Should I be able to redline every gear?

I was reminded of this question I asked myself last year when I saw the "how fast have you gone on your XJ" post.

I have gotten to about 150km/hr but I remember thinking that I should have more. I can redline 1st gear and 2nd gear and coming out of second into third I'm already at 120 kph. Into third I get to 150kph but it won't redline. Shifting to 4th - I keep WOT just to maintain speed and the same for 5th.

So the question - should I be able to redline every gear?

 

theoretically, in a vacuum, yes
in the real world, i doubt it air gets pretty thick going that fast

 

From a recent Post ... I'd say you'd need a tail wind and a loooong straight to Redline a 550 in all gears.

The wind resistance IS a huge factor!

But, if you go Texas, you can get it up to 145 mph easy!

 

I'm pretty sure I can redline in the first 5 gears. It won't pull to redline in 6th, which is probably a good thing!

I just noticed that I'm in 5th gear now.

 

my 550 gets to 9K in 6th gear on a good day. never seen it above that. as RangerG said... that's probably a good thing, as the 550 just doesn't feel very stable at those speeds.

 

i can pull a redline in 5th but it stays at 7500 or maybe 8 in sixth not much better. but speed isnt in the redline its in how good the gear changing is for your bike. somedays i can get up to 85 in 4th gear other days it struggles in 5th.

 

I don't ride a 550 but my 650 is pretty laiden. If I'm reading this correctly, your saying that in 4 & 5 it takes WTO to maintain not to accelerate. That sounds to me as having significant loss of power. My kids Honda 360 will carried my lard butt at 60 in 5th with a little throttle left over. And, I might add, thats in South Dakota where the wind is at your face no matter what direction your headed.

I'd say a loss of power. thats my 2%

 

WOT just to maintain traffic speed is not right. Not on a 650. I'm at less than half throttle at highway speeds. I had her up to 160 and she had steam left over to boot in 5th.

Also, 6th gear? I was not aware these bikes came with 6 speed trannies. 8O Which years and models? I always thought that would be nice.

 

add a turbo charger It'll beable to red-line all gears

 

550's have a 6th gear.

My 650 has 5 gears.

My turbo - won't run

What could cause the loss of power in 4th and 5th? It pulls nicely in the low end.

 

Ease her up to a nice, sturdy brick wall, put her on the center stand, then start it up. I'll bet you'll be able to hit redline in top gear no problem.

Hope that helps! Ride safe.

 

Fraps,

I just looked back at your post realized that your from north of the border. I remember doing work in Canada (Montreal) back in the 80s. When I would cross the border to the north I would get an instant headache probably due to the poor Canadian air quality. I believe there is less oxygen content in the air. It may be due to the metric system aye?

The considerable deficiency in the Canadian National Air Filtration System may also be to blame. I now live in South Dakota and if the wind blows hard enough from the north the cattle in the state become very irritable and produce low quality beef and milk.

North Dakota is much closer and suffer signifcantly reduced IQs in their children because of this.

This may have some bearing in the performance of your bike. This weekend plan a day trip to the states and see if your problem disapears after you clear customs.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

I wish I had a real answer. Sorry. BTW I do like your land.

The Buff

 

LOL. That's quite a theory! I can't argue it though having no empirical evidence (although - I do feel smarter in the US?)

 

Only by comparison, friend... the average is lower here. :lol:

 

I would say...

First - Shave off all your body hair

Next - Get a good spandex speedo or thong

Then - Go fast down a big hill

That should get you the MPH/KM you want

 

You need to put a fat chick on the back to wheelie, but you are going to have to take her off to redline. (http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=9424.html)

For a real answer: I cannot redline my 350 in the higher gears because of wind resistence. It gets up to about 75mph and doesnt want to go any farther. You can always go through your carbs and try to get a few more hp's.

It's always the carbs.

Stephen

 

I'm going to have to vote against this on general principles.

 

I've never taken it all the way to redline in fifth, but I might give her a shot tomorrow.

 

i just need a long stright flat road with no cops or trafic hmmmmm the salt flats sound good lol ive taken it to red line on my bike 145 and its got a high speed wobble so watch out for that is there a way to fix that

 

Yes. You put periods at the end of your sentences and things stop wobbling.

Also, you check your wheels very carefully for alignment. You check them for proper balance. You check your tires for cupping or other signs of wear. (Just because you have tread doesn't mean your tires are okay.) You check that your tires are properly inflated for high speed riding. Yamaha recommends 33F/36R if you're going to go fast.

You check your brakes to make sure they are sticking and that your rotors aren't warped. You make sure that your forks aren't bent, sticking, floppy (worn steering bearings), or just loose (worn springs, lack of fork oil, etc.). Same for rear shocks. Remove your windscreen.

Basically, all the things that make the bike want to deviate from "straight and true."