m696 14t sprocket, what gear at these cruising speeds?

[Danmack_98]

I see threads on what rpm to shift at, but when settled in at thirty, forty-five or fifty-five, what gear are you in?  I'm new to the L-twin and Ducati, so just wondering what's best. Thanks

[r_ciao]

second gear for 30

third gear for 45

maybe fourth for 55.

my m696 likes to be in the 5000+ rpm range.  any slower, she runs sluggish.  i'd rather be running rpms higher if you need to roll on the throttle to get out of the way.  also it sounds better.  remember peak torque and hp are in the 7000+ rpm range.  it doesn't really affect the gas mileage.  keep the rpm's at least 5000-6000 and you'll always have a smile on your face.  enjoy. [moto]

[herm]

pretty much what ^he^ said.
i keep my monster (s2r1000) up in the 5500 - 6k range most of the time

[Danmack_98]

I don't have any chugging running third gear at 30 mph, but my last bike was 4 cylinder and cruised at lower rpms, so I feel like I'm runnin' it high when I stay in second.  Apparently I was wrong and just need to adjust my riding to match the engine?

[yotogi]

I understand what you are saying. I feel really bad cruising at greater than 5.5K. I almost feel compelled to shift. When I can avoid doing so, I am so much happier and have to change gears so much less.

[Craig Thomas]

So, which of you changed over to the 14T sprocket?  I'll live with the apparent lugging until the 600mi service.  To me, it seems when coming out of a turn, it needs to be down an extra gear to keep the sub 4000rpm vibration from happening.  But when it should be in 2nd gear out of a turn, I need to downshift all the way to first...which is just dumb.