when to change gears(mph)

[rebelwithacause85]

I just bought an 85 REBEL(my first bike). And was wondering at what mph do you change from 1 to 2 then 2 to3 ect. while you are just
cruising going thru gears and geting on it going threw gears.In mph please
sorry for such a dumb question but, have to stat somewhere and I just dont want to mess anything up, By the way the bike is in absolute perfect running order, just had everything tuned up. thanks

[jsonder]

Try using the SEARCH function.

http://www.rebel250.com/rebelforum/viewtopic.php?t=16395&highlight=shift+points
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John, 1989 NX250, 2009 CRF230L (L'il Red Piglet), 2001 Rebel - sold
nekid bikes feel faster

[teookie]

The red lines on your speedo show you where you LATEST shift point for each gear should be. Stay within those limits, and the rest just depends on how big a hurry your in.

[LaFazinator]

I had asked the same question before (which you'll see when you do your search, like I should have done, haha). 1st Gear might as well be considered playing "hot potatoe." There's not much reason to be in it, and you can shift out of it fairly early and at pretty low speeds.

Don't think about mph. You'll feel when you need to shift. Just remember, it's better to be in a lower gear and rev it higher than a higher gear and rev it lower. Apparently, the reb does wonderfully when it's rev'd high.

[danger]

Because there is no tach or gear indicator, a very good thing to do over time is to develop an ear for your engine.

You may make mistakes while shifting, but the sound of your engine will never lie. If your baby's screamin at you you need to shift up lickity split, and if it's sputtering it's last breath's you need to go down.
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Odometer: 9940

[rebelwithacause85]

thank yall thats what I have been doin with her, and have got it dialed now,but yea shoulda used the search function(my bad haha) ,but I guess I just like hearing my questions awnsered personally I know some of yall now what I mean. thanx again

[rebelwithacause85]

just used search feature very helpful, thought they were shift indicators but obviously not. even though I never chaged gears at the marking, allways before. thanks

[LaFazinator]

Do you live near hills/mountains? I don't, but I imagine that you would need to depend even more on your feel for shifting in that case. MPH "markers" would be basically useless, then.

[jsonder]

[LaFazinator]

Sonder, wouldn't you want to be in a lower gear while going up a hill? (I have pretty much ZERO gradient experience...)

[Duke]

That's what he's saying:

The lower the gear, the higher the engine revs to produce similar speed.

Keeping it in a lower gear keeps it closer to the redline
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Duke
"Skills must be Learned"
------ Herb Christian

[LaFazinator]

Aaah, gotcha ;0) Makes sense :0)

[97OldSchool]

So the rebel likes to be reved high? and draw out the gears to the max shift point? I kinda liked shifting early and keeping it low and crusing
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97 Honda CMX250C - Pearl Shining Yellow

[Duckster]

The Rebel doesn't mind revving high, but Its probably more accurate to say it would prefer revving high to lugging it down by putting it under a high load (lots of throttle) at a low RPM.
Having said that, the only time you need to go near redline in the lower gears is if you absolutely must have the maximum acceleration available, which is hardly ever. There's nothing wrong with "short shifting" and accelerating at a moderate pace with moderate throttle and minimum noise, fuel consumption and wear and tear.
Its all about developing a "feel" for the engine, so that you aren't "lugging" it by holding a lot of throttle on it at low RPM. Riders should not spend a lot of time fixating on those little red lines on the speedo when their attention would be better spent watching for road hazards.
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2004 Honda Rebel 250
2003 BMW K1200GT
2007 Ducati 1098S
1996 Ducati 900SS
1973 Norton 850 Interstate

[LaFazinator]

I've got some horses around where I live, and whenever I go by them I tend to go at a crawl in 2nd gear...keeps the bike VERY quiet. I don't know how skiddish they would get, but I figure it's a courtesy to the farmers and herders.

[maverick]