06 RSTD. Overdrive in 4th and 5th or just 5th?

I'm getting different answers. I know my OD light comes on when I switch into 5th. Do the '07s do it in 4th?

I believe the purpose of the light is to let you know that your bike is in high gear. You can call 5th over drive if you like, its still just 5th gear or high gear. It really wouldn't make any sense to have it come on for 4th gear, would kinda remove any purpose for the light.

The owner's manuals list the overall gear ratio for 4th gear as 24/25 or 0.960 and 5th gear as 22/28 or 0.786. Technically any ratio below 1 (where the rear wheel actually turns faster than the engine) is an overdrive. This means both 4th and 5th gears are overdrive, even if Yamaha only talks about 5th being overdrive. The OD light only comes on in 5th gear.

Goose

Wonder why it would so important (enough to assign a light to the situation)to know that your rear wheel was turning faster than your motor. Hmm. Should have one for 4th as well, maybe a purple one, if for no other reason than to not confuse people. Lol! I feel so foolish thinking it was a high gear indicator with a fancy name. LoL!

Wonder why it would so important (enough to assign a light to the situation)to know that your rear wheel was turning faster than your motor. Hmm. Should have one for 4th as well, maybe a purple one, if for no other reason than to not confuse people. Lol! I feel so foolish thinking it was a high gear indicator with a fancy name. LoL!

Actually, I think that light is just a sales gimmick to keep reminding you that Yamahaha gave you and OVERDRIVE!

The reality is that an overdrive gear on any vehicle can cause as many problems as it solves. It is very easy to lug an engine in overdrive, and vehicle performance can suffer to the point you think it is a real dog, when all you needed to do was get out of overdrive. Unfortunately, that kind of technical information about vehicles and driving started disappearing in the 50s. Back then, engines generally were limited in power enough that understanding exactly when and how to use an overdrive was important on the few vehicles that had them. The situation was even more complicated because the overdrive unit was usually aft of the transmission output, so if you didn't turn OD off, it adversely affected all gears. Now that just about everything has an overdrive, and it is part of the transmission, nobody knows much about it except it is just top gear.

Goose

Oh, one more clarification to my first post - just to keep me out of hot water if someone thinks I made a mistake in what I said. I don't know for a fact if the owner's manual numbers are actual "overall" drive train ratios like I said they were or just transmission ratios; it does not make it clear and I did not care to research it. If it is actually the overall ratio, then my statement is correct that the rear wheel is turning faster than the engine. BUT, if the ratio only applies to the transmission, then it means the output shaft is turning faster than the engine (or input shaft). In the latter case, the final drive gearing would need to be factored in to determine the actual wheel speed compared to the engine.

Goose, it is just top gear. If you kon't know enough to down shift when needed in 5th its unlikely you'd know enough to down shift in 3rd or 2nd the "non-overdrive" gears. Calling 5th overdrive is a marketing joke. Like calling high octane gas "Super" At least thats what I think.

Goose, it is just top gear. If you kon't know enough to down shift when needed in 5th its unlikely you'd know enough to down shift in 3rd or 2nd the "non-overdrive" gears. Calling 5th overdrive is a marketing joke. Like calling high octane gas "Super" At least thats what I think.

Sorry RPG, but despite the fact that we both agree with your basic sentiment, you made one very incorrect statement. Calling 5th overdrive is absolutely correct and appropriate. The incontrovertible fact is that 5th IS an overdrive. The marketing joke is simply making too big a deal out of it.

Goose

Yea I guess you must be correct, after all they did dedicate a light to let us know were not just in 5th, were in OVERDRIVE! Lol Lol!!!

JeffC, if nothing else I guess Goose and I showed you why your getting two different answers. Next time you lift your left toe and that little light comes on, you can choose as to what you think it is telling you, either way you will be correct. It will be in 5th, 5th is high gear and 5th has an overdrive gear ratio that is at, or exceeds 1:1, use which ever one is information you think is useful to you and enjoy the ride!

I was just curious if the 06 and 07 tranny were the same? I should have checked the manual, but that was too obvious...

I'm getting different answers. I know my OD light comes on when I switch into 5th. Do the '07s do it in 4th?

On my '07 Venture, yes, the green OD light illuminates when I go from 4th to 5th. It's not illuminated in 4th.

Thanks everyone! Now I need a post about luggage!

All joking aside kids.... OD is HUGE!!!! I've had bikes with tractor gears and it's no fun if you like covering big miles at high speed. The tall cogs was ahuge factor in selecting the RS. JFWIW

Well Guys,

The fact of the matter is that they changed all of the transmission gearing in the RSV from what we had with the 1st gens as follows:

Gear RSV 1st Gen

=== === =====

1st 2.529 2.600

2nd 1.632 1.775

3rd 1.200 1.347

4th .960 1.068

5th .786 .906

The final drive gearing stayed the same. And they took away our shift indicator (and tach) and gave us a light to let us know that we were in the LAST gear in the shifting pattern. Now why did they do this, I'm sure they must of had a good reason in their infinite wisdom.

But for the most part, it lets us know that we can run just as fast in 4th gear on the RSV as we did in 5th on the 1st gen Ventures. And when you shift into 5th on the RSV, you won't go any faster, you'll just do it at a lower rpm. This is why a 1st gen will outrun a RSV, just about any day of the week because of this gearing

But, I know of a dealership that has taken a new V-Vax final drive and machined the speedometer hole in the final drive which will give the RSV back it's original lower gearing. When I ran a Max rear in my 91 (for my sidecar) it ran about 500 rpm higher in every gear. Yeah, but in 5th at 4500 it still had all kinds of pull. And when I come up with an extra $450, I think I'm going to see what it will do for my RS Venture?

Just for your info,

Rick