Whats a good RPM to maintain??
 

Does anyone know whats a healthy rpm on an old 1986 XL600LM?
The bike seems to be happy at 110km/h @ 4500rpm.
Also when does the secondary feul jet?, kick in?
I found info on the XT forum but not for this bike??
Cheers

If it's in good nick - not burning / leaking oil, bearings not noisy, oil pump pumping (partic the scavenge side) etc I would have thought 4500rpm pretty easy for the engine. My 87 XR600 with lower gearing holds this without any problem on the motorway although earplugs do make it slightly more pleasant!

Is yours the twin carb setup? If it is the first carb only leads the second by a couple of mm so at normal speeds they're both working.

Front sprocket 14,15,or16?
 

I have put a 14 tooth front sprocket on my bike now and the revs are 4500 @ 100km/h. Normally it takes a 15. Does anyone know if I could benafit from a 16 tooth on the front, for those long motorways. will this harm the gear box, motor??
Also, if anyone reading this knows of a good screen for the bike please let me know!
Cheers
Orrin

no respones...
 

Hi all!! I bought this same bike some months ago, and I am really happy with it so far. Actually I do have the same questions about the gearing. I see there have been no responses for quite a long time, but, please, if anybody knows if using a 16 teeth front sprocket could do any bad to the bike...
I guess then the ideal thing would be to carry a 14 teeth sprocket for off road riding, and a 16 teeth one for the long ride home...wouldn't it?
But, in that case, how much should I adjust the chain? I guess it wouldn't be much.


thank a lot guys!!

nadir

Cant help you about your specific bike, but manufacturers of sprockets for industrial use advise not using sprockets with less than 16 teeth.....

Rrrpm!
 

Here's one for you to try!
Find out at what RPM tour motor produces the most torque and give a go at cruising at that!
You may find you get the bsst MPG (or KPL for you metric lovers).
Dave.

The 16 tooth min for chains is an effeciency/chain ware thing .. you loose a little effeciency and increase the chain ware under 16 teeth .. the smaller you go the worse it gets. It has been measured in a lab. It does not make that much difference in the motorcycle world - not many people detect the effeciency (miles to the gallon) nor chain life reductions.

I read somewhere that alternating your RPM's when at speed helps to keep the piston rings from getting varnished. I cant help but think this is not valid.

I agree djrob.
It was always a rule of thumb for old Brit bikes also, Probably your bike will like that as well. But if the bike feels happy at 4500rpm, it probably is.
Re sprocket size, Load your bike up wit the maximum weight and try touring, you will soon know if it is overgeared because you will be changing gear a lot. Remember to save fuel you need both low revs AND low throttle openings. Think of it this way, at 10,000 rpm full throttle you are using twice as much fuel as the same engine at 5,000 rpm at full throttle, and four times less at 5,000 at half throttle. This is only arough guide, there are other factors, butthe biggest factor in fuel consumption is the riders right wrist.

i have a xl600lm with 16inch gpz wheels.i run standard 15 up front and 39 rear for motorway riding.then if i am doing a lot of street riding or trail riding i put a 13 on the front and can just about get the right tension on the chain.with the 13 up front its that small that the chain links have worn 0.5mm off the retainer plate nuts.apart from that no problems i can cruise at 65 at 4000rpm on long motorway runs.although i would not ride two up or with heavy luggage with this gearing.goodluck ian.