Most stovebolt engines are HP rated around 3500 RPM or a bit more. Very few people are comfortable running one above 2500 or so, which means they're ready to shift to the next higher gear just about the time the engine is just barely above the max torque range, and nowhere near its max power level. That's not the engine's fault- - - - -some "driver education" needs to be done!
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!