15-43 sprocket combo
 

Anybody running this. I'm looking for more bottom but dont want to over do it.

works well IMO. If you do a touring you may want to try something a bit higher like 15/42.

No touring on this bike. I gotta 800lb beast for that. I want to be able to spank a very well tuned gen 1 FZ1. I know the SH can take it in the corners. If I get my buddy down on his primo FZ1 I'll be able to buy it when he decides to get a FJR:bananadance:

I use 15/43 on my SH - huge difference, wheelie until 4th gear. You have to adjust the riding style, never open throttle too aggressive in corners...lol
The rear wheel moves 5mm forward if you use the original chain length.

It rocks! The bike is much more street friendly and smoother. On hillcrests she can come up in 5th. Going 80mph isn't that bad either and it doesn't affect gas mileage. I'm getting 42mpg. But your speedo will be off 19% and your miles will accrue 19% faster as well. Stock gearing is off about 10% anyway.

speedo healer
 

I love the 15-43 combo, been running it for 2 years now and won't go back. Most of my riding is sport oriented and the couple of tours I do a year are all on back road twisties so I don't miss the lower revs. It does hurt to see those miles racking up on the OD faster than they really are. Anyone running the speedo healer? Trying to figure out if its worth the $120+ bucks.

yes. it's not that i don't like math, i'm good at it, i just like my speedo to be accurate.

tim

Thats what I have, you should be able to embarass your friend on the FZ1

You think so? I went down 1 on the front recently and now my bike feels about as fast as a 600 I4, obv a little quicker off the line. Never ridden a 1000 4 (just a duc and the hawk), but I'd figure even a tuned down R1 power plant could smoke a hawk.

What is stock gearing? 16/41? If I just went 15/41 would that make a difference. Most of my riding is on the freeway, but a little more wheel lofting pop would be nice on the backroads.

Actually, the speedohealer correction factor using 15/43 is -15.8%, which makes your odometer out by 5.7% (as stock speedo is out 10.1% but odometer is dead on). How do I know, I have a speedohealer and have done the necessary tests (at least for a Canadian VTR although I suspect it's the same speedo set-up with US bikes).

Vega;

Yeah. Stock is 16 front and 41 rear. I kept the 16 front and went to 43 (+2) rear. Puts final drive in line with TLs and SVs. Slightly higher final drive than just a 15 front. Easier to do the change also. Very noticeable difference around town, acceleration and especially top gear roll-ons.

I spend a considerable amount of my time on the freeway. 16/43 is still cool, but for freeway riding at 80 mph, I wouldn't want to gear my VTR any lower.

Makes sense. Thanks for the response.

I just changed to 15/41 and the difference is very noticable. Added about 600rpm in 6th gear but I have found a downside at high speed. I think it is because the engine is running more on the main jets, but when really twisting the throttle, it drains the fuel tank much quicker. Personally, I'm considering going back to 16/41 and when I need the extra punch, I will just ride in 5th gear.

15/41 feels like what the bike should have been from the factory, but the reduction in range is major bummer.

RK1, how bad was your fuel range and odometer millage affected by going to the 43 tooth rear? I do a 120 mile round trip commute daily and if I ride fast I have to fill up twice a day. If I ride like a normal sane person I can make the trip on one tank. It would be a huge pain in the ass to have to fill up twice a day no matter how I rode the bike.

Vega;

Not a big deal in either case. Going with the 43 tooth rear lowers you gearing 4.5%-5%. Assuming your speedo was accurate in the first place, when it says 100 mph you'll actually be going 95-96 mph. Big deal.

Last 400 mile run I did up PCH-Rt 1 and allowing for a 5% difference, I still got about 42-44 mpg. That's averaging about 75 mph with plenty of roll ons to 100 mph just for the fun of it. I weighed about 148 lbs. at the time so your mileage may vary, but going +2 on the rear sprocket won't hurt your mpg enough to notice.

My personal opinion is this;

If you spend appreciable time on the freeway and want a noticeable increase in acceleration and top gear roll on without screwing your mpg or having to cruise at much over 4500 rpm in 6th, 16/f and 43/r is the best way to go.

Thanks for the input. I dont really want a wheelie monster. I'm changing to a 520 chain so I'll have to change both sprockets anyway. I'm ordering the 16 fr and 43 rr. I'll run that a while and report back. After 3000 miles or the rear tire (whichever goes first) I'll re-evaluate and put a 15 on the front if I think it will be better for me.

since stock is 16/41 what if instead of going 15/43 i just went up to 45-46 on the rear and kept front at 15.

so basically what I'm asking what's the difference between changing both sprockets out or just doing 1 but extreme

I went with a 16/44 ratio. The 3 tooth larger rear sprocket requires an aditonal link pair in the chain, so you would need 104 links for a 45 and maybe 46 rear. Stock chain length is 102.

I think 16/44 may be the best overall compromise.

I've run 16/41 (too long), 15/43 (too short) and 16/43 just right:)

Speedo Healer with top speed memory is great!
RC

Don't forget guys, going with a 15/41 is essentially the same as 16/44, and wouldn't require extra link, would shorten the wheelbase for better handling, and probably a few cents cheaper.

Yeah pretty much. 16/43 lowers gearing about 4.9% 15/41 about 6.25%

16/44 about 7.3% 15/43 a bit over 11%

I went with the +2 in the rear. Cruise at 90 at abut 4750. Not bad. 100 MPH is right around 5000 RPM.

Thinking about dropping the front down to 15. I want to see how it feels, easy swap to go back to a 16 tooth.

What's the prevailing opinion on a 15/42?...

I don't think I've read anywhere of someone running 15/42. By thumb rule, that's +4 in the rear. Does anyone make a 42 rear for us?

I'm going to test 15/42 on a track-day monday next week - I'll let you know what I think then :). I hope to find out whether I should go for the 520 Vortex conversion kit or not :confused: