rebel 250 2009 speed issue

**tony** · 07-23-2009, 05:19 PM

Hello all,

I have a rebel cmx 250cc 2009 model, bought it last june and so far i have 560 miles. i know this is nothing at all compared to the miles you guys have put on your bikes. recently i wanted to see if the rebel actually goes 85mph. But i was disappointed to find out that at full throttle on the 5th gear the bike did only 75mph or 77mph.

In the manual it said something about high speed riding spark plugs vs normal riding spark plugs. I'm wondering if i have to change my current spark plugs to speed riding plugs to achieve 85mph?

Is this the reason why my bike doesnt go to 85mph or are there any other reasons and what remedies are there?

Also, i was wondering if the rebel 250cc can do a little more than 85 mph as indicated on the speedometer ?

thanks for reading this post!

**ASE-Tech** · 07-23-2009, 07:09 PM

Hey there Tony and welcome to the forum. I'm sure you will hear this over and over again... but there's not alot you can do to achieve the 85 mph mark other than getting a bigger bike, I mean it is what it is, a 250cc 17hp lil fun machine. There are a few tricks you can do to get just a little more out of it, but there won't be any dramatic improvements.

As far as your question about the plugs, there are different "heat ranges" for different types of riding basically to keep them from burning up or fouling out, it won't speed ya up any. If you do some digging in the forums, I'm sure you can find what your looking for, or grab a repair manual at your local dealer. I'm sure someone here can answer your questions. Hope this helped out.

**Klatu** · 07-23-2009, 09:45 PM

Let it break in some. It's still new. After a few thousand miles it will do it.

**Medic** · 07-25-2009, 03:54 PM

I agree to let it break in some more, and when you get a couple hundred more miles or so, run your RPMs higher (as I recall, the factory recommended break-in period is 600 miles).

I had the same 'problem' with my '09 when I had it broken in and tried to see how fast she could go. I was grossly disappointed by the top speed and the lil Rebel's ability to hold any speed over about 60-65, so I tried something different.

Simple as it sounds, it truly works...just wind out the gears a little more, especially after 1st gear, ie 2-4.

I always shifted sooner because I'm used to shifting my car but the Rebel, like most bikes, can handle much higher RPMs. So wind that little sucker out, and you'll notice an immediate improvement on your top speed.

**hewittdallas** · 07-25-2009, 04:12 PM

Exactly as Medic said. If you want to peg the needle, you will want to stretch the gears out and keep your RPMs as high as possible. Try shifting right at, or just before, the little red marks on the speedometer that indicate red line speeds. I just jumped on the freeway last night and took it from 60-85 three times in a row in a five mile span. It definitely can be done, just got to push the Rebel a little harder than many are accustomed to. The bike is designed to run at high RPMs and when you do so, you will be very pleasantly surprised.

Where you been Medic? You upgrade to a bigger bike?

**Fridgitator** · 07-25-2009, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hewittdallas

Exactly as Medic said. If you want to peg the needle, you will want to stretch the gears out and keep your RPMs as high as possible. Try shifting right at, or just before, the little red marks on the speedometer that indicate red line speeds. I just jumped on the freeway last night and took it from 60-85 three times in a row in a five mile span. It definitely can be done, just got to push the Rebel a little harder than many are accustomed to. The bike is designed to run at high RPMs and when you do so, you will be very pleasantly surprised.

Where you been Medic? You upgrade to a bigger bike?

Exactly. If you shift into fourth or fifth too soon, you won't have the torque to get to speed.

**hewittdallas** · 07-25-2009, 06:43 PM

In theory, you will eventually be able to get up to the max speeds even without shifting correctly. The trick is, it will take a lot longer since you will require such a significant amount of torque for the acceleration. Sometimes a downhill will help out, but even then your chances aren't good. Whenever you are looking for speed, always get as close to the red lines as possible to maximize the efficiency of the engine RPMs. Otherwise, you are just wasting what precious little torque and horsepower is already available.

**Fridgitator** · 07-25-2009, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hewittdallas

In theory, you will eventually be able to get up to the max speeds even without shifting correctly. The trick is, it will take a lot longer since you will require such a significant amount of torque for the acceleration. Sometimes a downhill will help out, but even then your chances aren't good. Whenever you are looking for speed, always get as close to the red lines as possible to maximize the efficiency of the engine RPMs. Otherwise, you are just wasting what precious little torque and horsepower is already available.

Hewitt- Do you ever get a chance to ride the 635 express lane? Eastbound from 75 to 30 is a great ride if you like to go fast!

**hewittdallas** · 07-25-2009, 08:08 PM

Actually, I rarely go that direction simply because I hate 635 traffic. Have they improved the road quality on that stretch? If my memory serves me, the concrete used to be pretty rough going that way a little ways east of 75. Another nice stretch is 380 west of 35E way north of the city. Brand new six lane!

**Fridgitator** · 07-25-2009, 08:20 PM

I've only ridden it a couple times, and it's a treat because the express lane actually moves. the regular lanes are always backed up. The pavement isn't great, but it doesn't have the cracks and seams that I deal with on my usual 30-35-65 commute. It also doesn't have the grooves the main lanes of 635 does. Those really spook me.

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