makes the rider stupid) :-( hahaha. my friends 2023 bmw 1250 r is the first one ive played with in a long time and when i was back on my brp i forgot i had to actually work and banged a few gears like a dumb mf. im looking at a few new girls but not sure if im ready to pull the trigger yet . hope your warming one of your girls up right now to go chase and #livetoride
Why is it okay for my bike to be buzzed but not me...
Its probably a shitty dump truck taking turns too spicy or not wiping all the rocks off the outside of the box when they get loaded.
I am afraid your fork is crooked 😮