If it's not lugging your NOT going to hurt anything.
I can't believe you asked that.

 

Well, I would say, between about 1,800 to 6,000 rpm, until you run out of gas? Seriously, some folks hardly ever get into 6th gear. It doesn't matter what gear you are in, one isn't any more durable than another - poke it where it feels good and ride!

 

Well, from a "total wear" perspective, the best thing you can do for a transmission is to leave it in gear and ride it somewhere in the torque curve that maximizes your fuel efficiency. This is the best compromise between force being applied to the drivetrain and distance traveled over time.

1. Riding for long periods of time on the highway tends to wear your tires down to a nub in the center, causing slow-speed maneuverability issues, but also tends to make a transmission last for a long long time. There is much less wear on the primary chain, shift forks, drum, and associated parts when there is no shifting going on. That "clunk" you always hear on these bikes and on Harleys is the instantanious removal of slack in the primary chain upon shifting... like cracking a whip. Cruising down the highway removes this type of wear on the chain links and shift mechanisms.

2. Find that sweet spot in fifth gear where your mileage is the greatest, say somewhere between 2,200 and 2,800 RPM and leave the bike there. Use your trip computer and reset your average indication at different RPMs to find that sweet spot. That spot is the balance between the force necessary to drive the bike forward and the distance traveled over time.

I spend a lot of time on the highway with my commute to work and these Ohio roads largely lacking in any fun twisty stuff, so I expect my tranny to last a good long time with hardly any wear (unless it just completely fails like some on this blog). Use a good quality oil an change it often, since the Engine and Tranny share the oil supply. The oil gets dirty, but still does not cause a lot of wear on the transmission because of the extra carbon in suspension.

This was not a dumb question as I love riding on quiet two-lane country roads in 5th gear, it's pure bliss... RIDE ON!!!

 

Just diving into this thread here out of curiosity but... the VN1700 doesn't have a primary chain, does it? I thought it was like the other metrics and was a shared sump system without a 'primary' connecting the engine and transmission, rather, the two are intertwined within the same case?

 

Thank you Nerdybiker, i appreciate your comment

 

5th gear on the 1700 is an overdrive gear just like 6th. Simply put, when in 5th gear you're at a 1 to 1 ratio in the gear set and the same in 6th gear. When in 5th or 6th you are not using a combo of gears in the cassette to make the gear. Now that is what the old Harley guys don't like about the Harley 6 speed transmission, its NOT an overdrive 6th gear so multiple gears in the cassette are being used to product the 6th gear. This is what a Harley mechanic told me anyway.

 

...uuumm, huh?

 

It won't hurt a thing. Just ride!!!

 

So the other day I am riding solo down a highway that is long straight away, I decided to open the Nomad up all the way. In OD it would not push 95 mph. Then a few minutes later that made me curious and I dropped it down to 5 gear and boom ran right to 110mph and was still pulling. So why is gear 5 run higher than OD. Just curious. I don't usually visit the triple digits But I was just testing it out.

 

Bike problem



There is something wrong with your bike. Mine will run way over 95 in fifth gear!

 

Engine doesn't have enough torque to pull 6th at full throttle.
6th gear is 0.806 to 1 ratio and is designed just for crusing and saving gas.
I can do 120 in 5th and 110 in 6th.

 

Same for me with my Vaquero, been up to 113 in 6th and 120 in 5th while out on some of the west Texas interstates that have 85 mph posted limits, just had to test it out a little.

 

No, out engine uses a chain to connect clutch to transmission.

 

Oh ok. Well ya learn something new every day!

 

Cruise control dosnt work after 80 mph so its really no good in 6th , for me anyways. But as far as slow cruising you should know when to down shift. Find that sweet spot

 

To clarify Pacomutt's editorial,

The 1700's ratios are all reduction "ratios" except for 5th and 6th. See below for the ratio and rotational differences of those ratios.

1st: 2.933 (44/15)
2nd: 1.900 (38/20)
3rd: 1.407 (38/27)
4th: 1.143 (32/28)
5th: .967 (29/30)
6th: .806 (29/36)

Engaged vs. free-wheeling gears are a different discussion... one that is best represented by the above diagram.

 

Then it would appear that even a direct drive 6th gear would be an overdrive gear unless a 1:1 ratio is all you can get out of them. The problem he is seeing with the Harley 6 speed is the lack of power in 6th gear. He said you have to be running 80 before 6th is necessary, the bikes were actually lugging at normal highway speeds. What he has done on 5 or 6 of my friends bikes is change out the front pulley (less teeth). The ones that I know of all love the extra get up and go in 6th gear. One friend pulls a trailer and really likes it. Interesting topic!

 

By doing this the engine now runs at a higher RPM in all the gears to obtain the same speed before the pulley was changed.

 

On the 1700 Voyager you have to be going 70 or above to utilize 6th gear. You can go as low as 60 but there is no power and poorer fuel economy at at that speed.

This thread sure went this way and that way. Hope the original poster got his answer.

I run cruise in 4th 5th and 6th gears. Love the cruise control so much I'm going to install it on my Concours.

 

Could you state the speed that your owner's manual says is OK to be in sixth?
I'm not trying to be critical of how you drive, but I'm just interested in what Ma Kaw has to say on their big 1700's.
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OK, I went and looked at a downloadable owner's manual. Kawasaki says OK to shift into 6th at 38 mph on this model.

 

Actually the cigarette example was perfect.

Your first cigarette won't kill you. It'll probably take a long time. Or, it might never happen. The problem? Each cigarette is coating your lungs with tar and introducing chemicals that make it difficult for damage inside your lungs to heal. That, combined with carcinogens can lead to lung cancer, or, an eventual hardening of the lungs from tar making it difficult, and eventually impossible, to breathe.

Nearly the same thing happens when you lug an engine. Cruising along at 38mph in 6th is ok, until you apply a load. Once you twist that throttle, you are introducing much more fuel and air into your combustion chamber. BUT, because the engine is at such a mechanical disadvantage, the engine barely speeds up, it simply applies more force on the crank. That means the combustion chamber is burning more fuel, at a slow speed. The result? Soot and carbon builds up in the cylinder walls. It won't do anything right away, but over time, engine performance will suffer, combustion temperatures will increase causing detonation that can damage pistons. You'll limp it along with higher octane fuels but, combined with the lugging, will only cause MORE carbon build up, and eventually either a really poorly running engine, or some sort of catastrophic failure. Certainly a loss of power and fuel economy.

It's one of those things, kind of like not changing oil. It won't cause immediate change or failure, but if allowed to continue it will eventually cause poor performance or failure. Might take 100,000 miles, might take 20,000 miles. Who knows.

Ma Kaws recommendation likely has to do with keeping engine RPMs high enough to maintain oil pressure. Below 38mph in 6th will probably starve your engine of oil.

Nothing better than the sound of a low rumble v-twin. But nothing wrong with letting it spin a bit either!

 

Nearly the same thing happens when you lug an engine. Cruising along at 38mph in 6th is ok, until you apply a load. Once you twist that throttle, you are introducing much more fuel and air into your combustion chamber. BUT, because the engine is at such a mechanical disadvantage, the engine barely speeds up, it simply applies more force on the crank. That means the combustion chamber is burning more fuel, at a slow speed. The result? Soot and carbon builds up in the cylinder walls. It won't do anything right away, but over time, engine performance will suffer, combustion temperatures will increase causing detonation that can damage pistons. You'll limp it along with higher octane fuels but, combined with the lugging, will only cause MORE carbon build up, and eventually either a really poorly running engine, or some sort of catastrophic failure. Certainly a loss of power and fuel economy.

Romans, sorry but that's way too much over kill. Papajoe's got it right, just down shift. I've cruised many times on our local roads at 40/50 in 6th. But I certainly wouldn't accelerate until I down shifted a couple.

 

I don't think anybody would try to accelerate at that low speed in 6th gear.
Maybe I misunderstood you, but to go into so much detail about lugging. I just don't think it would happen with regular bike riders.

 

I think you underestimate people! LOL

 

I find the gearing very different between the 900 classic and 1700 classic in both theory and practice.

I can pretty much get into 5th gear very quickly and easily on the 900, even at speeds well below 50mph (no tach, so not sure of the actual RPM). But I always find myself wishing for 6th gear on the freeway.

On the 1700, I can hit 55mph in 2nd gear if I want, and I don't bother with 5th unless I am consistently over 55-60mph. I engage 6th around 70-75+

As has been pointed out, its not really the speed that is the issue, but the RPM, as it effects both wear on the engine and gas mileage.

 

The problem with less top speed in OD is probably that the engine doesn't have enough power at the lower RPM to push the bike any faster against the aerodynamic and other loads.

When you drop a gear the engine RPM is higher and potentially in a more favorable part of the power band.

Take the bike up to higher speed in 5th so the engine rpm is higher when you hit 6th and see what happens. Peak horspower on that bike isn't until up around 4700 RPM or something like that.

 

The problem with less top speed in OD is probably that the engine doesn't have enough power at the lower RPM to push the bike any faster against the aerodynamic and other loads.

When you drop a gear the engine RPM is higher and potentially in a more favorable part of the power band.

Take the bike up to higher speed in 5th so the engine rpm is higher when you hit 6th and see what happens. Peak horspower on that bike isn't until up around 4700 RPM or something like that.

Nothing probable at all here, you are exactly right!

 

Thanks for the vote of confidence. That type of speaking has developed from many years of having to proffer up advice on what may be wrong based on really soft information, frequently provided 2nd or 3rd hand.

 

Just got off my 2011 Voyager ABS here in Colorado. While on a flat piece of road; with my wife on the back I decided to shift it into 6th gear at 46 mph as per my GPS. Take into consideration that is still 8mph faster than Mother Kaw says you can put it into 6th. Well at 46 mph in 6th gear; my rpm's were 1500. Now I don't give a rat's !ss what the book says; this is not good on the motor. I rank this 6th gear at 38mph right up there with the tire pressure recommendations and the belt tension recommendations. That could be a misprint for all we know. Sometimes you just have to use your better judgment! I've had 24 new motorcycles and ridden over 1/2 million miles and never had one of these babies in the shop for repairs other than my 2003 Goldwing ( in for a frame recall and an over heating recall) so my judgment mast be at least OK.

 

Well, this is sad news. I like cruisers for their ability to run around at low RPMs. The 900 seems to be able to do it just fine, but I have been looking for a larger bike as well. Its hard to believe that a bike with almost twice the displacement can't use its top gears until 70-75+mph. Is the V2K an even bigger dog?
I have the odd feeling that if I didn't know Kawasaki from Krispy-Kreme, and just bought a 1700 without ever seeing this forum, I'd be able to happily ride it all day long in 6th gear at any speed over 40 mph.

 

Its hard to believe that a bike with almost twice the displacement can't use its top gears until 70-75+mph. Is the V2K an even bigger dog?

I think you are missing out on a critical point here.
The 900 only has 5 gears and 5th is just barely an OD.

The 1700 is, no doubt, geared much higher.....especially in 6th which is taller than 5th for the 900.

I'm pretty sure it will run the ass off of a 900 when the gears are evenly matched. 6th is just a bonus for cruising. You don't HAVE to use it.

P.S. Put in about 150 miles today. Tried shifting at the "book" recommended points. It is doable.....IF you are VERY easy on the throttle. When you hit 5th about 38 MPH, you can then accelerate up to 80 smoothly......but it takes about TWO MILES.

 

That seems very strange, 38 and go intp 6th. I didn't even know the book said that until just now.

 

Yep. I've always read that it's better to rev the engine than lug, especially out of a slow turn. The reves won't hurt it but prolonged lugging will.

 

Oops I meant in 6th gear !


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Anyway do you think there is anyone who has read this forum who would still go ahead and buy a 1700 ?


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I read motorcycle cruiser magazine and they have compared all the 1700 Vulcans to most other similiar motorcycles. They always say how odd the gearing is or that they are not as nice looking and they scrape floorboards to soon. But, all the other motorcycles cost much more. I have had 15,000 miles of trouble free riding with my 09 Nomad. I have spent plenty of time on more expensive motorcycles and they seem just as quirky and no where near as smooth as my $11,000 Nomad. With the thousands I saved I was able to buy everything I wanted to add to it. I probably will buy another Vulcan after another 35,000 miles on the Nomad.

 

I love the 1700, I love my 900 too. The 1700 wants to be in lower gears longer, getting into 5th & 6th only on the freeway. With the 900 I wish I had a 6th gear, just cuz it running such a high RPM at 70+

Neither is a problem, just something to get used to.