Engine RPM in each gear

[jestephens]

Knowing the ammount of posts on KawaNOW, this has to be a re-post, but I've never seen it.

It's on Gadget's page and allows you to calculate your engine speed at certain rpm, or vice versa. We may want to add this to the tool box.

http://www.gadgetjq.com/vulcan_speed_rpmcheck.htm

[blowndodge]

Many Nomad owners don't realize how high geared the Nomad is Jay. Lots of owners feel the Nomad needs another (6th) gear. I don't!

I put a truck tire on my Nomad that was 2" taller and corrected almost all the speedometer error. Gave me about 6 MPH more at the same RPM's as before with the stock tire on the highway. I downshift going up grades a lot more than I used to with the stock tire.

Very very few motorcycles are geared as high or higher than the Nomad.

[Sin City Stan]

Interesting. The 1500/1600 5th. gear is equivalent the the 1700s 6th. within 2 mph at 2700 RPM.

[blowndodge]

exactly Stan... I ride with Dave and his 6th gear HD Ultra. We turn the same rpm's on the highway. Yea he as an extra gear to "tighten" the gaps but the Nomads 5th is PLENTY high enough. We don't have tons of power to pull higher ratios...

Right now the lowest RPM's at 65MPH goes to the Triumph Thunderbird 1600. In 6th it turns 2200 rpms at an actual 65MPH... Nomads turn 2659 rpms at that speed. With my tire I'm turning 2490rpms.

[dank]

This is one of those things I have never understood about the Nomad. It has the gearing for great mpg's but doesn't get them. Acceptable, but not great. It has the engine size for real power, but doesn't have it. Sufficient, but not a stump puller. The triumph beats it on both counts with lower rpms. The ST 1300 beats it on both counts with smaller engine and higher rpms ( 48-52 mpg, 3850 rpm at 65 mph, and you never need to downshift on hills.) And neither of those bikes seem to have problems with excessive engine wear. What were the engineers at Kawasaki going for?

Not bashing the Nomad, just always found this aspect of the bike hard to understand. Must have been designed that way with a purpose, but I could never figure out what the advantage was. But clearly the 1600 doesn't need or have the power for taller gearing in 5th.

[blowndodge]

I couldn't agree more dank.... I think our fuel injection system really sucks... all your points are valid and none of it makes sense to me either. We have a pinging problem almost no other V-Twin has as well....

[macmac]

dank, I don't know either, but in part the lack of MPG's is due to being overly lean. That just makes these engine labor to just idle.

i was shocked after adding a TFI thinking MPG's would go down more than they were all stock, and it didn't happen. The exact opposite happened.

My 01 was around 35/37 MPGs all stock. With the mods of a duel cadman, a TFI and V&H baggers it went to 42/44 MPGs and had more power.

I didn't get to tinker around any with it as I needed to ride east and then it was stolen.

I did the same thing almost with the replacement 06, which was all stock and got 36/ 38 Mpg's and went to 44/46 set up.

I did get to fiddle around and got as high as 48 mpg's with a mc rear tire. The CT cost me a few MPG's and I get no less than 40 now. I can get 44/46 if i behave.

So far I have gone from a full tank (1/4inch over the steel filler plate in the tank) 198 miles to first flicker of the yellow light.

First time I see that yellow light flicker i get gas asap. On that ride it was a mile to get that gas. I have repeated that a few times since, but never passed that mark yet.

In NH getting to speeds i want I don't usually go over 3,700 RPM, and cruise at 2,700 RPM.

Then on a nicer day maybe i will hit near to max rpm for just a fools work, but not much.

About the time my wife's feet are wedged in my arm pits, I get this pain on the back of my head.

[macmac]

more: Another part of the problem is the intake bores being too small, and then the cams are too economy. The meanie has better cams and intake bodies.

Then the stock exahust is strangling the air fllow to death.

The only thing we can change is the fuel, and I have never seen a fuel set up so locked up. Never before have I encountered any other engine that has 0 adjusment as stock.

[macmac]

Wondering: I wonder what a 1999 would be like with a webber side draft BMW carb set up?

That would be custom intake manfolds, and maybe a set of meanie cams.

[Cajunrider]

I've noticed an improvement in the mpg since opening up the right side with the 7" K & N. Not to mention the performance improvement. I averaged right at 34 mpg pulling the trailer riding 2 up going to and coming back from Antlers at 70 mph on the gps. That was 78 indicated. Riding 2 up during the rally, I averaged 42 mpg. Some of this was on grades up to 13%. I'm very happy with the TFI, V&H, and intake mods. Pulling that trailer pure stock would be torture on that engine with the constant pinging. Don't hear any of that anymore and don't have to downshift to 4th nearly as often when pulling the trailer up bridges or hills. Those 3 simple mods is what the doctor ordered for our 1500 and 1600's.

[jestephens]

Originally Posted by Blowndodge "Darksider"

exactly Stan... I ride with Dave and his 6th gear HD Ultra. We turn the same rpm's on the highway. Yea he as an extra gear to "tighten" the gaps but the Nomads 5th is PLENTY high enough. We don't have tons of power to pull higher ratios...

Right now the lowest RPM's at 65MPH goes to the Triumph Thunderbird 1600. In 6th it turns 2200 rpms at an actual 65MPH... Nomads turn 2659 rpms at that speed. With my tire I'm turning 2490rpms.

I almost always ride solo, and only use gears 1,3 and 5.
I don't mind the "gap" ;)
2 and 4 are just for down shifting

[ringadingh]

Originally Posted by macmac

more: Another part of the problem is the intake bores being too small, and then the cams are too economy. The meanie has better cams and intake bodies.

Then the stock exahust is strangling the air fllow to death.

Your absolutely right, Bill, but on the other hand thats why these motors are as troublefree as they are, once you start using bigger valves, larger ports,higher cams, more compression, etc you will make a lot more power but the motor won't last as long without work done to it.

[VulcanE]

Anyone that has been around heavy earth moving equipment, knows that Kawasaki's roots are in that field. They make some of the best around. As good or better than Caterpillar. I like to think that some of that is engineered into our bikes.

[AlabamaNomadRider]

I think I saw this posted before Jay but thanks for posting it again. I can't recall which post it was. I will have to save the link for future reference.

[macmac]

Originally Posted by VulcanE

Anyone that has been around heavy earth moving equipment, knows that Kawasaki's roots are in that field. They make some of the best around. As good or better than Caterpillar. I like to think that some of that is engineered into our bikes.

So does FIAT ::)