Speed, gear & motor wear

[Draxxis]

Ok, so I frequently ride with my friend who has a 50cc scooter. His max speed is 40mph, but usually only hits 35mph.

Obviously with me having a bigger bike, my gearing is way different than his. My question is when I am in 3rd gear, I'm usually hitting about 2500 - 2700 RPM. If I run in 4th gear, I am usually running about 2200 RPM, but obviously it is feeling a little sluggish.

Is it alright to ride long distances (say 30 - 50 miles) in 3rd gear as long as I am under the 3000 RPM? Or would that cause more damage to the motor or transmission in the long run?

[triton28]

One thing to consider is that the engine/transmission really doesn't know what road speed the vehicle is proceeding at. It will perform as it was designed to in any gear, save of course for over/under revving of the engine.
When I am on our vintage rides I am generally never out of 4th gear at best as a lot of the bikes have 50 year old 3 or 4 speed transmissions and the owners don't want to race around so we only travel the posted speed limits on 2 lane blacktop, 40 or 50mph.
These Voyager XII bikes are good for thousands and thousands of miles at 2700-3000 rpm in 5th gear, so traveling at the same rpm range in any gear should not, IMHO, cause any undue hardship to the engine/transmission. But, I do find it a bit annoying having the sound and associated vibrations of a 65 mph engine rpm while traveling in 3rd or 4th gear, not to mention that it seems as though I am going too slow for the rpm. I am always wanting to be in 5th on these vintage rides, but I would be lugging the engine which is as bad as over revving the engine.
Again, I am NOT advocating that one do this on a regular prolonged basis, these are just my thoughts on the subject, and I may be out in left field so to speak. Others may chime in on this for you.
Regards,
Dave

[ekap1200]

There have been days down in the Great Smokey Mountains, I never see 5th gear. And riding with a group of HD's I keep my rpms at or above 3k in the twisty roads. I would say your just fine. Just my 2cents...

[Me Again]

First off ,if you know someone willing to ride a 50cc scooter for 50 miles at 35mph ,that man needs a pat on the back.
High rpm's will do a lot less damage than lugging along .transmission and drive shaft were not built to bounce, which is basically what happens at low rpm's
My 2 cents (more like a nickels worth now).
Bill

[Draxxis]

First off ,if you know someone willing to ride a 50cc scooter for 50 miles at 35mph ,that man needs a pat on the back.
High rpm's will do a lot less damage than lugging along .transmission and drive shaft were not built to bounce, which is basically what happens at low rpm's
My 2 cents (more like a nickels worth now).
Bill

Here is my bike and his scooter side by side. When we ride, I let him go in front because I have a tendency to want to go faster. This way I see him and I only go as fast as he does.

[ghostler]

I don't know about others, my 2001 does just fine at 1,800 rpm and above. I'd say if it complains, then keep within the rpm range that feels good. If I'm going up or down an incline, then I downshift. The Voyager engine reminds me much of a car engine. I used to own a 1300cc 1968 Hino Contessa (Japanese rear engine Renault, close to an R-8 / R-10) and 1300cc 1967 Datsun PL411 Bluebird sedan. Also drove my father's 1970 Mazda 1200 with Borg Warner auto transmission. (You could run along side it for the 1st 100 yards. )

With the wide ratio 5 speed, Voyager runs and shifts a lot like a manual transmission car, except with 4 carburetors it zips along much quicker. With straight cut gears I wouldn't think it would harm it to run it in lower gears than 5th. You're not spinning the internal bearings quicker at lower speeds.

Appreciate your humbleness in sharing a ride with your scooter friend. Reminds me of the 1971 Honda CB100 that I learned to ride on (still have the bike, LOL). I rode that into work one day traveling wide open at 55 mph 12 miles to work. They asked me how the ride was. I said it was like the scooter ride in the movie, "Dumb and Dumber".