The fine art of lugging.

[Jeffd]

I watched a guy on a newer sportster turn at an intersection (he had the green light so was already in motion) and he up shifted 2 times while still in the turn at about 10 or 15 mph and then shift once more when he completed the turn.  that would have put him in 4th gear and he was going the speed limit of 25mph.  He had the look of coolness alround LOL.

[Coyote]

I'm sure his bottom end will thank him. 

[Panzer]

I can tell what speed I'm going by the lugging.
If I'm in second and she starts to lug I'm doing 19 mph or lower.
If I'm in third and she starts to lug I'm doing 29 mph or lower and so on.
That guys bike must have been hopping like fleas on a dead dog.

[boooby1744]

You can lug your nuts,but not yer motor.....................

[02roadcling]

Some guys say it sounds cool. I used to think that way also....... until I signed on to HTT. Now it drives me completely bonkers.

cling

[CraigArizona85248]

I was watching about 8 people take a "Riders Edge" course at a dealership one day.  They were all riding Buell Blasts.  They were beating the piss out of those cranks.  Seemed like they were teaching them to shift way too soon.  The lugging and pinging was so bad I had to walk away.  Couldn't stand to listen to the abuse.

-Craig

[NETacomaFatboy]

is this like when you see come into the Dealership and you hear them clutch in, go down 3 gears one at a time with and come in with the clutch pulled in the whole time?

[MaxxV4]

Kind of like the guy who pulled up to a stop with his left foot just tapping away on the shifter. He must not have had a clue what gear he had been in. And yes, clutch in the whole time till he stopped moving and stopped tapping.

[dablaze]

Nothing sounds better than a bike at higher revs in my opinion.

Craig

[takwolf]

I always make a mental note to not buy a bike from them when they sell it.

[Scooterfish]

 The motor will last alot longer reving  higher than lugging

[charley992002]

Ok, stupid question, 20 mph school zone, what gear?  I am curious, I ride them in 3rd gear, able to keep it at 20 without a lot of noise and no lugging.  Once out of the "zone" I twist the wick and roll up to 45 or so.

[machinist]

Charley, 2nd gear

[texaskatfish]

Charley, 2nd gear

    +1 on 2nd gear if no faster than 20mph - 3rd with a 'gentle' throttle hand at 30 or more.......

[02roadcling]

1st 4 me

[MaxxV4]

With the 3:15 gearing, I use the 30,40,50 rule. I won't take 3rd under 30 mph, 4th under 40 mph and 5th under 50 mph. This is with little or no load on the motor. I don't like to load the motor at all unless I'm at least at 2,200 rpm, preferably 2,400 rpm.
JMHO,
Mike

[Bigs]

I have to agree with MaxxV4 on the twin cams.
   Bigs

[Rags722]

Seems to me, and I've been wrong before, people are confusing lugging and low RPM.
Now, keep in mind, I grew up in an era when most cars were stick shift & you had to take your drivers test on a stick. In addition, few if any cars had a tach in them.

That said, I think a decent driver/rider should be able to tell when his motor is digging too deep to maintain the speed he is doing. If you actually wait for it to ping, you are lugging to an extreme.  If the motor can't get up revs quick because you are a gear or too high, you are lugging it.  However, I don't buy into the belief that you gotta be doing 3000+ RPM in a gear all the time just to go down the road.  If I'm on reasonably flat roads and pulling the speed I want to go with minimal throttle, I'll ride along at 2200 RPM or so without a worry.  Hell, I'm still more than double the idle speed and the motor isn't working hard.  Sure, if I want to pass or hit an upgrade, I'll downshift, but I think to some degree guys are putting MORE wear on their parts by running at too many RPMs than they need to.  Shift up a gear and let the motor loaf.  If you are crusing along at 1500 and hit an upgrade with the OL and stuffed T-Bag, side bags and the kitchen sink in the tour pack and expect the motor to pull you out of being in the wrong gear, you are lugging the motor.  Overall, a fairly simple concept.

I'm sure that the guys that lug or really load down the motor are hurting the lower ends, but I'm not so sure that my driving style is going to result in a premature failure.  In fact, I'm willing to bet that any of my bikes at 50,000 miles could be torn down with no sign of excessive wear.

Then again, I also think these Iron Butt runs and 11,000 mile in 11 day runs were originally started by dealers so they could sell more tires and parts. (Hell, lets do something to make them boys wear out their stuff sooner so we can sell them new stuff).

[Sc00ter]

I make an effort to stay at 2200 rpm minimum....  And I am more careful of this in the higher gears...  In 6th gear I try to stay above 2400 rpm....   

[DblackmanC]

Just easing along, not accelerating, not loaded down.....1800/2000 in 1st is not lugging? If that were so, we would be lugging every time we took off. Now as you get into higher gears that changes. Maybe second gear 2000/2200 would be ok under same conditions. 3rd-6th. at least 2200/2400. Now if you going to accelerate in those gears, drown shift at at least 2800/3000 before turning the wick....Just my thoughts and style.
Dan

[DblackmanC]

Yea...if he was doing about 25 in 4th gear I guess it was turning about 1200/1300 rpm....he should still be slipping the clutch at that rpm! Makes me shiver!!!!!

[fxstdavew]

Rags

[Kansas]

I sure like my quiet stock exhaust system but I do have a hard time hearing what the motor is doing.

[charley992002]

OK so you guys got me thinking, 20 mph in 3rd gear is bad  , is the gearing different on the big twins between models?  I ride a Wide Glide not a touring model so do you still think I am still lugging my motor?  I have in the past been in traffic that was decelerating very slowly and oh oh, need to downshift, there is that sound when engaging the clutch and the bike trembles, you think oh s#!+ wrong gear.    That's lugging 

[FLTRI]

1st 4 me

20 mph in 1st = somewhere between 3000-4000rpms?
Taken from another forum:
"Lugging is excessive engine load at lower RPM's typically. Does not mater what gear it is in."
This is the best explanation for lugging I've seen. Nice, plain, and simple.
HTH,
Bob