New GN250 owner with questions

[aju]

Hi,

I'm writing from the US. I just got my first bike, a 1982 GN250, and because this bike is still popular in NZ, I figured you would have better information than locally. My bike didn't come with a tachometer (which I think is really critical) and the owner's manual only gives you a suggested shift speed. I am looking for the maximum speed in each gear so I don't over-rev my engine, but I'm able to fully utilize it.

Anyone able to help me out on this?

Thanks

[fatzx10r]

can't tell when to the change gear's.just ride the bike for a bit and get used to it.you will get a feel for what the engine is doing and what noises it's making and should'nt be making.if you rev it up through the gear's you should feel the engine starting to run out of puff at a certin rev, change just as the the power drop's off.

hope that is of some help

[awayatc]

Hi, very hard to overrev a single cylinder 4 stroke....especially something low stressed as a GN...when it revs no further you got maximum revs...but even on that you can sit all day. So If you wanna nana the bike shift a little bit before that...
Bike survived 25 years for a reason....

[CookMySock]

yeah as awatatc says, I think you can rev as hard as you like, and you won't hurt it unless you hold up there for hours. Make sure you have the correct engine oil, and the correct amount of it. Also, if it has real high miles on it you will stuff it for sure.

Why do you want to beat the piss out of a poor lil' GN anyway ? It will feel sad.. Get a CBR and rev its' nuts off! They love it!

DB

[PrincessBandit]

They redline at 8500 rpm. I haven't ridden mine for quite a long time but from memory I think it sits at about 5000rpm at 50 kph and approx. 7500 rpm at 100 kph. Figures a bit hazy as my tach needle used to swing like a compass at times so was a bit on the useless side anyway! Im sure others on this site can give you more accurate rev ranges for "commuting" speed (i.e. not wringing it's poor little neck). If not, I'll take Rosie out for a blat and come back with some figures for you.

[WelshWizard]

Welcome to KB, no tach as these thing are not the most pokey on the road, as stated earlier, the valves will bounce all day on these things, after you ride it for a while you will start to sense the power drop off when you are past max BHP and soon be shifting just as that point is reached.