Motorcycle Riders: You're Using the Wrong RPM
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- Опубліковано 11 сер 2023
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Revving the motorbike too low can lead to catastrophic engine failure. Watch the video to learn how to reduce your odds of walking home.
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Directed and Edited by Luke McAdam - Авто та транспорт
Disclaimer: always warm up your engine before revving the shit out of it
How long does it take to warm up the engine?
Edit: guys I like your spirit, but 67 answers to one question is more than enough. You can stop now.
@@Jehty_Probably not as long as she’d like…😏
@@Jehty_kinda depends on the bike. youd let it go through its normal warm up once cold start and ride normally for a bit to get up to optimal temp and then you can get into it. But the time frame to my knowledge is a bit different for different makes.
Yes, this is very important. It's a shame this is not included in the video.
@@goldenageofdinosaurs7192😂😂😂
It never occurred to me that low rpm means high internal stress. As someone who also cycles, the bicycle demonstration was perfect.
All depends on the situation mate. Under high loads, like climbing a hill, absolutely. Under low loads, like cruising along a flat road or slight decline with low throttle opening, lower rpm will put the engine under less stress.
It’s especially crucial in diesel engines. A diesel should never be held on low rpms as the dpf filter clogs and dual mass clutch wears. Every car and motorcycle has an optimal rpm range for travel. As the guy above me mentioned, you need to see what’s happening on the road. One thing i know is that a redline a day keeps the mechanic away.
@@LierschTate I thought that was obvious, but you're right.
To be fair, it only means high internal stress at high throttle openings. If you're just pottering alone gently, there's very little load on anything.
Low rpm is only more stress if you demanding acceleration at that low rpm... Just down shift first when you want to accelerate. The issues with piston fouling or dpf in diesel cars will be taken care of with an occasional faster drive. The rest of the time just driving at lower rpm saves overall wear and fuel and for sports bikes protects your neighbours hearing.
"You paid for the whole tachometer, so use the whole tachometer!" Love it.
I don't have a tachometer on my motorcycle, lol :)
sii , the engine is more helty at hi revolutions... good
@@StraightWhiteMan Came for this lol. I'm literally about to buy a bike without a tachometer... sooo I guess we just go with the vibes.
Soooo, this means I also paid for the whole speedometer, didn't I ?
Hehehe.
imma flat out the gas
Your explanation is true only in the hypothesis that we always introduce the same amount of fuel for each revolution of the engine. This is not the real case scenario. Low rpm means high internal stress only if you are at full throttle, filling the combustion chamber with more fuel than it can handle. It's hard for your feet to push the bike pedals if you're uphill and pushing hard, but if you're cruising calmly there's no fatigue at low rpm. So, avoid going full throttle at low revs when accelerating, use higher revs instead but the general law is: give as little throttle as possible using the right gear and your engine will thank you.
I mean, your advice makes perfect sense from a technical point of view, but giving as little throttle as possible also kind of defeats the whole point of having a motorcycle.
I think this makes more sense. I personally ride by sound. If the engine sounds like it's stressed, the rpm is too high. If it sounds too choppy, the rpm is too slow. His bicycle analogy didn't sit well with me, but I think you nailed it completely. The whole point of low gearing on a bicycle is that it makes riding _easier_ because it requires less work, work defined by torque applied by your feet over rotations.
The whole notion of work isn't force (how hard you push) or torque (how hard you pedal). It's force over distance, or torque over rotation. Who cares if you're applied 50 Joules of torque. You gotta tell me if it's 50 Joules of torque over 1 degree or 50 Joules of torque over 10 rotations. It really makes a difference.
I was about to say exactly this... Avoid sharp throttling from low RPM. Avoid throttling uphill in high gears.
If you throttle up and there's no immediate power response from your bike, that's a big tell you're not using it correctly and you should downshift.
Also,just because you're in low RPM range, doesn't necessarily mean you're in pre-detonation range, fuel intakes DEPENDS on throttle input, and as long as your throttle input is coherent with your current RPM, low gear trades range of travel (of pistons) for torque, and that ratio varies from engine to engine, depending on the engine's design characteristics aswell as the gearbox ratio, that's why engines have WIDE VARYING dyno graphs. Undersquare and oversquare bores will exhibit different toque and hp characteristics at the same RPM so there's no silver bullet.
Carbon deposits on the other hand have no solution other than burning it off as stated, although the RPM needed for reaching the operating temperature WILL VARY from engine to engine.
I'd recommend checking your own bike's service manual and looking for the alternator capacity. It'll give you a good estimate for kW/RPM. My CBX250 gets 0,205kW/5000RPM, and that's the RPM I aim for when I'm cruising.
A barroque dianostics for how you're running your bike would be
-Low charge battery: You are running it like a diesel truck and should run it at a high rpm
-You're on a second mortgage to pay for fuel and your neighboors hate you: You're revving it too high
-Weird vibrations: You're running it wrong
I would only be using 1st 2 of 6 gears legally. Italian tune every now and then, sure.
As a engineer developing engine, i would say fortnine said wrong. the rpm to power curve is not flat.
Great line; "You paid for the whole tachometer, so use the whole tachometer." I'd buy the shirt.
I don't buy many shirts but I would buy that one.
It's a famous line from the anime Initial D 😉
Same with the street. I pay taxes on both sides of the road, quit complaining when i use both sides!
It's a commonly used Phrase in Germany, typically in the context of (the lack of) speed limits on the Autobahn.
Yes this would be a great thing to have on a T-shirt for any performance minded individual no matter what type of vehicle it is 👍👍
My dad always drove at a modest pace. He hated too much high revving. I swear he felt more empathy for lubricated rotating engine components than he ever felt for a human. However, periodically, when an open road presented itself, he would open the throttle all the way and do a series of hard accelerations to max speed until he could no longer see any carbon burning in the exhaust smoke. “Gotta clear out some carbon” and off we would go. As a kid in the early 70’s dad cleaning the carbon out of whatever classic v-8 we owned at the time was my favorite thing.
P.s. The engineer in me feels compelled to add, I agree vehemently, don’t lug your engine. However, at revs higher than those considered lugging, component temperatures aren’t proportional to rpm, they are (non-linearly) proportional to power. It’s open throttle that raises temperatures to clear carbon deposits, not necessarily high rpm.
For a given power, low rpm increases combustion chamber pressures (bad) and high rpm increases load on things like bearings and crank pins (also bad) where physics is about indisputable truths, engineering is about trade offs. So, my philosophy has always been cruise at middle range rpm’s and periodically drive the snot out of it to keep deposits from building up.
Automatic transmissions in a world absent CARB standards would be designed to do exactly that. However, in our real world they tend to bias toward lower rpm to reduce friction losses and improve gas mileage.
Grandpa....."I don't know what you did to that car, but it sure does run better"
16 year old me just ran the piss out of his 64 Ford Galaxie 😊
@@muddywater6856funny you say that. In the 80’s to 90’s this would trigger a check engine light occasionally on older peoples cars 😂
italian maintance....redline a day keeps the mechanic away 🤣
@@tomast9034 Hah, I always said a redline a day keeps the carbon at bay
I use 4500-6000 rpm on my mt07 for daily use, but I always felt that when I go for faster rides (+6500) when I go home the bike feels smoother, sounds better and even feels more powerful in lows than when I only go for mid rpms. Makes sense when you look at it like this. Good video!
Same on my Monster 696! Ill try to run It a bit more revved up from now on
same on my Monster 659. A lower gear with higher revs feels so much better.
the 4500-6000 rpm is way better for you for just normal riding. the reason it feels better att 6500+ is because that's where most of your power kicks in. you don't need all that power when you are just cruising all you are doing with that high RPM is wasting fuel and premature wear on parts. you want to have as low RPM as your bike can comfortably handle without struggling. my FZ6n is in 6th gear already by 60km/h because it revs to 14k so att 2500-4000rpm the speed is so low that the engine don't need to be in a high powerband to manage it.
Idles better after you open it up, same thing with my 02 FZS600
@@savagememes873 After reading your comment, especially the "it feels better at 6500+" part, I had an epiphany. The MT-07's max torque is at 6.5k RPM, making all the "X HP at X RPM" sort of stuff finally make sense to my knucklehead. Thank you my brother!
So my question to you is (or to anyone who is willing to answer), Is the optimal RPM range for the MT-07, with its 73.7 hp power at 10,000 rpm and 67 Nm torque at 6,500 rpm, between 6,500 and 10,000 rpm? Is that what people call bandwidth? Thank you in advance!
As a mechanic, trust your oil system. Let it warm up before sending high rpms then let the engine go. Of course different engines have their happy zones but so few are content under 3k for long periods of time.
What about car engines? Am I wrong that my 1.8 duratec feels better in 2.5-3.2k diapason just by its sound?
Also another reminder why most motorcycles have fuel injection, but none whatsoever have Direct-Injection. Just like F1 cars don't either. Because they're high-speed engines(crank speed that is) and modern high pressure injectors just can't keep up adequately. Not because it's not physically possible, but because paying ~$7-500 per injector and ~$1000-500 for high-pressure fuel pumps every couple thousand miles(if even that) isn't desirable to anyone.
@@rogerpratchet cars are very different than motorcycles. Cars are often optimized for low rpm. My jeep sits at 1500 at 70mph in 8th gear just fine. I wouldn't do the same on a bike.
@@BlondeWick Actually the reason why F1 cars didn't use DI pre 2014 was because it was against F1 regulations, since March 2014 all of them can and do use direct injection.
The only downside to DI is that the fuel doesn't clean the back of the valves and can result in carbon build up, some modern cars now have an additional injector before the manifold to overcome this problem.
How about the Honda 750 twin with only 56hp? It loves low RPMs and has a lot of torque.
As a 50 year rider I think I've gained a sense of when the engine is happy and I try to keep it in that range. Low load, lower engine speeds. Higher load higher engine speeds. If you know how to listen the engine will speak to you.
I started out on a 250 and the first time I rode 2 up, I immediately understood what you're saying. I wasn't able to rely on the tachometer as much as listening and feeling once the load was increased.
Exactly.... there is no point to ride redline with no load.... Load goes up engine rpm go up.
I like to whisper sweet things back when it speaks to me.
@@justlife2129 Please explain how you could even possibly get to redline without loading the engine
@JoshNewby84 Easy... keep your 1st or 2nd gear on flat and just rev it all the way.... Your engine will have no load (almost) and you revving it to the red line.... If this isn't enough, go downhill first gear full throttle.... Now, you do have situations when you ride 1st at full throttle.... steep climb, sand dunes, passenger, ton of luggage etc....
“I studied Physics like a grown up” seriously had me rolling.
Some engineers are still trying to figure out an answer to that
I had physics in 9th grade Jr. High .. Not quite a grown up.
@@calholli Yeah it's insane how they managed to fit all of physics into one high school class.
had to rewind and watch this line twice- just awesome
It doesn't even make sense though. Engineers deal with real world problems while physics is much more theoretical. Isn't actually solving real world problem the grown up thing to do?
I think we can all agree the entire argument is philosophical, so we should leave it to the manchildren (menchildren?) in that profession ;)
This is good information for the uninitiated or a novice when it comes to manual transmissions. The bicycle gear ratio analogy is a great way to draw a parallel to the stresses on an engine under various load situations.
Definitely going to use that analogy when I teach my son how to drive.
Great info! I ride a Kawasaki 900 Classic LT and so many owners swap out the pulleys and install taller rear tires to reduce RPMs. Your video has slammed the door on that idea for me. Thank you.
Ah, yes... FortNine. The best place to go, when your bike is parked.
Well, i wouldn't be watching him if i was riding my bike as that would be dangerous you sillygoose😛
Way more comfortable indoors then out in the sun working on my bike or practicing something somewhere 😅
This should already have more likes.
Or when your crank case is cracked open
Iam watching 👀 this while riding my MT07 😂
"I'm not an engineer, I studied physics like a grown up" had me on the floor laughing... Why is it that Ryan is always unnecessarily funny 😂
This had me laughing as well 😆
But he told the truth.
Sounded like Sheldon.
This had me crying 😭😭😭😭. Whyyyyyy!!!!
Had me in stitches too. buut!…physics is pure theory. Engineers think talk is cheap and actually do something
best motorcycle channel for info hands down, and i never feel pleben.
always right up to my speed.
Love the way you explain, bringing the right balance of real-life mechanics, physics & some good humour to back up.
When I was a kid my father would occasionally take his father’s bike out for a run at high rpm’s. To blow the “cob webs” out. Never new what he actually meant. Now as a 49 year old I’ve been doing the same with his old bikes as I now know it’s for the same reasons as described here. Great video. 👍😎
I do it as well, to get as much air and fuel sucking thru the carb in hopes of keeping jets open and old fuel out of the bowl
I'm not crazy, just because it's amachine it's maintenance is similar to the human body. You don't stick to only one form of movement to maintain it.
@@qwmxUse it or lose it!
Cob webs
I don’t.
Modern oils and fuels doesn’t make it necessary anymore.
It’s always a balancing act, any engineer will tell you that… I’m surprised a Physicist figured this out on his own 😉
Physicist derived the problem from first principles, the engineer looked at a manual. Who's smarter? lol
An engineer *wrote* the manual...
Bro it was a joke…
@@tempestandacomputer6951a true engineer needs no manual dude
No, I think you’ve got the engineer confused with a technician?
A wonderful piece! Short (but not hurried), intelligent, and with character. You are making some of the best videos on UA-cam.
Love this channel. Keep the educational content coming!we love to see and share this with our friends
The problem I have with running higher revs is keeping the bike with reasonable speed limits. I could run freeway speeds in 3rd and keep the revs up… but while I did pay for the whole tachometer, I also paid for the whole transmission.
Hence the 1972 Suzuki RV125. All eight gears, all 9000rpm, zero speeding violations. ~RF9
You don't actually have to do it, all the time..... 🥴
unlike the engine the unused gears in the tranny stay in fine working order
That's why 300 cc are the best bikes
It's ok man.. You paid for the whole speedometer too didnt you?
I've used the "high rpm carbon burn" on numerous vehicles. I'm glad I can now use the proper terminology.
May I ask what 'non-professional nomenclature' that you had chosen all along?
I’d hazard a guess it’s’thrape’ 😂
@@goldilocks913 fatherless comment
The proper terminology is "Italian Tuneup".
"Blow the cob webbs out" -- is a proper description
Absolutely love your vids. Stunning production value.
Fort nine is always on it with critical points in motorcycling 👍 I learned this from a friend when I bought a brand new 2019 CB1000-R. After the break in period @ 500 miles , I did an oil change with Bel Ray semi synthetic and started giving it the beans in 4 & 5 th gear, doing 120 mph in 5th gear sometimes. Now It runs like a charm ! So smooth with buttery shifting. After 3000 miles I started using Motul 7100 4T full synthetic, K&N oil Filters, Non ethanol 90 Fuel + K100 Fuel additive & Engine ice coolant. I swapped the OEM spark plugs with Denso iridium ones. 😎
As James Taylor sings: "It hurts my motor to go so slow" Thanks Ryan and the production team for all the info over the years.
A few years ago I was considering buying a small displacement motorcycle like maybe an R3 or an old Ninja 250. I was trying to watch some reviews from UA-camrs, and they would always shift the bike at around half the RPM that it needs to reach peak horsepower, and then complain that the bike was underpowered.
Yes, small displacement bikes are the best kept secret of true riders 💖
My Versys X300 is a joy @ 13000rpm
I love my Suzuki GSF 400, it's powerful enough to be fun, you can rev it to redline for a few gears until the speedlimit, it's light enough for the city, it's just not comfortable over like 120 km/h which is maybe a good thing. I wanted something bigger but got too attached to this one, and I can't justify owning two bikes at once. I still sometimes get a feeling like I want something more. Anyone with similar experiences?
@misamisatv yeah, row through the gears to redline in a 600cc and up and you're well on your way to meeting Jesus.
@@jondasek I own 4 bikes. On the opposite end of my X300 sits a 1700cc Nomad. Who do you need to justify it to?
for those few of us that don't have traction control, using higher revs in a corner is definitely a healthier proposition. What you don't want is to be just below the peak torque coming out of a bend, because if you lose traction, the rear will spin up real fast, as it is then right in the meat of the torque curve. what you want is to be on the down slope of the torque curve (i.e. for most of us above 8000rpm), so if it starts to spin up, there is less torque available and you have more of a chance of catching it by feathering the throttle SLIGHTLY. Shutting the throttle to zero (=panic reaction) will probably have you out of the saddle anyway, it's something you have to train in.
and all the stuff in the video about preserving the oil film, avoiding detonation etc. is spot on.
Got to be really careful with engine breaking at high rpm round a corner though. Easing off the throttle too quickly can have a "handbrake turn" effect.
or you can get an engine that has instances where no cylinder is firing.
which is pretty much every four stroke engine with fewer than four cylinders (or one cylinder two stroke), crossplain engines and especially big bang engines.
However in cases of rain and compromised traction. It is better to start/ enter the corner at a lower rpm ( and typically higher gear) and use the torwue of the engine to pull the vehicle through.
Can you simplify this? I don't understand
never owned a motorcycle doubt i will, but this man is so entertaining and informative i have watched pretty much all his videos at this point.
I remember hearing never to lug an engine, and it made enough sense when the bike sounded like it was struggling, but now I know the science behind it.
i have a car where the whole body is shaking when the engines is undereved....u notice it even if you deaf.
@@tomast9034 So even deaf people can FEEL the shaking, huh?
@@tomast9034 Isn't this the case with every vehicle, my 500 also stutters like an elephant when I'm trying to accelerate off 2000rpm
@@tomast9034 and? the 4cyl engine of my car does shake a lot when driving low rpm. but doesnt mean it will break that way. i am driving the same car 21 years now and will do so another 21 years. full throttle 900rpm? no problem, since it has an injector, not a carburettor setup. first engine, never opened up, even the waterpump is way older then 21 years. from time to time i go to the racetrack to have some fun.
I love at 3:41 the spark plug is upside down😂 great video nonetheless
GREAT CATCH!
🤣🤣🤣
Had to scroll way to far to see this comment.
Ooooh sharp eye! I'm ashamed to say I watched several cuts of this edit and never saw that. ~RF9
You're a very bad boy treating the bicycle like that. Naughty boy. I have ridden motorbikes since I was around 8 years old and now at 60 I still ride them, and also bicycles. I use the Italian tune up method every time I ride my motorbike but didn't know what it was called that until this video. Thank you and keep up the good work.
Wow awesome info and very well explained in deadly simple easy to understand terms. As I just entered a lower revs phase of my life and wondered: Is it right? More revs here I come!
might sound a bit silly, but i used to maintain alot of small moped/scooters.
all the 4 stroke slow scooters where ALWAYS fouled up, and usually had bigger failures, including main bearing wear.
Same with the restricted 2 stroke engines.
now the fun part was the high RPM un-restricted 2 strokes. whenever i took those apart, i saw nice shiny metallic pistons, cilinder walls, a afree rotating crank. no fouling at all! even the exhaust looked ''relatively'' clean on the inside.
im not saying you must always ride an engine to the max... but even in a car, if you have the chance, every once in a while, just let it rev (when its warm) out a bit, use the engine in its entire capacity to burn away the built up carbon... you wont notice the extra power you get back, but the engine surely appreciates a little love from time to time... its like letting your dog from the leash, to run around in a park... instead of lugging along next to you... where is that dog happier?
Really good analogy sir. I own a old yamaha scooter with 135.000 km on it, and the engine still purr like kitten. Sometimes i do 'italian tune up' right before oil changing and afterwards.
Thats the advantage of living in Germany, I just go on the Autobahn every few months and go full speed for a bit, kept the DPF in my car and the pistons in my bike clean
@@ajisusetyo3613 a lot of people overlook the importance of getting the oil hot before changing
service dog to blind person ?
@@DarkIzo there always has to be one guy who doesn't understand a simple analogy and ruin it for everyone.
I love this explanation, it makes a lot of sense. The salesman at Ducati Indianapolis told me before a test ride, "These bikes (Multistrada 1200) like to run at 3,000-plus RPM, they're not happy just pooping around at 2,000.' He was so right. Redline on that big L-twin is 10,500, and it loves to scream. Heck yes, I bought the bike!
No modern engine likes to be run under 3k RPM, Ducati or not. Unless you're talking about Harleys with their undersquare diesel tractor ancient engine design.
@@sv650nyc7 inline 4 cylinders are still doing way better at this exercise than 2 cylinders like Ducati
My Kawasaki C-14 is cruising at 80
MPH at under 4000 rpm. 100 MPH
Is soon to follow. I love all the physics but there are so many qualifications. 100 mph in 2nd
Gear? Absolutely. You need huge
Balls and lots of skill to wrong out
Any hyper bike. Good luck 😅
@@sv650nyc7 of course they do.... and if you include car engines then they specially do as the efficient shift point for most cars is att 2000rpm. (before you argue i studied fuel economy and shit in school because it was part of our truck driving training) and my fz6n is so low geared that it's happy att 2500rpm. it's not about RPM but about having the power to efficiently run
@rampage3337 Fuel consumption & thermal efficiency generally live at opposite ends of the spectrum. Meaning: What you're engine likes & operates best at is usually not the same condition that nets highest MPG
The answer I've been searching for decades since when I started driving my first motorcycle. Perfect explanation.
Thanks Fortnine for that great informative video. I will definitely use less lug and now, higher RPMs while riding my bikes! Mucho appreciado
Always happy to have Ryan validate my good habits with science 😁
you reckless rider!
@@fidelcatsro6948shh
except he completely fails to mention exponentially worse fuel economy at higher RPM, for some reason.
@@drossinitupI think that is obvious, travelling at higher RPMs means more combustions to travel the same distance
more combustions= more fuel
It applies to many cars as well. I remember Scotty from Haltech mentioned that high load and low RPM is where your connecting rods are under the most stress, especially on a turbo engine. Obviously tons of high RPM for prolonged periods may wear out piston rings and cylinders sooner, but I can attest that many cars NEED to see high RPM driving at least occasionally in order to run properly.
There is a sweet spot usually and you can kinda feel it with your ass through the seat.
Not only do the higher revs help clean the plugs and injectors and such, catalytic converters love it.
I don't know about other platforms but a stock S550 Mustang GT has a very distinctive smell when the cats get hot. I'm usually pretty easy on mine, but I make sure to get them good and hot once a month or so; that equates to holding a few gears at low throttle for a few seconds, 35-4500 rpm or so, or a quick run to redline in at least one gear.
Smells kinds sulfur-ey, like spent fireworks.
I drive an older car, but when I try out newer cars, they seem to run at unnaturally low RPMS. I know they are trying to be fuel efficient I guess, but it just feels wrong and it seems like the auto transmissions are set to shift wayyy too early. It just can't be good for those small turbos long term.
Newer cars will burn off deposits in the cat by injecting fuel into the cylinder during the exhaust phase (assuming the cat is already warm enough). It then travels down to the cat where it burns, changing all the nasty stuff in there into what is considered "clean". Use to be it'd catch all the large particulates and burn them to smaller ones. PM10 bad, burn them to
Could you explain that? As far as I can reason a lower rpm would result in a lower boost pressure too because the turbo wouldn't be spinning as quickly?
I’ll remember this on my Ducati Streetfighter V4 which redlines at 15,500 rpm. Thank you for the explanation, it makes more sense.
Dude, your explanations are awesome! Keep up with the good work! Cheers
0:22 it's really cool how you can see drag in action. Making a low pressure zone behind Ryan, so the smoke from the exhaust can collect back there as it get pulled up in the swirling air currents.
Whoa what a fuckin trip
Ooh thanks for pointing that out! Looks neat. ~RF9
The sign of a true unit of a man ✊️
Now you understand the mechanics behind the "exhaust smell" of a rider.
It means the pipe is coked up.
Me: ‘But Officer, the motorcycle guru Fortnine said that I had to ride the tits off it.’ Cop: ‘Actually he said to rev the tits off it. And he didn’t mean do it in 6th gear.’
That would probably happen. Especially a moto cop.
That's something i was going to comment: he said use the whole TACHOMETER not SPEEDOMETER Xd
@@Ferrari255GTO If I redline my bike in first gear and get caught, I'm getting arrested.
@@MadAlhazred That reminds of a Katana Top-Speed Video on here. It was "100...120...140...second gear, 160..."
@@MadAlhazred My Busa will get to Jupiter if I Redline it in First :D
Your content is like a symphony of various aspects.. great perspective 👌
I laughed at 1:05 and called you a knob.........
Brilliant video again
"As many horses as a six pack of Ikea meat balls" - Ryan just gets better and better. His work should be on the curriculum of all mechanical engineering courses. Thanks for making my ribs ache.
I can't believe THIS is how I found out about the decade-old Ikea Meatball horse meat scandal.
He got a sub for the "horse laugh" that quote elicited from me alone. Great sense of humor.
Got me going too
Classic line! My fave of the entire video.
As used to be stated in Yamaha owner’s manuals many decades ago, “The maximum cruising speed is determined by 3/4 throttle or 3/4 of redline, whichever comes first.” I always kept this in mind, with both 2-strokes and 4-strokes, and I was rewarded with clean-running and high-performing engines with long service lives. If that cruising speed is not high enough, get a bigger bike. For this reason, I went from 180 cc to 350 cc to 400 cc to 750 cc, and finally to 1000 cc. A 750 sport bike is fast enough for most riders, so you only need a 1000 if your friend has one, in which case you definitely need that 1000. For other people, a 350 or 400 is fast enough, unless they ride on major highways with a passenger, especially in hilly or mountainous areas, in which case a 600 or 750 may be needed. You decide, based on your needs.
And don’t lug your engine! Even Harleys can be lugged, but in their case, the lowest safe rpm is quite a bit lower, as low as 2500-3000 rpm, while redline may be under 5-6000 rpm, indicating that contrary to some opinions, they do not have a wide range of usable rpm, unlike some high-revving brands that may be happy between 5000 and 10,000 rpm.
My Yamaha FZR400 redlined at 14k, which means cruise is at 10,500. Yeah it matches quite well, FZR400eds barely run below 4k, and comes alive at 9,500. Definitely not happy at 5k but somewhat driveable, it just loves being above 9,500.
Something very important from Yamaha manuals; The idle rpm, never go below! Lotsa gyus think a low idle sounds cool but thats only because they havent experienced a high speed stall with a 4 cyl performance bike, and stall they will if the idle is too low, plus harder to start.
@@pflaffik
A too-low idle sounds cool? That’s a new one on me. A lower than normal idle speed results in lower-than-normal oil pressure, in a situation when certain internal forces are relatively high, causing unnecessary wear.
Almost forgot: that’s the recommended MAX cruising speed, not the mandatory cruising speed. Also, to quote the Yamaha owner’s manual again: “..., bearing in mind local highway laws.” If a cop stops you for speeding, telling him that you weren’t exceeding the factory recommended maximum cruising speed won’t impress him. He may even think you’re a smartass, which does not help at all.
My partner has a 1976 XS500C and I can confirm that this is in the user manual.
Indeed a Harley has only a usable rpm from 2000 to 3500. Under 2000 it kicks like a mule. Above 3500 you can visit the dentist 4 times in a year. But the girls like the vibrations above 3500……. My 1984 Honda is happy between 1500 and 10000. Really happy between 6 and 10000
Jokes on you, I don't have any friends. I got my 1000cc because it looks cool and I'm an idiot with money.
love the riding and speaking with subtitles!
This puts me at ease as I had been a little worried holding my bike at 5k RPM for long freeway rides. The gearing makes that only 90mph in 6th gear. (Monster 796, factory sprockets, for reference)
My God, the writing, delivery, and presentation are off the charts. This channel has no right to have this level of production quality, but here we are. Way to bring shame to much bigger outfits. Well done team.
Presentation top notch. Yet usable information is below par.
He didnt show or tell the negatives of constant high reving. And which negative weighes more when you compare them.
Enjoy your laugh and broken bike
"I'm no engineer, I studied physics like a grown-up." As a fellow physicist this is accurate
As a engineer, I chuckled.
@@alexantonie1144As an engineer, I have a decent paying job without still paying off loans on an advanced degree...so I chuckled, too
Every one who has ever met an engineer expected the salary comments the second he said it. Ironic considered with nearly 2m subs Ryan is absolutely blowing whatever your salary is out of the water. @@GalamatiasOne
π = e = sqrt(g) = 3 you know its true really 😉
@@jonnovak6856
I don't think being a youtuber requires a degree in physics, but OK.
Interestingly enough. This is the first time I have heard this explained quit like this. Good video.
Wow, this video is an absolute gem! 🌟 The content is not only informative but also presented in such an engaging and entertaining way. The visuals are top-notch, keeping me hooked from start to finish. Keep up the fantastic work! 👏👏"
I'd say that the healthiest would be to adjust your driving style once in a while: if you ride calmly most of the time, rev it once in a while. If you drive the bajeezus out of it mostly, give it a rest and do some relaxed cruising for a bit. Your engine will love it.
🤓lmao engines don't need a "rest". You could easily have an engine running 15,000rpm for a week straight only turning it off for oil changes.
I gotta say car/bike culture brings together the stupidest people, everybody and their mother thinks that ONLY THEY know how to take care of an engine. God I hate people on the Internet
Changing your oil often is what an engine loves. As does an engine that is singing at it's optimal rpm.
So a bike need rest?
Weard tought!
its a mecanical devises, it dont need rest mate, you can let it cool down if needed. 😊
@@avec-zam7301 It doesn't need rest, it needs a balance in usage.
This doesn't apply to all mechanical devices obviously but it does apply to most internal combustion engines.
Not a cyclist, but your videos are great. A perfect mix of Professor Proton and gearhead. Keep up the great work.
Have you ever seen any Downhill clips? Because they will either get you onto MTB or completely GUARANTEE that you will never get on a bicicle in a mountain XD
None of us are cyclists either.. Bicycles just aren't as fun
@@marcelsadura2114 idk id argue youre at a higher risk on the road because EVERYONE has to overtake you
@@TrueHelpTV as a cyclist myself, i have to agree. What they did in my country is BULLSHIT, straight up. Car lanes on most city sections are limited to 30Km/h or around 20mph because many lanes are ment to be shared with bikes, but bikes are actually not suposed to surpass 25Km/h by regulation (yes, you can get a speeding ticket on a bycicle here, but it's not really enforced since it's stupid AF). In the end most people drive at whatever speed they want and it's not hard to find an average of one or two assholes each 30 mins in the road. To top it off, there have been added bike paths specifically for bicicles where pedestrians just don't give a shit they're in the way, to the point where they don't even look to cross and get shocked when a bike is in the bike path, WHO WOULD'VE KNOWN?! Also, don't you DARE get on the sidewalk because then you will have to deal with dissrespectfull assholes who don't care how much space you're leaving, if you have a legit reason to be there or how carefull you're being, they're offended about your existence and will let you know either with a respectfull tone or straight up behave like an upset toddler. I literally have been told anything you can and can't imagine with levels of bullshittery that are injustifiable from any half sentient being, like that i cannot go in the road with a bycicle after someone that wasn't payng attention complained that he had to brake because i was there, don't mind the fking yield sing...
Sorry for the rant, but i'm really done with this and the comment just went out of control. Cycling is a great sport as long as you don't have to ride in cities, sadly i just can't go to many trails, much less often. I cannot talk about it without ranting because of how absolutely done i am about this stuff, it kinda went off the rails but i think i made my point, traffic flow matters and bicicles unless electric do not belong in the road with cars imo.
@marcelsadura2114 safer? Half the people I know from Vancouver are messed up from petal bike accidents....
Wilhelm scream has made me clean my desk. Your channel is the best youtube discovery of my 2024 so far. Cheers!
This was very good. FortNine does good stuff!
I always thought the "Burn off the carbon" thing was just an excuse to drive fast, didn't know it was actually true haha.
Same here, I would tell my wife "ah, just cleaning the engine" and no complains. I thought to myself its just bro science
I learned (from the Internet, per usual) a few years ago that rotary engines in cars need to be revved high regularly for this exact reason. Seems like it is especially true and effective for 2 stroke engines.
Its literally how dpf filter works on diesel powered cars. Literally uses exhaust heat and sometimes a lil diesel to burn off soot deposits. SO dpf regen is literally burning off soot and the engine needs to rev high for a few minutes for this to work and driving a dpf fitted diesel car all day long in traffic at low rpm can actually clog up ur dpf filter
@@shira_yoneit’s similar with diesel engines as well. I mean while they don’t rev as high as doritos but using the entire tach from time to time helps
It is!
Fifty years later, I finally understand this basic and important fact of life. Thank you sir.
I say fifty years because as a cycling teenager, I preferred lower gears, even up-hill - suits my muscle type evidently (ie, low down torque like an under-square engine). I was also constantly replacing the kota pins in the pedal cranks. Now, at last, I see that there was a connection. (Footnote: I solved my problem when friend showed me how to arc weld!)
it's a balance you need to find because, while higher gears are tougher on the pedal side of things, lower gears put stronger forces onto the wheel side, which can lead to equally catastrophic failure.
like one time i was going up hill and i shifted down and stood up, i put so much force on the rear wheel that the inside of the wheel was turning, while the outside was not, completely scrunched up the wheel like that and bent the frame in the process, that bike was fubar after that.
Great video and awesome what you’re doing with the insurance idea
This guy is like the 'Bill Nye the science guy' of motorcycles. I'm enjoying watching these educational and very informative videos.
I'm a new motorcycle owner and the reason I was confident enough to get into motorcycles. It's because of this man here. I appreciate every video you've put out, especially the one on how to break in an engine thank you and keep doing what you're doing!!
Same here! 470 miles so far, all thanks to him! Invaluable. Maybe even life changing.
Only about half the information he puts out is actually good. I'm never going to forget his video on cornering when he says counterbalancing and better than having your body on the inside of the turn.
@@ayyblyat9450 from memory he was referring to slow tight corners, not full on sending it corners.
@@ayyblyat9450 Right, he did recently make a video about police training where he now corrects himself and admits he was wrong at least. Maybe this video is more applicable to 2-strokes and high revving sport bikes? But he does assume beginners will have that foresight :/
I agree to use what you paid for. I paid for the tach, I'll use it. Similarly, I paid for the airbags in my car, and I plan on using them.
Yes, but only one of those 2 needs replacement after the "use".
You paid for insurance, now use it!
@@dougrobinson8602 who says I paid for insurance?
Kek
I had an old lady neighbor who only had one car that she bought brand new in the 70s, and when it was time to get a new car, she actually told the salesman to remove the airbags and sunroof because her old car didn't have them and she didn't want to pay for them.
as a new rider coming from driving cars thank you for this easy to understand explanation.
Brilliant as usual RF9. Thanks. I’m gonna ride different from now on. Cheers. 🇨🇦🤟🏻
Totally agree. Engines don't like to be lugged, they were designed to spin.
A true motorcyclist will ride ALL bikes. It doesn’t matter what displacement, and they’ll never make fun of anyone else for what they ride. Thanks Ryan. 👍
Absolutely agree. I've owned bikes from 250 cc on up to 1500 cc -- every single one of them was an absolute blast to ride.
And riders are riders -- I don't care if you're on a "step-through", you're still a rider.
Love my big-ass Bonneville, love my shitty-ass Vespa.
Not true, always make fun of HD riders.
There are plenty of bikes I won't ride
@Damitsall The overweight bikes aren't even the worst part, it's the shorts and sandals.
Love your videos. Informative, and entertaining.
Best explanation and presentation of the information I have seen yet.
Awesome. This reminds me of the Ford vs Ferrari scene where Bale's character (Ken Miles) says to the customer "too much fuel not enough spark" "try to change it up at
5000 RPM not 2.”!
Again, well done as always!
Did someone forget about friction?
RPM to Engine life is a long standing topic in aviation. Short story, balance is the key. Shoot for peak torque RPM as a rule of thumb.
RMPs are never a danger to an engine, stress and heat are. After all, all the parts in engine are (if everything works like it is suposed to) well lubricated
Now he has to make a video of the problems and consequences of using ours motorcycles always close to the redline ... Engine wear prematurely, excessive fuel consumption etc ... the better way is to use in the middle, sometimes use high butt always high isn't good for the machine overall
@@lincolnsampaiobractually, if you have more power/torque on higher RPM you can get away with less throttle and it can actually be more fuel eficient to do so, just like the myth of "large engine=super bad fuel economy" not always being completely true. The final conclusion should be results may vary, learn what your engine wants
What if peak Torque is low down?
@@ijusthatenormiesihavenooth1164unless you have a turbocompressor, it shouldn't be THAT low ? :0
Greetings from Japan. I lived in Vancouver (Burnaby actually) for 7 years (2000~2007). I rode a Honda CB250 then a Ducati Pantah 600 when I was very young; looking to get back on two wheels when my wife will allow it. Apart from the (mostly excellent) technical tips, the gift of the gab is what gets me coming back for more; it's like a strange marriage between 'Moto Control' and 'Stephen Fry'. But the kicker is, that is sooo B.C. Love ya Guy.
Man, I always learn more about engineering at this channel, awesome content, I'll apply it on my daily work on trucks... by the way, 49 is also my racing number 😂 thanks dude
I have been enjoying my single cylinder long stroke bike on slow speeds and really low RPMs, now I realize why the spark plug failed so early and the ignition mistimed all within the first 3000 kms! Thanks for clarifying this - low RPM is not always being good to your bike. Cheers!
I have the same style engine, this vid may not suit, as it doesn't account for a heavier piston travelling at Higher speeds and distance, at the same revs as a revvy bike! The reciprocating/ off-balance forces / frictions will become way higher! Just get a hotter plug.
Idk I have a 4 cylinder and I ride in 6th gear alot low rpms for better mpg
@@valve0radio This vid also suits that kind of engine. I have a XT600Z and those engines suffer from wearing/breaking big ends if you keep on hammering them at low RPM. And if you ride them in fifth gear at low RPM the gear get's too little oil (for the earlier engines atleast) and the fifth gear will wear.
After watching your video, I changed my mindset. My Hayabusa is plenty happy and powerful enough to hum along at 2-3k RPM and still be able to accelerate at will. Now I did my highway commute in 2nd gear to keep RPM at 8k. Could go higher RPM but then I'd lose my license. Conclusion: I can never shift above 2nd on this bike.
En mi parecer. No le hagas caso a estos video porque dejan mucha cosas de lado. 8k rpm para esa moto es una brutalidad. La vas a fundir porque el aceite no va ser capaz de lubricar. Ve la curva de aceleración de tu moto y allli tendrás un referencia. Para evitar la detonación que dice el vídeo, usa buenos combustibles y ponle según dice el manual respetando la relación de compresión. Pero si en alguna ocasión no encuentras el combustible que indica el manual, ponle uno más bajo, no va a afectar el motor por un corto periodo. Saludos desde Chile.
Awesome video brother, i didn’t realize that was happening when i lug my engine.
Love it! Thank you very much, buddy! This supported my intention to go 1 tooth down on my bike! Not because it is better of course. But because it suits my style of riding better.
One more good reason to not lug at really low RPM: lower oil pressure. Lugging at low revs means all that force on the piston is being transferred down the rod and through the big end bearing - but it _should_ be pressing against that thin film of oil that prevents the rod bearing from actually touching the crankshaft. Lower revs, and thus lower oil pressure, means more chance of that oily film being pushed out of the way when that piston fires.
Also another point is oil delivery is often lacking at low rpms. The 80s Honda magnas were notorious for poorly oiling the cams when running below 3k.
@@k9turrentindeed, this is because of the large operating range of the pump requiring variable output or extremely robust design. Hard to make a pump that works well at both 2k and 16k rpm.
@@k9turrentmy 86 Honda concurs
@@k9turrentSame on my 99 Shadow. It's like nails on a chalkboard when I hear a Shadow loping like a Harley for that reason.
You will still have sufficient oil pressure and flow at low rpm. If you didn't, your engine would be highly unreliable. At higher rpm, large volumes of oil will go through the bypass valve and won't even circulate through the engine; it'll just be dumped right back in the the sump. This is by design, to avoid overpressure of the oiling system.
My 2stroke moped do be liking it when it cruises at 10k rpm in that little 50cc cilinder.
My Neighbours however..
I've learned so much from your channel. Thanks.
I always wondered why my city scooter (110cc with aftermarket air filter) has been running sooo smooth and had performance way better than many other, newer scooters of same engine size. (mine is now 10 years old). I have been revving the t*ts of that tiny engine since the break in period finished. It's either 100% throttle, or no throttle (quite easy to do on a 110cc honda) coupled with regular maintenence.. And that kept my engine healthy and rev happy. Now I know the reason!
This is a real issue in trials. Trials engines are tuned for massive torque and spend much of their time chugging around in 1st, 2nd or 3rd gear at relatively low rpm. If you watch experienced riders you'll often see them hold the bike at full throttle with the clutch engaged for several seconds before entering a section, especially if the section involves big splats over rocks or similar. A veteran trials rider once told me that the "cleanest" his bikes ever run is after an event such as the SSDT where travelling between sections requires a lot of road miles using high gears and high rpm. So another vote for the "Italian tune-up" I guess :)
Once in a while we go on a trail ride on our trials bikes. Inevitably there are plumes of smoke coming out our exhausts as the unburned carbon/oil deposits from low speed riding burn off. In fact sometimes the exhaust can catch on fire and keep burning/smoking after shutting the engine off. Another vote for periodically revving the tits off the bike. Though I think Engineering Explained has a video debunking the Italian Tuneup in modern cars.
Better have it in neutral when you have the clutch engaged or else you'll be tearin' across the tulips.
Wilhelm Scream @ 4:21 had me bustin' a gut. Classic!
Your videos are full of witticisms that an engineer just cannot compute. I think I'll watch again.
Loved bringing up the analog motorcycle!
This guy and his unique sense of humour and sarcasm, I enjoy these videos whlist learning about motorcycles
I actually needed this lesson. thank you
As an added bonus riding at speed in higher revs provides better engine breaking, after riding for 20 years I did my first track day, the single best take away was that I'd been riding for 20 years mostly one gear too high. I think it came from the mindset of wanting to "protect" the engine. I should have been thinking more about protecting me, and that meant drop it down a cog in almost every scenario.
YES! With the added bonus of always being in the fat part of the power/torque curve!
As an Owner of a '16 Honda CRF250L, I have to agree. Not only was my engine directly taken from the CBR250R(high strung sportbike) but ever since realizing how easy ripping the engine apart can be changing my clutch, I've been beating the crap out of the bike and it's actually happier at highway speeds. Stock everything except for removing judder spring and a drilled out airbox (which w/o an EJK/Fuel Controller means the bike wants to GO, otherwise the ECU is too busy trying to adjust itself) so aside from loss of fuel economy (~67 mpg vs ~75 mpg) it's hands down been eye opening. When I realized that even now I'm rarely hitting the rev limiter when trying to, I stopped worrying and started to embrace the weird LRP for what it was, and enjoying the sound of the factory muffler minus the spark arrestor. The 2-1-3 layout of the exhaust valves-header-baffles in the factory setup is actually kind of a brilliant sound. Makes me want to learn to weld so even if I ever switch the parts out I can mimic the harmonics. Or just fabricate a Y-pipe to run twin mufflers like the R models did back then, for the unique look rather than performance. 2016 was the last model year before Honda entered it's current "no fun allowed" era (i.e. last year the VFR800/Interceptor was produced was 2016)😐
Hi from New Zealand 🇳🇿
As per usual I absolutely loved the video.
Thanks so much for your advice I daily commute at around 115kph for around 14 minutes to & from work daily rain or shine on my Triumph Trident 660 after warming it up of course
I guess this is why all of my cars and bikes run like a dream, even though some of them have long since passed the 30 year mark. I meticulously maintain all of them but I also do a fair bit of, lets call it "spirited riding/driving" with them. And I used a borescope on all of them, the inside of their engines looks nice and clean with only very little carbon buildup.
yeah me too. I just can't help but pushing it a bit when i see a clear road or even street
I just bought an xsr900 (my dream bike) so I've been putting a lot of thought on how I need to ride it for "longevity". This video came right on time 😁
Good luck reving it hard and avoiding the cops :D I love that engine
you've been dreaming for that one for a while!
Flog the bejeeziss out of it.
Ride the beans out of it! Engines can be replaced
And also be safe while you do it brother, have fun
Okay dude. I just subscribed. Keep ‘em coming. 👍
The plethora of information and knowledge im trying to learn to ride properly and snoothly… i’ve lost count how many videos i’ve watched already 🤧😅
Nice inverted sparkplug in your animation, Ryan. Based upon the ignition, a terminal nut doesn't even require a spark gap. Now, that's physics at its finest...
Dang youre sharp. Had to rewatch to realise i missed that 😂
I came here to say this but you already did.
I was saying the same when it showed. I don't know if he was trying to be funny, or the artist knows nothing about engines. :)
@@Apollo-ComputersGotta screw things up to boost engagement!
@@IzharJumadi Thanks! Proudly showed your comment to my wife. Her dry retort was, "Always knew you were the sharpest butter knife in the silver set!"🤣🤣🤣
The first time I read about "lugging" an engine was in "How To Keep Your Volkswagen Alive" by John Muir. Very bad for air cooled VWs too. Thanks Ryan for reminding me to wind out my bikes too!
Same on my old 911 air cooled. Drive it like I stole it after a day of slow traffic, good as new.
Really great book! A must have for every air-cool VW owner
I had the book and I red0lined the crap off of my Beetles, but can't recall it actually said it!
I never knew TC works like that and it makes a ton of sense to use any engine like that. Great knowledge
Do you think you need TC at 2000 RPM?
You are partly right here at least where the short block parts are concerned, however it is worth remembering that the top of the engine (cams, cam bearings, springs, cam chain & tensioner and both cam sprockets) are not effected by load, their wear is RPM dependant, so it is overall a big compromise.
I am absolutely loving that you're using the Silverwing cluster for your title shot. My father and I each have one, and they are easily our favourite bikes.
Shout-out too the Wilhelm scream😂😂 3:49
Awesome explanation I am a Great Fan of Ur Videos and topics
This channel is so good.