Where in the powerband do you ride?

[Jarrett]

Where in the powerband do you ride?

Thanks for starting the thread. I've been wondering lately as well.

It's tough to know who to listen to on this stuff, but I've seen 2WheelNut ride on several occasions and can verify he really knows what he is doing on a motorcycle and I suspect he is providing you good info here.

Depends on where I'm riding and what I'm trying to optimize.

For anything performance related, I'm going to run in the top 1/3 of the revs. You get more power, responsiveness, engine braking and control.

For highway cruising, I'm probably the opposite, trying to keep the revs down and the fuel economy up and only use the performance revs to pass or if the road gets fun.

I personally ride in lower RPMs most of the time, but since starting to do track days, I've been getting more and more used to running at higher RPMs there. I really appreciate the difference in power, responsiveness, engine braking and control that he mentioned when doing so.

 

[They]

strange question

KHaha, Tim, you know me. I’m the dude previously known as STrider- so a “strange” question should come as no surprise.

But yes, I should have set out to define it better before asking- I was less looking for guidance than I was to satisfy my curiosity about where people felt “comfortable” and where that fit with my “style” and experience. (Although, of course, learning is always good). Coming from triumph triples and dirt bikes, the way the new-to-me CB made power took/is taking some getting used to, but I’m growing more comfortable with it everyday.

I did notice the snark you mentioned- but I’m not that thin skinned and upon reflection noted it did look like a pretty inexperienced type question.

 

[Ocho]

Little Versys likes to shift at 8-9k. It’s a sports bike engine after all.

For the BMW I’m going lower, usually keep it in the 4k rpm range.

 

[Btweaver13]

Don't forget to consider how engine output affects the suspension. Higher RPM "stiffens" the ride as more HP are delivered to the rear wheel. The effect is compounded by throttle response, which becomes more sensitive as the RPM increases. Small road deviations are amplified as HP increase, so in most cases the bike is more compliant and easier to ride in the lower RPM range.


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[Mextrekadv]

My pet peave is riders who ride along on a liter bike at 7 or 8k rpm's cause it sounds cool or feels better or is better in an emergency. You're just knocking life off your motor, eating gas, annoying the neighbors. Quiet pipes save motorcycling. Loud pipes could very marginally save lives but it definitely makes us bad guys for little gain.

While riding a consistent speed I ride in the highest gear possible that doesn't lug the engine. On my CBR1000 this means keeping the revs around 2,500 to 3,000 rpm. So at 60 I am always in 6th gear unless I am accelerating or decelerating. When I need more power I downshift. When I need to brake I downshift. I'm at the point where a double or triple downshift is second nature. I don't use the clutch any more past 2nd gear. It makes for faster and crisper shifts. And no, I've never had a transmission failure.

You might think from my description I ride conservatively. You are right, I don't go over 100 unless I am in full riding gear. And I generally keep my top speed under 120 or so on public roads, and only for short fun squirts. I hit redline in the 1st 3 gears, but have to modulate to keep the wheelie coke can height.

When at the track I turn my idle up to 2,000+ rpm and typically only ride in the meat of the powerband, 7,000 rpm and up. If I don't turn the idle up I get so much engine braking I start to lose traction at the rear without even touching the brake in 1st or 2nd. And having a higher idle really contributes to less pitching back and forth on and off the throttle at higher RPM's. FWIW My track bikes are a bit older and so most of them have not had a slipper clutch or traction control. So I compensate by setting idle for the slowest gear and corner of that particular track.

So, just ride comfortably and quietly in top gear over 40 or 50 mph. When you need power, downshift. If you mimic an automatic transmission in a supercar you will get superior MPG and longest engine life. You'll just need to get more proficient at shifting.

 

[Mextrekadv]

Take a look at your CB1000's "powerband". In this graph it is the lower line representing torque on a stock 2019 CB1000. You'll notice it is almost completely flat. So in any gear the acceleration will be a constant as rpm's rise. Ignore horsepower. Horsepower is a mathematical relationship between torque and rpm. Torque is the only force you feel in your butt when you hit the gas. If you look at the horsepower curve you would think your bike is much faster accelerating at higher RPM's. Not true. Torque is the force that accelerates you. A CB1000 has an engine designed to do just one thing: put out a broad wide flat torque curve. Sure there is 10 or 20% more available in the meat of it, 5000 to 8000 rpm maybe, but it is pretty flat. So in essence, you have no "Powerband". Your acceleration is simply the application of throttle and your choice of gear. Lower gear = faster acceleration. Higher gear = slower acceleration. It actually accelerates slower as revs rise because you are going faster and have resulting increased aerodynamic drag. You'll experience this in top gear as all the torque is eventually used to overcome drag. At some point you will simply stop accelerating. This is commonly known as top speed. With 75 ft lbs top speed is about 155.

https://www.hondacb1000r.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=8428&stc=1&d=1280826067

 

[Mextrekadv]

Compare this to my S1000RR. It has an engine designed to make HP, by way of increased torque at high RPMS. You definitely feel the rush of a "powerband" as torque climbs with RPM's. At 11,000 RPM's its making over 110 Ft Lbs. The S1000RR frankly scares me when it "hits" in 2nd and 3rd gear. Takes a couple runs through the gears to readjust after riding a more sane bike. With 110 ft lbs top speed is around 190.

https://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/Gallery%20B/BMW%20S%201000%20RR%202012%20%20a.jpg