Cherepan & Gunter
Gunter
Hey Cherepan, I've been grinding on my bike's gearing to shave off seconds from my laps. Ever measured how a shift change actually changes acceleration?
Cherepan
Gear shift changes the ratio between the engine’s torque and the wheel’s speed. If you drop a gear, you get more torque at the wheel, so the bike can accelerate faster but will hit the top speed sooner. Up a gear, you lose some torque but can keep going faster once you’re up to speed. So a shift is just a trade‑off between acceleration and maximum speed.
Gunter
Right, so it’s all about the sweet spot. I’m chasing those 1‑second gains, so I’m always hunting the gear that gives me the most torque without letting my top speed dip. You got a setpoint you’re aiming for?
Cherepan
I don’t fuss over a single second, I just want a bike that won’t stall when I hit the throttle. My setpoint is a torque curve that stays flat up to 2.5 k rpm, then drops off slowly. That way I get strong acceleration but the top speed doesn’t suffer. Anything that keeps the engine in that sweet spot is good enough for me.
Gunter
Sounds solid. Keep a tight log of RPM and torque, so you can tweak the gear ratios until the curve stays flat right up to 2.5k. Every second counts, so hit the numbers, keep adjusting, and never let the bike stall—push through the breakpoints and stay in that sweet spot.