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R69s ideal speed per gear?
R69s ideal speed per gear?
Tommy
1967 R69s + a bunch of Ducatis
- schrader7032
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Re: R69s ideal speed per gear?
'78 R100/7 '69 R69S '52 R25/2
Fast. Neat. Average. Friendly. Good. Good.
- therealkennyboy
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Re: R69s ideal speed per gear?
Those small blue tick marks on the outer edge of the speedometer face are the recommended limits for each gear. The first gear limit is the single tick, the second gear limit is the double tick, and so on. You'll quickly learn to go by ear and feel anyway, but until you get used to how it sounds/feels, those tick marks are reasonable references for "time to shift".
Scottsdale, AZ, USA
1960 R60 (currently), 1974 R75/6 (past), 1981 R100CS (currently), 1984 R100RS (past), 1989 K100RS (past)
Re: R69s ideal speed per gear?
Whoa! I never noticed those little blue marks. Thank you. So I see marks at 38, 60, 84 mph. I'll go with those limits.therealkennyboy wrote: ↑Tue Sep 20, 2022 9:25 pmYou can still 'give her the "beans"' any time you want.
Those small blue tick marks on the outer edge of the speedometer face are the recommended limits for each gear. The first gear limit is the single tick, the second gear limit is the double tick, and so on. You'll quickly learn to go by ear and feel anyway, but until you get used to how it sounds/feels, those tick marks are reasonable references for "time to shift".
Tommy
1967 R69s + a bunch of Ducatis
Re: R69s ideal speed per gear?
I push my R69 to 30 in first when traffic dictates a quick get away. Mostly just shift as early or as late as feels good at the moment.
The limit might be when the push rods and valves can't keep up.
I have never pushed mine that hard.
Don
All on the road, going no where in particular in the Finger Lakes of New York
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Re: R69s ideal speed per gear?
R69S - R60/2 - R67/2 - R51/3 - R69
- Flx48
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Re: R69s ideal speed per gear?
"Just don't lug it."
Back when these bikes were current, the old German, with the one man BMW dealership across the street from us, would issue that same caution. (in his past life he'd been a wehrmacht motorcycle wrench)
Most of his clientele were the area's doctor/lawyer/professional type, as these bikes were fairly exclusive in the day, and the usual progression seemed to be folks would start with an R50 or R60 and then often trade up to the R69S.
He said he was repairing a lot of spun rear mains, because guys didn't adjust their riding style, they would continue to ride the S as they had their R50 or 60.
He contended the S needed to be driven up on the cam, which has its powerband much further up the rpms than the cam in the 50/60.
This is borne out by the cam spec differences; the 50/60 cam having valve duration of 208 degrees and a negative valve overlap of 12 degrees, while the S has 228 degrees valve duration and an 8 degree overlap.
Which means the 50/60 cam is a torque cam with max power at low rpms, while the S is a horsepower cam, with max power at high rpms.
He compared it to the hotrod 4 wheeler of the day, the 911S, which also had a horsepower cam and a roller crank, and was also susceptible to bearing damage from lugging.
Our area is mostly hilly twisty roads with 35-45 mph speed limits, which he said was too slow for top gear in either the Porsche or the S bikes; so he cautioned to stay in 3rd gear or be driving well above the speed limit.
Best-
George
Re: R69s ideal speed per gear?
Tommy
1967 R69s + a bunch of Ducatis
Re: R69s ideal speed per gear?
Dave