Shifting points/ shifting points and "choke" use?

[Buck_Roy]

So, even though I'm still shopping I'm also getting ready for as soon as I find my new RSV. I've been reading the owner's manual, (not really something I normally do, but I'm rather excited about the Venture) and came across a couple of things I don't understand.....

 

Choke

"The time necessary for starter (choke) use depends upon the ambient temperature. Temperatures above 10 °C (50 °F) require about 7 seconds of starter (choke) use and

temperatures below 10 °C (50 °F) require about 35 seconds with the starter (choke) turned on, then about 2.5 minutes with the starter (choke) in the halfway position."

 

My last bike was fuel injected, but I wanted to ask if these times are really about right? I know some bikes need more choke than others, some can even start without any choke (I had a RoadStar that almost never needed any choke at all), but these just seem like a lot of time...especially the "35 seconds" of idling at full choke. Is this really about normal? If so, isn't that hard on the engine?

 

 

Shifting points/speeds

Shift up points:

1st → 2nd: 20 km/h (13 mi/h)

2nd → 3rd: 30 km/h (19 mi/h)

3rd → 4th: 40 km/h (25 mi/h)

4th → 5th: 50 km/h (31 mi/h)

Shift down points:

5th → 4th: 25 km/h (16 mi/h)

4th → 3rd: 25 km/h (16 mi/h)

3rd → 2nd: 25 km/h (16 mi/h)

2nd → 1st: 25 km/h (16 mi/h)

 

Ok, this one has me REALLY confused. Are these speeds even close to being right? I can't believe that they are, and so I don't really understand why the manual gives them??

[eusa1]

Lawyers draw that crap up,

When in doubt wind it out! These bikes love high rpm's and they have a rev limiter in case your worried.

As for the choke, i own 3 at the moment and none are the same as another

Remember that lawyers gotta give you a set of instructions of some kind. So they are very general.

Mike

[etcswjoe]

I hardly ever have to give my bike full choke at 30 degrees I just barley pull it out and by the time I am backed out of the garage I push it in as for shifting points I am usually no where near what the manual says.

[midnightventure]

Those shifting points sound like they are for optimum gas mileage not fun.

[Mel]

The upshift points are minimum speeds to move up to the next higher gear. Most of us would exceed those on a regular basis, this engine loves higher RPM's. Down shifting is all shown at 16 MPH, which is rediculous. Down shift when you feel comfortable to do so or feel the need for more power, keeping the RPM's up. I always blip the throttle a little with the clutch disengaged to try to match engine speed to the next lower gear. Maybe their down shift recommendation is for when coming to a complete stop.

[alwrmcusn]

This is NOT meant to be antagonistic...I have never shifted any bike up/down according to the "recommended" shift points. I rely on my ears and feel to do the shifting. The same with the choke. If its cold enough to require use of the choke I do it fully, then when we start rolling along in about 1/4 - 1/2 mile I just shove it back.

As for the shift points I understand their "recommendations" and they are generally correct. However my Venture is not all that happy with a shift from 4th to 5th until it is rolling along about 60-65 mph. It will accept a lower speed but it tends to "criticize" me for my choice if I do it at say 45-50.

[bongobobny]

Good luck EVER getting into 5th at 31 mph!!! I'm thinking those shift points are with the idle around 1000 and never touching the throttle, on a downhill slope!! More realistic conservative driving would be shift to 2nd at 20, shift to 3rd at 30, 4th at 40, and 5th at 50. I shift when it feels and sounds like time to shift. Many riders with the stock differential (not the vmax differential) will tell you 5th gear is pretty much useless under 60.

 

As far as choke use, myself I start it with full choke and let it warm up full choke for about a minute, then choke off and on my way...

[djh3]

I have yet to use "full choke" but I do live in Fla. In Oct the wife and I were in NC mountians. A couple mornings it was mid-upper 40's still just a slight pull out on the choke maybe 1/4 from off position and it started fine. Let warm a couple minutes and take off, a couple more minutes and shove it off. If it dont buck trying to take off the next time your good to go. These carbs are a little different than the old carbs of say the 70's I was use to. These suposedly have a heat coil in them that speeds the warm up progress.

As for the shif recomendations. No flippin way. Youl get runed over. The bike will be chugging so bad. I'm not saying take first up to 40 or anything but you need to let it get some speed. 40 is doable if you need to. I would say you can add atleast 10 mph to the figures and be safe, and still on the low side of what the bike likes. 5th I try to stay out of under 50-55 mph. And I find I get better mpg @ 75-80 than I do @ 65-70.

[bongobobny]

Yes, the power band for these engines is the 3K to 5K range...

[Bummer]

My #1 rpm tip to the new folks: Take it out and run it into the rev limiter. It won't hurt a thing, plus it'll give you an idea how high the Venture will rev. Do it in second. Third will max out just short of 100mph (on the speedo, which is reading around 7% high). Remember, just before it starts sputtering from the spark getting shut down it's quite happy. Learn the sound. Learn the vibration. Take it close to the top regularly as you crank through the gears.

 

I put a Dyna3000 in mine (spark box) set for 7250 and bounce off of it occasionally. The stock one tops out at around 6500.

 

I don't like to run 50/55 in fifth, though I do. Fourth and fifth are overdrives. I rarely try to do any serious accelerating in fifth. If I'm in fifth and want to crank it up I drop into third and yank loud.

 

My #2 tip to the new folks: Get a tach. I have a reservoir mounted tach I got from Baron's.

 

To start the bike pull the choke out all the way. Once it's running push it back in until it's idling ok to warm up. After warm-up (a minute?) push it the rest of the way in. It won't hurt a thing. I've run 20 miles with the choke on 1/3. The only thing you'll notice it being hard on is your mileage. I tap the choke know in every now and then just to be sure that I shut it off when I should have - maturity isn't all it's cracked up to be and sometimes my memory isn't Oh look, safety chrome.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

........ I tap the choke know in every now and then just to be sure that I shut it off when I should have - maturity isn't all it's cracked up to be and sometimes my memory isn't Oh look, safety chrome.

 

And here I was thinking I was the only one that forgot the choke is on and...oh look...a butterfly....

 

[Guest tx2sturgis]

So, even though I'm still shopping I'm also getting ready for as soon as I find my new RSV. I've been reading the owner's manual, (not really something I normally do, but I'm rather excited about the Venture) and came across a couple of things I don't understand.....

 

{snip}

 

Ok, this one has me REALLY confused. Are these speeds even close to being right? I can't believe that they are, and so I don't really understand why the manual gives them??

 

Us Texans seem to LOVE bold fonts dont we?

 

 

Hey dont obsess over the manual recommendations...once you start to ride it, the bike will train you as to what it likes.

 

Choke operation when the bike is cold is more of a subjective thing, but most of us will blip the throttle a few times after say 10-15 seconds of idling to make sure the engine is responding normally to the throttle. If it still stutters, either ride off with the choke slightly out, or wait another 20 seconds or so, enough time to adjust the radio, put your gloves on, or wipe the mirrors...whatever.

 

Shifting points: 4th is a slight overdrive, 5th is a real overdrive...and the bike is fine around town in 3rd and 4th.

 

When you hit a freeway on-ramp, leave the tranny in 4th all the way to about 70 or so and then lift it into OD and all will be good. This engine has a wide power band and a wide ratio transmission that is perfectly mated to the engine. You wont have any trouble.

 

[we2riders]

I have found that the smaller plug diameter "D" plugs that we use (assuming the later model yams are still using them) dont take to kindly to blackening from over choking.. I like to get my choke off as quickly as possible - determined soley by engine responsivness to throttle..

 

that shift point chart is hilarious :rotf:

Cant you just see someone "going by the book" shifting like that getting onto I-5 out in Sacramento,, lean over the bars, wind that baby up to 31 in 4th and then nail 5th

Come to think of it,, I think these were the same shift points on the speedometer of my 1969 Honda CT90

[djh3]

Had to laugh at the shift point thing for the CT90. thats sort of what I was thinking. Except they only had 4 gears.

[we2riders]

Had to laugh at the shift point thing for the CT90. thats sort of what I was thinking. Except they only had 4 gears.

 

Actually, mine were all 8 speeds except for a couple real early models that were the four speed with dual sprockets..