6th gear is for the Autobahn...YMMV

[duhg]

I spend a lot of time in gears 2, 3 and 4, that's partly due to the roads I ride.  I have always been happiest in 3rd gear regardless of what bike I'm riding.  Fifth gear is a resting state between fun sections of road.  When I hear the whine in 6th gear I downshift.  Oops.  Didn't mean to be in 6th. 

 

I recently spent a weekend riding in eastern Kentucky with friends.  I was on my BMW GS and another friend was also riding a GS.  After traversing a great curvy road the friend asked, "What gear were you in on that road?"  I replied that I'd been in 3rd gear all the way.  "I guess that's why I wasn't getting the drive out of the corners that you were, because I was in 6th."  I bet he also didn't have the amount of engine braking among other things.  This is the same guy that has complained for years that his bike must have 93 octane gas, or it will knock.  Mine runs fine on 87 octane.

 

 

[Salish900]

Running at higher RPM matters for some bikes more than others. A Connie or FJR for example, could really care less what RPM you are at, and will still pull your head off. My current Moto Guzzi Stelvio really loves to be above 5,000 as it's a twin, so I tend to gear down a bit more than I did on my Tracer. Every bike has a sweet spot in sound and torque. Then it's just about your wallet size and willingness to wring it's neck every time you are out! 

 

[duhg]

I like mid-sized bikes running above 5k rpm when having fun.  That's where they seem more "alive."  Acceleration is crisp, handling seems better. Maybe it's just my internal tachometer that prefers not to lug it low.  It's not super quick or high top speed that I'm looking for, just a brisk burst out of the corners.  The CP3 suits me in this regard. 

[pokey074]

Similarly, I don’t use 6th gear until I hit a cruising speed of 65mph. 

[PhotoAl]

In the twisty sections I'm with you and keep the bike in it's happy zone above say 5 or 6 thousand RPM.  I had a CBR600RR and a 2014 Kawasaki ZX6R 636 which had the big motor with lots of midrange torque hahahahaha.  Both of them liked revs and if I was below 8,000 RPM it was slow in the twisties.  

However I also do long hauls and on a long trip there are the fun sections then the curves open up and the road flattens out and gas mileage becomes and issue when the next gas is a long way.  At that point I'm shifting up and trying for gas mileage.  Cruse control works at 30 mph in 4th!  Been there a lot going thru small towns.  For me there are two modes, fun happy mode and mileage mode.  When in a high gear and low RPM I limit the amount of throttle used as lugging an engine can be very bad for it.  

[duckie]

Last year on a ride in the Seirras with Kevin and while behind him, I seldom saw his brake light come on yet he was keeping a very good pace. We both were on stock 2019 GT’s.

I asked him later what gears he was using, turned out to be 2 and 3, whereas I was using 3-4-5. And I was braking alot more than him because of this.

Watching the graphics that come up during races, I noticed that racers use 2-3 alot.

So, I changed my riding style to suit the needs of the motorcycle. It just has increase my riding pleasure.

Thing bout the CP3 is it will work anywhere in the RPM range.

I too use CC as low as 28mph in 4th and it just putts along. Then, I can go into fun mode and just spin the motor.

It is happy in either scenrio. 
 

BTW…..here in the states the CP3 engine is legal to use in Legend racing.

 

 

[Xstoff]

5th and 6th gear are highway gear, no doubt it.

On curvy roads, I usually use 2nd/3rd gear and if the turn is fast enough 4th gear.

My sweet spot is 3rd gear, good engine braking, good power/torque at almost every RPM range.

 

[2and3cylinders]

2, 3 and occasionally 4 up to redline in the twisties. 

Like I've said before, run it like a 2 stroke.  Like I do with my 76 RD400!