6 speed cb > 5speed cb??

[Toddman_imp]

I have a '14. Unless your're running 90mph, 6th is useless. 5 speed on this bike is about perfect but I tend to enjoy riding at 4-6krpm.

[holy666diver_imp]

I have a '14. Unless your're running 90mph, 6th is useless. 5 speed on this bike is about perfect but I tend to enjoy riding at 4-6krpm.

6th is useless? 70+ in 6th vs 5th = way less engine vibration. Cruising in 6th at highway speeds makes the ride much more pleasant. Not a useless gear unless you're riding at really high RPMs

[the Ferret]

I find myself using 6th as low as 45 mph lol. Bike pulls it just fine. Having said that on my 5 speed CB I was running the same roads/ same speeds in 5 th and other than a few less rpms on the tach on the 6 speed, I can't tell the difference between them.

5 speed does fine on the freeway as well, just about 500 rpms higher than on the 6 speed, but still nowhere near straining the motor. I think 80 on the 5 speed was just over 4000 rpms and just under 4000 on the 6 speed.

I did finally run my bike up to 5000 rpms in second and third gears the other day just for grins.

[Randy B]

I find myself using 6th as low as 45 mph lol. Bike pulls it just fine. Having said that on my 5 speed CB I was running the same roads/ same speeds in 5 th and other than a few less rpms on the tach on the 6 speed, I can't tell the difference between them.

5 speed does fine on the freeway as well, just about 500 rpms higher than on the 6 speed, but still nowhere near straining the motor. I think 80 on the 5 speed was just over 4000 rpms and just under 4000 on the 6 speed.

I did finally run my bike up to 5000 rpms in second and third gears the other day just for grins.

You REBEL!!

[the Ferret]

I know..felt like such an outlaw.

[Wisedrum]

I know..felt like such an outlaw.

Don't torture the engine!
Too much revs anyway....

Wisedrum

[Randy B]

I know..felt like such an outlaw.

Don't torture the engine!
Too much revs anyway....

Wisedrum

Don't torture the engine!
Too much revs anyway....

Wisedrum
If you don't bounce off the rev limiter at least once a week, then you're doing it wrong.

[ClassicVW_imp]

I have a '13. I've actually come to enjoy the taller gearing of a 5-speed gearbox and not having to shift so must around town. 3rd gear seems to be the 'do everything' gear around town for me.

I'm in complete agreement.

Except for riding on a wide open interstate highway, you could leave the CB in third gear all day.

I had a bike with 6 gears before the CB. I looked for a 6th the first couple of rides I took on the CB, now I never think about it.

[DGShannon_imp]

Wouldn't say that 6th is "useless". But, it's absence is certainly not so dramatic as to be a deal killer. In other words, I wouldn't (and didn't) walk away from a good deal on a 5 speed 2013 because of it.

[Frulk_imp]

I constantly find myself looking to shift into 6th. Not because of the RPM issue but because the motor has so much torque in every gear that it just seems intuitive to look for that next shift. A handful of people on this forum have mentioned buzzing at 4K RPM and above to the point where it became bothersome (both in the hands and through the foot pegs in one instance if I remember right). I ride at 4K or a little above quiet a bit and just don't seem to notice it. The premium for the 2014 standard which was available at the time I bought my 2013 Standard #00021 Tim Duncan Tribute Edition, was roughly $1.2-$1.4K. I don't miss a sixth gear from a functional perspective. Keep thinking about it and somebody is going to grab that standard out from under you because sub $7500 for this machine is a GREAT price.