I've recently completed a 460 mile round trip oop north and found myself staying in higher gears whilst on fast A roads and motorways, even when the traffic slowed to 50/60mph. At 70 in top gear the revs are at 4k, but I've noticed that if the revs drop any lower there's a lot of chain clatter. Should I be changing down a cog or 2 to keep the revs above 4k to protect the engine? If the engine would be affected, what sort of damage would occur? When I'm out for a jolly the revs are always much higher so it's not an issue, but when on longer runs the majority of my riding is within speed limits, especially on unfamiliar roads.
By the sounds of it you're probably best dropping either 1 tooth off the front or going two up on the rear. Cheapest is 1 tooth down on the front, will bring the revs closer to you and your riding style. You got to remember this is a sports bike you're riding, they're geared for tracks generally and/or top end. Did you come from a Jap bike before? Only ask as they mask it better at lower revs but even still you really shouldn't labour an engine too much, it's no different than driving a car. Just re gear it and it'll be fine
That chain clatter is the power pulses pulling at the chain and taking up slack, and riding like that must surely increase wear on the chain, sprockets and output shaft bearing, although by how much I don't know. Damodici has the answer, a smaller gearbox sprocket is only maybe £20, and will raise the revs slightly at those road speeds and give the drivetrain a much easier time.
I don't mind changing my riding style on longer journeys. The majority of my riding is fast twisties and the bike is perfect in every way for me - I've never had a more perfectly fitting bike! I've always had sports bikes (all Jap) with the exception of 2 BMW's when I dabbled with the idea of 'more comfort on longer trips'. But those bikes were short lived because I don't make many long journeys a year and I'd always miss the thrill of riding sports bikes. The last time I ventured up north on a sportsbike was on an R1, and that practically killed me! When I got to my destination I immediately started dreading the ride home. This time on the 848 I couldn't wait to leave!! I love riding this bike so much! I digress...with the R1 I could leave it in top on the motorway, even when slowing for the ever present 50mph roadworks, and then roll it back on up to 70 without thinking about gears. I guess I have tried that approach with the 848, and although I'm not accelerating hard or putting any great strain on the engine, it doesn't sound like the bike enjoys it. I try and avoid motorways as much as possible, but sometimes it makes sense just to make some headway. I'll change my riding style and see how I get on, and maybe consider changing the gearing.
New bike + New roads + tank bag + Sat nav trying to fool me every mile. On national a-roads my touring style is spirited, but motorways I will (almost) always stick to the limit - there are too many cameras for my liking. I travel as fast as I feel the conditions will allow me to safely. On longer journeys, especially on unfamiliar roads, I know my concentration won't be 100%. After 5+ hours of continual riding I know my reactions won't be as sharp as they were when I set off so I've learnt to tour within legal speed limits -that way there's one less thing to think about and can concentrate more on the riding than looking out for cameras. Admittedly I do find myself looking out for speed limit signs when not in a national.. My mindset is completely different when out for a jolly.
I find I ride faster on tour than I do on a Sunday run. Partly because I tour abroad where the revenue cameras are further apart and I'm less concerned about speeding, but mostly cos the more time I spend in the saddle, the more comfortable I become with the bike.
I agree with you about the comfort on the bike. The 848 for me is totally different to anything I've had before, and over distance it seems to get more comfortable. Everything I've had in the past would give me aches after an hour or so which would progressively get worse. I've never ridden abroad. I've always wanted to but never been able to get holiday from work that coincides with friends. I've now changed job but drifted from biking friends so it looks unlikely as I don't fancy making my first trip alone.
That's what I did. My fist foreign trip was to the south of France (to the Bol D'Or endurance race), but I was on a little 250 and my mates were on big sportsbikes, so I took a four hour earlier ferry, expecting them to catch up. They didn't, in fact I made time on them by the time I got to Clermont Ferrand! Next trip was on a borrowed Guzzi to Italy on my own, after which I regularly hit the chunnel if I fancied a long ride, usually on my own. In some ways I prefer solo rides, but I can understand others being nervous of the idea. But there really isn't much to worry about, it's easier to ride in Europe than it is in Blighty, there's more room and the drivers are more courteous, and bikes are a lot more reliable these days.
Almost 23 years...oh God - it's now dawned on me that I've spent more of my life as a rider than not!
As each year passes and I've not made a foreign trip, I make a vow to myself that I'll go it alone the following year, but of course I never do! It's not that I'm afraid to do it - the language barrier could be an issue, but with my previous job I travelled the world and know that most, if not all countries speak English. I think what puts me off is the unknown. Quite a few years ago I read that the French police will pull over Brits for fun and issue on the spot penalties for things that didn't happen. That sort of put me off, so when I think about riding abroad, going along with someone as backup appeals, but going it alone doesn't. Having a destination helps too. I can't imagine taking a ride abroad and staying in a b&b by myself -I'd feel a right Billy no mates (which I guess would be kinda true). But then I can't see the point of going across for the day? I was thinking of trying to arrange a holiday with my wife where she flies to a destination and I meet her, but I'm not sure she'd be keen doing it alone and we have a young baby...
Hook up with a ducati riding buddy on here then and then go and enjoy it , I'm going abroad 3 times this year and would rather ride there than here
Im about to drop a tooth on the front sprocket myself.. Ive heard it cleans up the gearing & is better suited to all that low end torque... Dont get me wrong, I love 150mph as much as the next man but in reality unless you are on a track (not very often in my case) its a pure licence loser & id rather have that punch from 0 - 100... As mentioned above a smaller sprox is cheap as chips too....
