Skipping gears

[bumlbe]

I have put 18000 miles on my Goldwing GL1800 trike so far. I have developed what may be a bad habit, I skip gears!

If I start out on resonably level ground I will use first, third, and fifth which is
overdrive. I skip gears second and forth.

Am I the only lazy odd ball that does this??

I have found that as long as I am doing 40 mph in fifth, I never shift down except for a steep hill.

[John Luciano]

I agree with the last sentence but not the first.
I shift every gear.

[Calman]

I go from third to fifth the majority of the time. Might be because in third I'm already winding 4k rpm.

[rmrc51]

I kinda enjoy going through all of the gears.

But I will admit,, on a lazy day and especially if I'm on level ground or down-hill and revved high enough, skipping a gear is a natural thing to do, lol.

[maestro319]

In relation to this topic, what do you do when you downshift, as in coming up to a stop sign? I try to downshift through all the gears (someone told me to do that once) although sometimes there isn't enough time, and I might go from 4th to second and just before I come to a complete stop, I shift into first (NOT engaging the clutch though. Just getting ready to take off). Is this ok for the gears and/or the clutch?

[msocko3]

Maybe I'm paranoid but I shift up through all the gears and when going down I just do what I think is best for the situation. We all know the hype one can read on the internet but I've read enough on ghost shifting and GL1800 transmissions which ate their lunch that I don't care to take many chances.

[John Luciano]

Really ! Tranny In Hondas that blew up. I sometimes don't even bother with the clutch with up shifts on level ground . I always use it for down shifts or riding double. Or pulling a trailer.

[jtilmon]

I try to stay with normal shifting up or down, going through each gear, some only for a short time such as 4th if on the highway trying to get to 5th. In hills and curves, I use them all except maybe for 5th.

[Ol' Grey]

When up-shifting, I go thru all the gears to allow the drive train to transition normally the way it was designed to do.

When coming to a stop, will hold the clutch in and down-shift, trying not to miss any gears on the way down......sometimes releasing the clutch for added braking power or shifting down gear by gear with clutch held in, all depending on the situation and time allowed.

Skipping gears on the up-shift would concern me a bit. If the engine isn't revved high enough, there's a chance of lugging. If the engine is revved too high, there's added wear on the clutch (kind of like "popping the clutch" while in motion rather than from a dead stop). There's also the increased chance of missing a gear while skipping a gear and I'd rather not increase the chances of hearing that dreaded *CRUNCH*

Your bike, your choice, just my .02..........

Ride Safe......

[Shimpy]

When slowing down I always down shift to a gear that would be appropiate for that speed if I needed to accelerate in an emergency.

[msocko3]

Really ! Tranny In Hondas that blew up. I sometimes don't even bother with the clutch with up shifts on level ground . I always use it for down shifts or riding double. Or pulling a trailer.

I thought the same until I started investigating why a buddy of mine had his 05 jump out of 5th on a couple occasions. I bumped into a thread on GL1800riders.com and was pretty surprised at the carnage some of those guys had happen. Kind of made me sick to the stomach when I saw one guys Wing in pieces all over the shop due to a lunched transmission.

[Shimpy]

I thought the same until I started investigating why a buddy of mine had his 05 jump out of 5th on a couple occasions.

They call it "ghost shifting" and has happened to too many GL1800's to make me feel comfortable.

[cmore]

I have put 18000 miles on my Goldwing GL1800 trike so far. I have developed what may be a bad habit, I skip gears!

If I start out on resonably level ground I will use first, third, and fifth which is
overdrive. I skip gears second and forth.

Am I the only lazy odd ball that does this??

I have found that as long as I am doing 40 mph in fifth, I never shift down except for a steep hill.

I do the same. Don't see any harm.

[mhgoldwing]

I have found that my engine's sweet spot is around 3k rpm. I will run as low as 2500 rpm if not pulling hard but I can feel the engine lugging at anything lower riding two-up. The only time I skip a gear is when I suddenly begin a downhill where there is vitually no load on the engine and tranny.

[Burnerboy]

I always shift through the gears up shifting!
BUT
when coming to a stop, and I see a red light way in front of me, I just come to a stop, letting the bike slow itself down w/o using brake(s) as much as I can..and once I'm stopped, or near stopped I then down shift to neutral or first gear..

Ronnie

[CrystalPistol]

Up shifting or down shifting, I try to stay in a rhythm matching rpms to road speed at the moment of clutch release. Just a split second before the shift, I start applying pressure with my toe .... just a scant moment (not riding along with pressure) before pulling the clutch in. Try to make a full stroke each gear change too and that moment I feel my toe move, I know it's in that next gear and I'm coming out with clutch ith my adjusted rpms. Takes far longer to say than do.

I have been on rides / situations where I wound it up in 1st & 2nd to get to traffic speed quickly and then skipped 3rd maybe, but I dropped way back on rpms. Or maybe I pulled out in 1st and skipped 2nd and slow rode in 3rd a ways? It's a conscious adjustment out of the normal rhythm.

Usually though, I take them one at a time.

When slowing, if a long gradual slow down .... I'll click down through the gears one at a time letting the clutch out in each as I match rpms with a blip so that I am always in a "go gear" if needed.

If a fast slow down like a car pulled out ahead or a other obstacle or sudden light ... I'll pull the clutch in and skip a couple gears going down to whatever I think I'll need as a "go gear" when I stop slowing or at a stop.

The thing I have noticed in my riding is when on the bike (GL1200 or Triumph), I'm always quick with my shifts, I never fail to get it in the next gear fully either way, up or down, even left or right shift..
On the trike (GL1500/Lehman) however .... don't know why .... but it seems I'm more relaxed and that it's easier to fall into a habit of shifting in a lazier fashion .... and it's when I notice it slip out of a gear that I realize I done it again and endeavor to stay more precise in further changes as if it were a bike ..... and then no "fall outs" happen.

[Bronson512]

I use them all going up, I suspect if it had a 13 or 18 speed road ranger I'd use all them too. Must be from my old truck driving days.

[FRR]

Folks, the five gears are there for a reason. So is the clutch, for that matter. I use all of them. Why take a chance on damaging something or straining the engine?

[bikerbillone]

All good information from an original 2012 post, amazing!

[rhino 2]

Old post's are new posts to new readers...