Shifts corresponding to RPM's my experience/your experience

[Cormanus]

If you are spending even a split second thinking about or glancing at your tach while riding, you're setting up for trouble. The CB is an easy bike to figure out by seat of the pants riding. It delivers linear power at low revs, vibrates in the middle and has a nice final punch towards the top of the rev range. The correlation between high RPM's and potentially unsafe situations is bunk. Acceleration and engine braking can be offensive and defensive powers. Get it into the gear that feels right, and roll on/ roll off, Grasshopper.

Right on, but when getting acquainted with a new bike a quick glance at the tach to see where she's running -- until you become familiar with the bike -- is mandated. Otherwise, the option is slamming into the rev limiter. I remember one little bike I had (XT225), no tach, I thought something was wrong with it because it kept cutting out. Turns out I was hitting the rev limiter.

You gotta glance at your speedometer once in a while, too, just to know how not to answer the $64,000 question:

"Do you know how fast you were going?"

Crikey! You blokes have HUGE fines! If the answer to that question were 'many multiples of 10 more than the limit, officer', it might cost your driver's license in Australia. It certainly wouldn't cost $64,000.