Changing Gearing on 6th Gen

Hey all, wanted to know opinions/experiences with changing gearing on a 6th gen. At the track I am never using up the top end and would not mind a little more low-end grunt. A shop friend suggested going down one tooth in front.

I know this will wear out the chain a bit faster, but I wanted to know if any of you have tried it, if it is a hard mod, and if it will have the desired effect. :strong:

Any help is appreciated. The other option is going UP teeth on the back sprocket... not sure if that is better for any reason.

Anyhow.... share/dispense the knowledge!

ps. no philosophical answers like "vfr is not a track bike" or "why do this mod", I just want to learn from those who have tried it... thanks!:smow::smow::smow:

 

going down only one tooth in front shouldn't exaggerate the chain wear a whole lot and it will certainly give the desired effect. Go up 2-3 on the rear if you're worried about chain wear. Of course it's a little more expensive for a rear sprocket and i'd advise getting a new chain, too. Unless it is like new.

 

I ride -1 in the front and love it. I did it after my first couple thousand miles because it seemed to me the engine was "choking" at mid tach. It brings a good amount of pull back in, through 4300-6000 rpm. If I remember correctly the stock bike didn't really start gaining any steam untill 5600r's or there abouts. The change is subtle and it does borrow from the top but for me the smoothing out of the power curve was worth it. The sprocket is only $35 or $40 and if your inclined, labor is about an hour or so. A mechanic did mine and billed me for 15min. so $20. This mod probally gave me more bang for the buck than any other mod I've done.

I tried going plus one on the rear but found that it took to much from the top so I flipped back to stock. However, if you're into wheelies you may want to look into it. Just thought I'ld mention that in case CHICK wanted to chime in with an an anti mod comment!!

 

NeverlosT,
See my 2nd responce this thread (LINK)

Action

 

going up 1 tooth on the rear wouldn't be worth the effort as it would barely make any difference at all. It certainly won't affect top end much if at all. Going down 1 on front is equal to going plus 2-3 on rear. The result is quicker acceleration everywhere with slightly less top end (mph). Removing teeth from rear sprocket will decrease accel but increase top speed capabilities.

 

I should ammend my first post by saying that when I used the +1 on the rear it was in combonation with the -1 in the front. So essentially a +2 rear with a stock front. Again, just found that while my 0-80 times were faster it just took to much off of 4th gear acceleration for my taste. Hence the -1 front only.

 

I went +2 on the rear with my bike. I was also able to use the stock chain (without having to add links). It closes the gears pretty nicely compared to stock. As a comparison, I would like to try +3 on the rear or -1 on the front.

 

Just a question .. doesn't changing the gearing affect the speedometer reading?

 

It certainly does. most guys will opt for what they call a SPEEDO HEALER to correct the discepancy. when i changed from stock to -1 front +2 rear my speedo was off by almost 15%. You will accumulate miles faster and of course you'll going slower than what the speedometer says.

 

With a -1 front set up my speedo is off excactly 9%. Thanks to some great folks at the police dept. I had an opportunity to measure it(after a speeding ticket of course)!

 

I found the faster I went, the more the speedo was out?. With -1 on the front 60klm/h is 63klm/h indicated on the speedo 80klm/h is 86.5klm/h on the speedo 100klm/h is 114klm/h speedo.

I used a gearing spreadsheet. Can I email it to you?

 

I installed the SpeedoHealer. It has a calculator that allows you to compensate for gearing changes and tire sizes. Their customer service is top notch. The harness on the '07 is different than the '06 and they got a new one right out to me. I like to know exactly how fast I'm going without having to do the math.

 

This info. is incorrect! This would only hold true if both the front and rear sprocket were the same diameter and tooth count to begin with. I run -1 front and +2 rear on my fifth gen. The final drive ratio works out to be in between either going -1 front or +2 on the rear.

Gearing Commander: Motorcycle Gearing Ratio Sprocket RPM Speed Chain Calculator

 

FAIL. you need to use the ratios to compare not the tooth number.

FAIL. -1F and +2 rear is not in between either -1f or +2 rear.


Correct me if I'm wrong, and ignore my fail comments if I am. I'll use 5th gen as an example as I do not know the stock front sprocket size on 6th gen.

5th gen Stock 17f/43r = 2.53

-1 Front 16f/43r = 2.69

+2 Rear 17f/45r = 2.65

-1 Front AND +1 rear 16f/44r = 2.75

-1 Front AND +2 rear 16f/45r = 2.81

 

Thanks for the offer mate!
But I have stock gearing and it was more of a rhetorical question

 

This analysis is essentially correct, though the stock gearing on the 6th is 16/43.

So, for this model the stock ratio would be 2.69. Going -1 in the front (to 15/43) is the cheapest/easiest thing to do, does not require changing the chain length and changes the final ratio to 2.86 (a change of 6.3%).

If you just went +2 in the rear you'd end up with 2.81. That is not the same as -1/+1 (15/44), final ratio of 2.93.

Going to -1/+2 (15/45) changes it to 3.00 (a change of 11.5%). Definitely more bang, but also more buck.

This topic has been gone over many times. Search is your friend. So is gearingcommander.com.

 

what about gas mileage. it affected my vstrom by about 4 mpg

 

The biggest variable for gas mileage is your right hand and not so much a small gearing change. RPM's are up about 200-400 rpms in sixth gear depending on what ratio you go with. If you're not commuting on the highway then you won't really notice a mileage difference much at all.

 

Whats up fellas, I havn't seen this thread for some time, but now it's back so let me say just one thing in terms of mechanical exactness. I am not an accomplished wrench, I am a rider who understands the response of the machine.

If my estimations of ( +2,-1, or +3, whatever) weren't precise enough, than you have my appollogies. I am interested in mechanics, but please assume that I approximate.

I would rather ride than d!ck around with tenths of degrees in a final drive ratio. Just feel the damn thing, cut the ill remarks, and enjoy your rides!

 

Any suggestions for front sprocket brand?

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but the subject is kinda the same. I'm looking to go -1 on the front when I change my chain, and have seen very different construction between brands. The easiest to find seems to be the AFAM, but it looks cheap compared to the Vortex, RK or Rethenal (sp?). I'm also having a bit of trouble finding one that looks as beefy as an OEM piece that's also 15 tooth.

Any assistance would be helpful....While I'm at it, anyone out there use the EK "screw on" master link on their chain? (Ok, I know, now I'm really hijacking!)