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Gearing

5K views 27 replies 18 participants last post by  SV Racing Parts 
#1 ·
I have gone to a 16 Countershaft sprocket; what is the opinion of going to a smaller rear sprocket - how many teeth can you drop before you lose power?
 
#2 ·
How fast do you regularly go on the highway? Do you go off-road? For all-around street riding, your 15-to-16 tooth front sprocket swap should be sufficient. If you are always doing 70-90 MPH on the highway, drop a tooth or two in the rear also. At worst, you'll just have to drop it into 5th when passing.
 
#3 ·
Note, I'm assuming you have a 650 Strom.

Dropping three teeth on the back will be about the same change as going from 15 to 16 on the front. If you go 16 front and drop 3 on the back, it will make your new 5th gear almost exactly what your 6th was stock. Because there's a bigger gap between the first two gears, it'll put the new 1st about half way between the old 1st and 2nd.
None of this changes the available power, it changes the engine rpm and torque at the rear wheel in a given gear at the same road speed.
You'll have very relaxed cruising rpm, but will have to change down for hills/overtaking more often, and you'll have to slip the clutch more on take off.
IMHO its worth spending some time with the current set up before you change the rear. I generally like tall gearing and was going to go to a 16 front when I first got my 650, but the more I ride it the more I think the standard ratio is a good compromise. YMMV.
 
#4 ·
I have been riding with a 16 front and 45 rear combination on my 650 for some years and am very happy with the gearing. There is no need for extra clutch slip when taking off and a gear is always available for any type of riding you want to do.
 
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#5 ·
Both my bikes have 16/45 gearing. At one stage I tried 16/42 but found that to ride at 60 km/hr I had to remain in 4th gear, but once of the highway..... :). For off road I found that a 14/47 gearing was great for slow riding. So far the 16/45 appears to be the best for my style of riding.
If you google to the gearcommander website, you can input your choice of gearing to determine approximate speeds that are recorded. Take note of the link wear as well (near the bottom of their web page.
 
#6 ·
So I guess the stock rear is a 48. I don't need to go any faster; it's more a matter of a more relaxed cruise at 80. Right now, with the 16 front, that's about 5500 rpm. That's only about half the tach, and I'm sure the bike is happy, but I'd just like to drop the rpm a bit. What is your cruise rpm at 80 in 6th? Sounds like when I get my new chain, I'll probably go with the 45 rear.

Thanks!
 
#7 ·
The stock gearing is 15/47. Preferences are quite personal. I was unhappy with 16/47, preferring 15/47. When I stopped touring, I thought about 14/47, but didn't ride enough to make a change.
 
#8 ·
I think it all depends on where you live, and the kind of riding you do. Out here in Vegas we have to ride a lot of freeways, and open roads, to get to some good riding roads. Most of the posted speed limits going out of town are 75mph, and going up into Utah they are posted at 80mph, so having the taller gearing makes sense. That being said, you may be down shifting a lot going up the steep mountain roads.
 
#9 ·
I spent much of the 77,000 miles I put on the Wee on western roads. I did one trip with a 16T front sprocket and changed back to stock as soon as I got home. 6000rpm for a real 75mph or indicated 82mph was fine all day for days in a row. I saw no advantage to 5500rpm with a 16T front and had to downshift 3 times to pass on two lane roads instead of twice with stock gearing. I tried both for thousands of miles in many states on many kinds of road and preferred lower gearing. Like I said, it's a personal preference.
 
#10 ·
Dropping three teeth on the back will be about the same change as going from 15 to 16 on the front.
Yes, and...

Changing one tooth on the front usually does not require a change in the chain length. Changing 3 on the rear probably does require changing the length of the chain---got a chain rivet tool and new master link?
 
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#11 ·
:) Yes that is a good point PTRider; Front Sprocket Change rarely requires chain adjustment. Rear is going to be a function of where you set the rear wheel when you first installed the Chain and sprockets.

I always set my rear wheel at or just forward of the center hatch marks on the Swing Arm to allow myself the options of going to a smaller rear (45t) or larger front sprocket (16t), based on 15/47t stock gearing without having to adjust the chain length,

Enjoy the ride, and best regards,
Blair
 
#14 ·
I just bought new chains and sprockets and stayed with stock 15/47. My riding is about 1/3 freeway 70MPH, 1/3 country roads around 50, the rest is city. Stock gearing offers the best compromise. I changed the ratios on my BMW 650 because it seemed I was constantly shifting. I couldn't stay in the power range when in traffic. The power band of the Wee is much broader and staying in the band is not a problem.
 
#16 ·
I have 16/45 on mine and it works for my style of riding. I tried 16/47 and 15/45 and settled on 16/45 because it just "felt" best.
I live in Florida where there are no hills and very few twisties on the normal routes I take. When I do go long distances I may have to downshift a little more often in the mountains but it's not that much of an issue.
 
#17 ·
I have 16/45 on mine ........and settled on 16/45 because it just "felt" best.

......... When I do go long distances I may have to downshift a little more often in the mountains but it's not that much of an issue.
:) When you are cruising on the highways you must be getting really Awesome Fuel Economy; Good for you on going with what works best for you and your style of riding!!

Enjoy the ride, and best regards,
Blair
 
#24 ·
I used a 17 front and stock rear for a summer. I liked the lower RPMs on the highway but didn't like the negatives - didn't work well 2 up, had to downshift more often, and didn't work well at all running through the pasture and timber on the farm. Gas mileage didn't change at all, likely due to taking more throttle on the uphill grades. I've went back to the stock 15 and haven't looked back.
 
#26 ·
FWIW, 16t front and stock rear pulls me, my darkside rear, and my sidecar very well, both off the line and on the Interstate. I was equally happy with 16t pre-sidecar.
 
#27 ·
I find on the Wee when running over 6000 rpm the fuel economy starts going out the window, hence the 16 tooth counter sprocket and the 45 tooth rear. The fuel economy could be a factor to those long distance riders.
I read the comments from some about having to change down to overtake, speed on hills, etc. Isn't that part of the grin factor when the throttle is dialed a bit to the wild side? Spirited riding could be classed as riding in the 6000 rpm and more range... as long as done safely.
 
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