when do you shift? i know it depends on the bike since, for example, the ysp & presto acceleration gets stronger the higher it is up in its rev range all the way up to the rev limiter. but, with bikes like the 999r rm and buel rm, the big vtwins, it seems best to up shift them right at, or just before, redline to hit a fresh hit of that beautful torque.

Yeah it depends on the bike, and the situation.

A general rule of mine from playing GT4 is if the vehicle still accelerates readily after the redline, don't change gears untill the rev limit. That doesn't apply to the Autobacs ASL Garaiya, as changing at 6,500rpm is definately faster because of that cars massive torque and pissy top end.

I was discussing short-shifting with 750F-RM tonight. I will do that a lot if the back tyre can't handle the power. Places like the Dunlop Curve at Suzika (long left hander before Degner) and turns 9, 10 and 11 at Valencia require a few more gears on most bikes to give you more leeway before spinning the tyre.

i usually look at the power curve, and see where the peak power is. i then try to shift just past the peak power. usually. sometimes, you can use the overrev, if the bike has it available. for instance, on the mt-01, it has a lot of overrev. i would use it coming out of the right going through the tunnel on GVS. that way, you arent frying the tyre with all that torque. for me, it seems to be a little more predictable, as you dont have to "wait" for the powerband to come up. but this also requires an extra shift sometime, so its kinda a situation dependent decision.

when do you shift?

When you shift is largely dependent on how tight your gears are spaced in relation to the other gears around it. For instance, my sixth gear is tall enough such that I don't get satisfactory acceleration out of it from the previous gear (Nurburgring setup). I have to ride out my redline in fifth gear for at least five seconds to loan a hand in acceration to my sixth. Overall, however, it's characteristic of me to not shift until two seconds into redline anyway -- switching from fifth to sixth is the only exception.

That's the fine line you ride when you want a motorcycle that accelerates as possible in all gears while maintaining a good top speed for the fastest part of a track.

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