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Gearing question

13K views 84 replies 12 participants last post by  Bad Santa 1050 
#1 ·
I believe that on the newer models they played with the internal gear ratios?

I have a 2017 Speedy S model, Arrow cans(although they sent the wrong ones, these have welded in dB killers, waiting on the right ones to come in to swap them out)... Added the frame sliders, waiting on the quickshifter to arrive from the UK... Took off the passenger pegs and popped on the rear seat cowl and belly pan... Not really much else to do to this bike, I ordered it with the accessories that I wanted, so not much to tinker with.

My question is, does this bike really need any sprocket changes like bikes from earlier years? I know that it's always "subjective", but I figure that others have likely played around with it and "know what works best"...

I was considering swapping out the rear from a 43t to a 45t from SuperSproxx or one of those places... Extra acceleration is nice, but I know that there is a tipping point where the extra poke is offset by the fact that you have to shift a lot more often as you run out of revs quicker...

So what's the recommendation here? 17t front or 45t rear, or just leave it alone?

I believe that theoretical top speed on this bike is only like 157mph with stock gearing, and going to a 45t rear only drops it to 150mph...
 
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#2 ·
I find the gearing on my '14 S3R just right for the kind of riding we have here...I can do slower corners in second gear that would have had me downshifting to first in my 14t front sprocket geared 2010 Streetfighter.

I know apples to oranges, but that's my perspective...:)
 
#3 ·
Yeah, the Streetfighters didn't like to go below 4000rpm without lugging and rattling your fillings loose. haha

Gearing is a tough question to answer... I wouldn't mind more acceleration, but at the same time I don't want to have to shift up to 2nd before I reach the end of my driveway. :)
 
#4 ·
I wouldn't go down in the front, just up in the back.

Personally I would ride until mid-summer, get everything bedded in, then go up in the back. You will know in the first 10min if you like it or not
 
#5 ·
Yeah, I might just do that. I usually like to go down 1 tooth in the front so that it moves the wheel back a tad, that way the extra drive isn't just wasted with more wheelies...

I know the concern about the chain rubbing on the swingarm, but what is the actual difference in the diameter between a 17t and an 18t? Like... 1/8 of an inch? Can't be much, can it?
 
#6 ·
it already does rub the swingarm, that is what those plastic thingies are for. no worries. I personally have not felt the need to mess with the gearing on my old 09, or my current 12. like Joe said, ride it before you mess with it. it won't take long to figure out what you want to change. It also would not be a bad idea to do what you are going to do exhaust wise before messing with gearing, as the weight reduction and slight power increase will give you a better idea as to what you have vs. where you want to be in terms of acceleration.
 
#7 ·
Food for thought - the Pre 2011 bikes ran 18/42 gearing, whilst the 2011 and newer went to 18/43. On my older gen 1050, going to 18/43, gave it a noticeable and appreciable increase in pep.

The likes of Joe H and Sparti have both gone 18/45 on their first gen 1050s and seem quite satisfied with the change.
Considering the current model stock Speedies are making at the wheel, about the same as our first gen 1050 bikes made at the crank in stock form, the question is do you really need the gearing change - especially after the mods/arrow pipes and remap? Considering you are coming from more powerful bikes, perhaps you do...
 
#8 ·
How much does the arrow cans and pipe really make, though? An extra 2hp? I don't think it is anything significant, it is more about the look, sound and a few lbs of weight, right?

I will ride it around and see how I like it, and maybe order up a 45t rear and swap that out and see how it changes things. The rear is the simpler one to swap on these bikes, right? No need to pop the wheel off, just loosen the chain, remove 6 bolts and slide it off, right?
 
#11 ·
from someone on this forum:
[video=youtube;1zK0QQuiQ2w]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zK0QQuiQ2w[/video]

I'm about to upgrade my 43T rear sprocket to 45T. I rode all last season on the stock sprocket to give me a good idea of the change at hand.
 
#13 ·
Another question... With the newer ABS models... is the Speedo picked up from a wheel sensor like Ducati and others use, or is it still based off of the countershaft?

Reason I ask is that if I go to a 45T it would throw off the speedo, might impact things like ABS and Traction Control... You can't use TuneECU on the new bikes, so I don't have the means to "correct" it with an adjustment...

If it picks it up off the wheel, then it doesn't matter which gears I use, correct?

Anyone know?
 
#23 ·
I went up to 45T at the rear last year. I did it at the same time that I got a new chain, and I got my chain two links longer in order to maintain the same wheelbase.

Because our chain tensioning, and therefore wheelbase, are adjusted via an eccentric hub it would have forced the adjustment to the extreme end of its range to go up to 45T without adding the extra links. I don't like to intentionally run adjustments at the extreme end of their range, so I made the gearing change at the same time I got a new chain.

The acceleration is noticeable :)
 
#25 ·
Me? Hell no! I considered buying Tripler's '08 to get the upgraded bits, but didn't. Now he's got seller's remorse. I keep making little changes that make me happy.

 
#27 ·
The list of guys that still live on this forum, but don't own a S3 anymore? The list of guys whose S3 you're hoping to buy off them? The list of guys whose girls might have wandering eyes because they now have a smooshy bike instead of a Speedy one? What list?
 
#29 ·
There's more than that that Crash SHOULD have done, but there's a point where you realize removing one major F up is just gonna make another one more obvious, you know?
 
#33 ·
Both. At center of horizontal adjustment the eccentric is at its lowest point (highest rear ride height). As you lengthen or shorten by rotating the eccentric it consequently lowers the rear. If you think about how a point on a circle moves you'll realize that the vertical difference is minimal as long as the horizontal adjustment is close to middle, and the vertical starts changing much more rapidly as the horizontal gets nearer to the end of its adjustment.
 
#37 ·
If you're "in tune" enough with your handling, and riding in situations where your handling is put to the test, yes. If either of those are a "no" then no.
 
#39 ·
I wish there was a way to do a true side by side acceleration comparison that eliminated all variables except for the sprockets...

the lower gearing pulls a little harder, but you hit redline sooner and have to shift more often... so does the shorter gearing help you out overall, or would being able to hold a gear a little longer be better?

in first gear, if it brings the front end up easier, are you losing acceleration? What if you or the ecu has to back off the power a bit to keep the front end down? Does that cost you time?

inquiring Squires want to know.
 
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