gearing change?
03-05-2014, 08:49 AM
#31
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Location: Thousand Oaks, CA
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i guess the bottom line is numbers on a chart can only get me so far.
spent a little time last night on the gearing commander looking at 15/41 vs 16/43 vs 16/41
and the 15/41 is a little bit shorter so id prolly go that route. if im gonna get a feel for shorter gearing at some point i wanna do it without a HUGE change but still enought to tell the difference.
plus i run a 190 rear tire so the 15 front compensates for that a little more.
although latley ive been debating why i run a 190 and weather its pointless thing to do.
spent a little time last night on the gearing commander looking at 15/41 vs 16/43 vs 16/41
and the 15/41 is a little bit shorter so id prolly go that route. if im gonna get a feel for shorter gearing at some point i wanna do it without a HUGE change but still enought to tell the difference.
plus i run a 190 rear tire so the 15 front compensates for that a little more.
although latley ive been debating why i run a 190 and weather its pointless thing to do.
03-05-2014, 09:05 AM
#32
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so then is the benefit of 15/43 that you rev up quicker? because thats all i can really see being a benefit considering ur moving everything up a gear. if its something that will give you a faster lap time, then it really doesnt matter that your 4th gear is what your 3rd use to be because lap times are lap times. so is that the intent? quicker acceleration?
03-05-2014, 09:20 AM
#33
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Yes, quicker acceleration due to increased mechanical advantage. Like a longer arm on a lever same applied force is more force at the fulcrum.
Again its a 2 edged sword. As you get faster as a racer, you go UP in gearing to match your higher corner speed. This is not as useful on the street since you are not circulating the same group of turns constantly.
No matter what anyone says, street and racing are 2 seperate sets of goal. Whats good on track should be awful on the street & vise versa.
Any moto mag review will say "brutal on the street but great on the track". Race track is pushing to the absolute limit at all times. If you do that on the street you wont be around long.
BUT, you can do the one that feels best for you. To me, 1st can only go so low before it is useless for anything other than to loop you on your head. (its a torquey bike).
But on the street, its only your preference. Lap times dont matter. Go with what you want, but mileage also suffers with more revs. (more open throttle)
Again its a 2 edged sword. As you get faster as a racer, you go UP in gearing to match your higher corner speed. This is not as useful on the street since you are not circulating the same group of turns constantly.
No matter what anyone says, street and racing are 2 seperate sets of goal. Whats good on track should be awful on the street & vise versa.
Any moto mag review will say "brutal on the street but great on the track". Race track is pushing to the absolute limit at all times. If you do that on the street you wont be around long.
BUT, you can do the one that feels best for you. To me, 1st can only go so low before it is useless for anything other than to loop you on your head. (its a torquey bike).
But on the street, its only your preference. Lap times dont matter. Go with what you want, but mileage also suffers with more revs. (more open throttle)
03-05-2014, 11:48 AM
#34
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Superstock
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Seattle
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One of the things that you won't know until you try it is which gearing works better for which tracks.
Even on a short track, sometimes taller or stock gearing may allow you to stay in the same gear longer, where a shorter gearing may require you to shift back and forth a lot, say between 2nd and 3rd.
Again, that depends on corner speeds on a specific track. Take any extra front sprockets with you, and change at the track during practice to see which works better.
Even on a short track, sometimes taller or stock gearing may allow you to stay in the same gear longer, where a shorter gearing may require you to shift back and forth a lot, say between 2nd and 3rd.
Again, that depends on corner speeds on a specific track. Take any extra front sprockets with you, and change at the track during practice to see which works better.
03-05-2014, 07:13 PM
#35
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I've been running 15/43 for 5 or 6 years now and last fall when that drive finally wore out I put the stock gearing back on the bike and absolutely love how it feels!That said all my riding is street/twisties and it's better stock!
03-05-2014, 08:41 PM
#36
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ive heard a few people say after they went back to stock they liked it better. ill have to see because my main problem with the stock gearing was around the track. ill deffinatley ride it out for a while as ive only been to button willow here in CA. but my buddies go to tracks all season long to thunderhill, big willow, chuckwalla, streets of willow, etc. and some are pretty fast tracks so ill wait to see how the stock gearing does there. they do a pretty good split of fast tracks and tight tracks so the stock gearing might be a good compromise. then maybe once i have more skills than horse power, ill make use of better gearing for each track.
Last edited by jscobey; 03-05-2014 at 10:43 PM.
03-05-2014, 10:25 PM
#37
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To really nit pick, you will need different gearing at the same track as you learn it better. I have found that lower gearing will be a bit more forgiving as missing a shift you still have better drive (vs same bike with taller gear).
Dont over think it. A better rider will go faster on crappy gearing so the best gear to change it the one in the helmet.
Dont over think it. A better rider will go faster on crappy gearing so the best gear to change it the one in the helmet.
03-05-2014, 10:43 PM
#38
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meant to say once i have MORE skills than horsepower..
so i totally agree that rider ability and knowledge trumps bike performance every time. ill be damned if some of the fastest guys at the track were on 10-15 year old bikes. likewise some of the slowest, and also majority of C group were on $20,000 duc's and S1000RR's.
one of my favorite sayings "It's better to ride a slow bike fast, than a fast bike slow"
so i totally agree that rider ability and knowledge trumps bike performance every time. ill be damned if some of the fastest guys at the track were on 10-15 year old bikes. likewise some of the slowest, and also majority of C group were on $20,000 duc's and S1000RR's.
one of my favorite sayings "It's better to ride a slow bike fast, than a fast bike slow"
03-25-2014, 05:49 PM
#39
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Squid
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 6
The stock gearing on the VTR sucks. Ive recently started doing trackdays on my VTR and originally started with stock gearing, at this track in New Zealand.
I have run around 100 laps on stock gearing and best time was around 1min 23, but coming onto the main straight was a low speed 1st gear corner then a drag race down to the loop, which has about a 160km entry speed, but I could get the big bitch past 4th gear at 220kmh,(clocked) at my brake point. Castrol and the esses were 3rd gear corners but motor was below optimum revs to punch out of the corners. Next meeting I changed to 15/43, and holy hell did that wake her up, same entry speed onto the straight, but by the track entrance,(opposite castrol bend) I was shifting to 6th gear and at braking point was doing 235kmh (clocked), not that big a difference in speed but the acceleration to get there was awesum. Thru castrol and the esses 3rd gear was great, the revs had shifted up to a point I was making some real power and I was actually laying down black marks powering out. Laptimes were now down to consistent 1min 15s and a best of 1 min 13.8 sec.
On that track the change in gearing was brilliant, do I like it on the road...Still undecided, I can now use 6th gear to overtake, but I find Im now a bit heavier handed enjoying the new found getup and go that my fuel economy has dropped from not much to non existant. I think 15/41 would be better compromise for road work. But opinions on gearing and tyres are like arseholes, Everybody has one and most of them stink.
What feels right for me mightn't suit the next person.
I have run around 100 laps on stock gearing and best time was around 1min 23, but coming onto the main straight was a low speed 1st gear corner then a drag race down to the loop, which has about a 160km entry speed, but I could get the big bitch past 4th gear at 220kmh,(clocked) at my brake point. Castrol and the esses were 3rd gear corners but motor was below optimum revs to punch out of the corners. Next meeting I changed to 15/43, and holy hell did that wake her up, same entry speed onto the straight, but by the track entrance,(opposite castrol bend) I was shifting to 6th gear and at braking point was doing 235kmh (clocked), not that big a difference in speed but the acceleration to get there was awesum. Thru castrol and the esses 3rd gear was great, the revs had shifted up to a point I was making some real power and I was actually laying down black marks powering out. Laptimes were now down to consistent 1min 15s and a best of 1 min 13.8 sec.
On that track the change in gearing was brilliant, do I like it on the road...Still undecided, I can now use 6th gear to overtake, but I find Im now a bit heavier handed enjoying the new found getup and go that my fuel economy has dropped from not much to non existant. I think 15/41 would be better compromise for road work. But opinions on gearing and tyres are like arseholes, Everybody has one and most of them stink.
What feels right for me mightn't suit the next person.
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