Newb question - what speed in which gear?

[Pink]

I find myself in the fairly high revs of 2nd gear for most of my commute on side streets. I can put it in 3rd and chug along but unless I'm approaching freeway speeds I prefer to be in the meat of the power band at 35/45 mph.

I know the manual says I can go up to 40mph in 1st, 60mph in 2nd etc. but I wondered what gears relative to what speeds you guys were using.

I am not only new to Monsters but new to riding in general so I might just not have a feel for how high a bike should be revving. for example I was on the freeway at about 70-80mph in 5th and I felt I was revving pretty high as well.

Is this normal? Am I doing it right?

Thanks!

('99 M750 by the way)

[Spidey]

There is no magic formula for speed/gear.  A lot of it depends on your bike, your riding style, and the terrain in which you are riding.  Most people will use their revs to determine when to shift, not their speed.  Don't worry about what the manual says.  I assume you have a tachometer (I don't remember if the earlier 750s came with 'em).

I tend to run around town between 3.5-5k, but my bike has more grunt down low than yours.  I cruise on city street around 3.5-4k.  In the twisties and riding hard, I stay between 5k-7.5k.  My bike is geared so that in top gear on the freeway at 80mph, I'm at about 4.5k or maybe just a bit under 5k.  I don't know what your redline is on your '99 750, but I'm guessing its around 8.5k.

You don't ever want to "chug" along.  It's not good for the engine to lug the bike and you'll have trouble getting out of tough situations if you don't have immediate power on tap.  As you get more comfortable with the bike, you'll be comfortable with the bike revving.  It's not going to blow up, even if it sounds like its working hard.  (BTW, are you riding with earplugs?  You should be, but that's a different thread). 

It sounds like you're having a problem choosing between 2nd and 3rd gear, where you rev too high in second and too low in third.  That is a VERY common problem with monsters that have stock gearing.  Changing out your front sprocket from a 15 tooth to a 14 tooth sprocket will help A TON.  It'll rev a bit higher on the freeway, but at lower speeds, you won't feel like want to have another gear somewhere between 2nd and 3rd.  It's a common modification and pretty cheap and easy to do. 

[Pink]

I assume you have a tachometer (I don't remember if the earlier 750s came with 'em).

Thanks for the reply! Sadly I do not have a Tach so I'm riding blind on that one. When I say "revving high" I don't mean "screaming". It has never felt or sounded dangerously high so I'm guessing it perhaps 5-6k?

You don't ever want to "chug" along.  It's not good for the engine to lug the bike and you'll have trouble getting out of tough situations if you don't have immediate power on tap.  As you get more comfortable with the bike, you'll be comfortable with the bike revving.  It's not going to blow up, even if it sounds like its working hard.  (BTW, are you riding with earplugs?  You should be, but that's a different thread). 

Okay, this is a great chunk of info!

I DO feel less-safe when I chug along not having that immediate power. You think I'm just used to driving a crappy compact car that doesn't have that feeling of safe-power on tap in case I need it?
I think "working hard" is a great way to describe what I'm hearing/feeling. I sounds great to be honest, I was just concerned that I was doing something wrong/damaging my bike.

You're the second person to suggest earplugs, I feel like I would be drowning out critical road noises/hazard cues and making myself less safe. Is this not the case?

I got the bike used so I'm not sure exactly what mods have been done. I know it has after-market pipes and clip-on handlebars but I'm not sure about sprockets etc. I will be counting my teeth as soon as I get home from work!

Thanks again, this is extremely helpful.

[Spidey]

You're the second person to suggest earplugs, I feel like I would be drowning out critical road noises/hazard cues and making myself less safe. Is this not the case?

You'd think so, but it's actually the opposite.  Earplugs tend to drown out a lot of the background noise and allow you to focus on the environment around you and the noises that matter.  I find that you can hear cars, sirens, etc. better with plugs than without plugs.  They take a little bit to get used to, but once you're used to them, it's really hard to go back to riding without them.  It's too distracting.  More important, wind--even from a full-face helmet--can SERIOUSLY damage your hearing.  Get in the habit of protecting your hearing early on in your riding career.

Since you don't have a tach, one thing that might help you is to find an open parking lot and run your bike up to the rev limit a coupla times.  The power will cut out suddenly when you hit the limit, so be prepared.  You won't get tossed off the bike or anything, but it'll be abrupt.  It'll get you used to what it sounds like when you're getting close to the rev limit.  And you'll have a better sense of how much you can wind it up.

[Raux]

You'd think so, but it's actually the opposite.  Earplugs tend to drown out a lot of the background noise and allow you to focus on the environment around you and the noises that matter.  I find that you can hear cars, sirens, etc. better with plugs than without plugs.  They take a little bit to get used to, but once you're used to them, it's really hard to go back to riding without them.  It's too distracting.  More important, wind--even from a full-face helmet--can SERIOUSLY damage your hearing.  Get in the habit of protecting your hearing early on in your riding career.

Since you don't have a tach, one thing that might help you is to find an open parking lot and run your bike up to the rev limit a coupla times.  The power will cut out suddenly when you hit the limit, so be prepared.  You won't get tossed off the bike or anything, but it'll be abrupt.  It'll get you used to what it sounds like when you're getting close to the rev limit.  And you'll have a better sense of how much you can wind it up.

be careful peggin the rev limiter... keep the front wheel straight and dont be leaning. also, if you can try to note on the speedo where the rev limiter hits in each gear. get a small sharpie or maybe even whiteout and make a tick on your speedo for shift points. about 200-400 rpm before the limiter kicks in. thats about where the HP starts to drop.

my 99 had no tach and had the same issues, but honestly the 900s had enough torque i would tool around in 4-5 in the city and be able to get going when i wanted. the 696 i find myself being in 3rd most of the time in the city. but i did go to the 14 tooth front sprocket. the 15t i didn't like in the city.

[Pink]

Well I've taken a bit of this advice and had some success. Although, I haven't quite had the nerve to try the rev limiter/cut out thing.
I have, however, been trying to keep from chugging along and I've been keeping the bike in a slightly higher rev-range. I've also started wearing ear plugs and I think this helps a bit with the problem as well. I'm less concerned about my perceived over-revving the engine when it's working hard because my hearing is a bit muffled and a bit more focused.
I guess the only thing now is that when I'm revving a little higher I'm noticing that when I'm off the throttle I'm getting a lot more engine braking. Might just be something I need to get used to. I am enjoying the sounds though and always having an immediate response feels a lot safer and more stable.

Hey look at me, I learned something!

[ducpainter]

The 99 750 has no rev limiter.

It will stop pulling at around 8500 rpms, but there is no sudden cut out like on an injected bike.

[Spidey]

It should still cut out at the rev limit.   It'll lose power and then stutter, stutter, stutter until you let off the gas and get the revs down.  Then the power will come back. 

Well I've taken a bit of this advice and had some success. Although, I haven't quite had the nerve to try the rev limiter/cut out thing.
I have, however, been trying to keep from chugging along and I've been keeping the bike in a slightly higher rev-range. I've also started wearing ear plugs and I think this helps a bit with the problem as well. I'm less concerned about my perceived over-revving the engine when it's working hard because my hearing is a bit muffled and a bit more focused.
I guess the only thing now is that when I'm revving a little higher I'm noticing that when I'm off the throttle I'm getting a lot more engine braking. Might just be something I need to get used to. I am enjoying the sounds though and always having an immediate response feels a lot safer and more stable.

Glad it's workin' out for you, Pink.   The engine braking thing is completely normal.  You'll get used to it.  And you'll quickly start relying on engine braking instead of using your brakes.  It's one of the advantages of a twin over a four cylinder bike (like most Japanese bikes). 

[ducpainter]

It should still cut out at the rev limit.   It'll lose power and then stutter, stutter, stutter until you let off the gas and get the revs down.  Then the power will come back. 

Been a while since you rode a carbed bike eh?

There is no stuttering...it just stops making power but continues the noise.

[Spidey]

Maybe we're saying the same thing and giving it a different name?  My carb'd r6 stutters when I get past redline.  Mostly the power just goes waaaaaay down, but then it stutters a bunch too.  My KTM used to do the same thing. The stuttering is very different than a FI bike cut-out, which is a really aggressive stutter as the fueling kicks out. 

[That Nice Guy Beck!]

i like 3

[64duc]

Maybe we're saying the same thing and giving it a different name?  My carb'd r6 stutters when I get past redline.  Mostly the power just goes waaaaaay down, but then it stutters a bunch too.  My KTM used to do the same thing. The stuttering is very different than a FI bike cut-out, which is a really aggressive stutter as the fueling kicks out. 

  Sounds like maybe you are floating the valvesprings. Which as we all know is impossible with a Ducati.

[Spidey]

That's a really good point. 

[duc996]

Our bikes can take high revs and it wont damage anything, they're built for work like that.Know your bike and master it.It's a beautiful thing.