Inertial dyno testing; which gear do you use? Why?

[Dakin Engineering]

Do you have a favorite gear for getting a number?
If so, please elaborate.

[maj]

initial setup , 2nd or third, something to give a fairly quick sweep and be sure your in the ball park
later using 4th 5th or 6th depending how much power you have what your gearing is and the mass the dyno has to get a 8-10 second pull without overspeeding the dyno
then stick to the gear you selected for comparative runs
 
My first dyno was an inertia dyno , custom made with 500kg mass , but it was still too quick to get enough good info on a run once the bikes were making more than 300 hp

[RansomT]

I agree with maj.  Try and keep the max wheel speeds at 200 mph or so.

On bikes that make 300+ HP, I typically double strap to get the results more accurate.
 
Geez, I thought my 385 kg drum was heavy.