The obsession with low revs on the highway

I don't know that its an obsession but I do get why some people whine about engine speed at x mph.

My cb600f on the highway is running near 7k rpm its buzzy the pegs vibrate your hands vibrate, you let off the gas and it feels like someone slammed on the brakes, duck behind the windscreen and it sounds like a ricer with a coffee can. 5k rpm is so much nicer would rather have a really high 6th gear cause I can always drop a gear (or 3) if I need to pass super quick.

Not worried about longevity or anything just comfort when i'm on the super slab.

I would have though the boxer engines would be pretty smooth, boxer has a good natural balance. Same with 90* twins. Sure you feel the power pulses but those smooth out at higher RPMs. My SV is pretty happy mucking about at 4500-5500 around town, and not buzzy like a 4 banger. Or a 300 smoker. Talk about instant butt-numbification.

My 250 ninja is perfectly happy at 75 mph and 9,000 rpm for miles on end. The bar end mirrors never blur. quite smooth actually. I did go up a tooth on the front because of the REALLY low first gear. It will pull 13K in 6th on a flat with no head wind. I like to think it punches well above it's weight.

My 2004 Buell XB12s feels quite buzzy at 70 mph and 3,100 rpm. It will numb your feet on long rides and tingle your hands. It handles brilliantly, but feels much heavier than the baby Ninja.

I wear earplugs, and the little one wears stock pipes. I can barely hear it on the road. The Buell wears a race exhaust which is very deep but not really loud, rather pleasant actually.

My pick for most rides is actually the baby Ninja because it is so much fun.

I've put taller gearing on many bikes, trucks, etc.
My Commando 850 has a 22T front sprocket, gives a lovely 3,000@70mph cruise, 4,000@80mph if I'm in a hurry. I gladly give up the dragstrip performance to achieve a better cruise, super slab is a reality to get places, and I RIDE it! Same with the TX750... up 2t in the front, down 2 in the rear.
Many times, gearing is dictated by "worst case scenario", that is, until recently, most touring bikes had to be geared low enough to be able to haul two people AND gear, 55mph, uphill, in mountainous terrain...
FINALLY, they offer tall O.D. cogs on some, for leisurely cruising on flat ground, and at higher speeds... the peril being, if the customers don't head the "WARNING!" In the manual, the lugging could destroy engines under warranty.

I've gone both ways with gearing on different bikes. Some I determine by where I want first gear to be , others by top gear or by what top gear may be limited to.

Just to be clear: My bike is a 750 three cylinder. Very smooth.

For the wheelies. At least that's why I do it.

Or buy a bigger bike.

Or just ride it.

When u ride your motorcycle the motor should always be "In the Pipe"

I started riding on 150cc thumpers, getting anywhere meant I'd redline them on every single gear and I'd run them at the redline for extended periods of time if I got on a boulevard or the highway. Those little engines were meant to do that, they were perfectly happy screaming right at the redline for 60 minutes at a time.

Were they stressful? Hell yes, not because of the rpms, but because of the lack of power. Work your ass to pass that truck just to be passed by that same truck just because you got a headwind...

Then I got into sportbikes, they are meant to rev, I'm just fine with them revving high. I've done 8+ hour days on sportbikes, revs are not a problem.

Then I got a Vulcan 900, try to get that biatch to rev and you'll regret it, it will try to vibrate your teeth fillings out and it won't go any faster in the process. That is an egnine that is not meant to rev, I'd understand how that could be stressfull on a long trip...

And then I did a 6000 mile trip on my XT660R thumper, it's actually smoother if you go faster.

^This guy...

"When u ride your motorcycle the motor should always be "In the Pipe""

In the pipe may be a pothead term, I don't know! But the motorcycle term is "On the pipe" and it refers to when a 2-stroke hits the power band.

...still depends on the bike, not engine size.

My current ride is a TU250X and it's more of a pleasure to ride at highway speeds than either of my DR650's were or my old GSX1100G (with large windshield) ever were, mostly because it's super comfortable and it's set up for touring. It's flick ability/maneuverability is much less stressful than man handling a larger bike and, it's even more stable in crosswinds than other larger bikes I've owned.

Higher revs be damned...it's one of the most relaxing bikes to ride, I've ever owned. (on the interstates @ 65+ included) She can stay pegged @ 75 for hours and not really feel taxed at all (even if that usually is her top speed)

I am too. Thats why I DRIVE my truck on super slab. If your bike is spending any time on super slab,you're doing it wrong. Just sayin...............

Sheesh, can't believe this is something people are so stubborn about. Even going so far as to say your riding style is "wrong"? Really? As much as I'm sure you would love to believe that no one else here understands the physics behind it or hasn't as much experience as you, it's just preference. If we were all supposed to ride these things exactly as the manufacturer expected us to, the aftermarket wouldn't exist.

+1

I'm going to put a 1 tooth sprocket on the back of my Bandit, should get the revs down to about 3@70mph

Buy a car and don't have the pleasure to ride every day because it's mystically "wrong" to ride? Sounds stupid to me. Just sayin.

So...You're willing to pay the extra vacation time for the rest of us that ride slab right now, so that we can ride poky little roads instead of actually riding to or from a destination in a timely fashion? Or are you going to buy all of us trucks? Why aren't all of us just living on your dime and riding 200lb 2-strokes that scream at anything faster than 55MPH?