Buying a new bike - FJR1300

[postoak_imp]

The bike just becomes less frantic in 6th. Smoother, quieter, gets better gas mileage, less stress on the motor, riding the torque wave that's available even at those low rpms. Not that it is particularly frantic in 5th, but the number of rpms that feels comfortable to a person varies just like windshields and seats. Some guys want to cruise around at 2500 rpms, motor barely loafing, some feel 4-6K is in the right range on the edge of an acceleration peak, and some people don't think you should drop below 6K. Sport riders would lauugh at 6K.

So do you just ride around in second since you are then at cruising speed? or do you use 3rd thru 5th? ...Same thing.

I wear earplugs, so quieter isn't an issue. My Nighthawk was doing 6000 rpm at 85 and I had no problem with that. I would normally keep it at 4000-4500 - at the bottom of the max torque curve, as you say. On my 5-speed CB1100 I would go 1st, 2nd, 5th on spirited acceleration. To me, it is annoying to shift, run the revs up just a little, and then shift to the next gear, and then repeat that over and over. A sixth gear would just make it that much more annoying. Mileage isn't a factor either.