R69US shift points

Single & twin cylinder model BMW Airhead specific discussions
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tenni128
Posts: 100
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:02 pm

R69US shift points

Post by tenni128 »

I now have around 3500 miles or so on the newly rebuilt, well, almost everything on my R69US. The shift point indicators on the speedo have would have me shifting to 2nd, 3rd and 4th at the maximum respective speeds of 38, 60 and 85 MPH. Having had a few high strung air-cooled twins over the years, I'm reasonably immune to the sounds of impending mechanical disaster that go along with higher RPMs. But with all the money invested (and it's a lot, for me at least) and a heightened sense of mechanical sympathy for ageing metal components, I'm reluctant to rev this thing out that far. So my question is, how much overhead is there in those shift points? Were they based on max HP? Or is that the max safe redline? Or, from a purely practical standpoint, should I really avoid ever running the engine up that high? I don't intend to beat on this thing, but my So Cal commute (and heavy wrist) has me happily enjoying this bike at speeds around 75-80 daily. It's got plenty of juice for my needs, and I didn't build it to have it sit as a museum piece. I enjoy it for what it is. Maybe I should just turn off my computer, leave work and just go ride the damn thing. :lol:
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