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Old July 17th, 2012, 09:35 AM   #1
dcx4610
ninjette.org member
 
Name: Daniel
Location: Nashville
Join Date: Jun 2012

Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250R

Posts: 25
Upshifting Speeds question

New rider here with a shifting question.

I took the MSF a month ago and I'm already comfortable enough to ride around on the main roads. One thing that feels a bit strange to me though is upshifting at the correct RPMs.

In the manual to the 250R, Kawasaki says the following:

1st > 2nd: 12mph
2nd > 3rd: 15mph
3rd > 4th: 19mph
4th > 5th: 21mph
5th > 6th: 28mph

With the speeds they mention here, it feels like you would immediately just starting shifting non-stop to get to the 6th gear. I'm just riding around on the roads and no interstate driving so I'm usually at around 40mph max.

The shifts they list seem excessive. I usually shift immediately into 2nd once I get some speed going, then 3rd and then sometimes 4th. At 4th gear, my RPMs are around 4-5k and it seems like I have plenty of speed and power navigating the roads. According to Kawasaki though I should be in 6th gear and basically changing gear almost every second.

Are they being conservative or do you guys usually ride around in 6th gear at lower speeds?
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