48 tooth rear sprocket
 

Running 16/46 need a new rear sprocket. Was thinking of trying the 48 tooth. Anyone ever run one? What did think about it?

I believe if you are going for lower gearing than what you have already.... It may be more prudent to just drop one tooth in front, and go back to a 41 tooth in the rear, or at most 15/43, for lower yet.
I prefer stock gearing, but YMMV, as it is personal preferance.

I've ran 16/46 sence I got the bike rit around 3 years ago now. Always liked it, just wanted to try something new I guess lol. Actually ive never changed anything on the bike except levers an oil =p
Thanx for your thoughts

I guess I want to ask why would you want to do that. Do you do prolonged wheelies or stunting? I can't think of a single reason to be at that gearing. Have you ever tried stock gearing or 16/43?

No it was 16/46 wen i bought it. I don't stunt but wld like to start I think lol. I cld try stock. Like i said had the same set up sence I bought it was just looking to try something new. Over all plan at the moment i have in mind is drop triple trees about 1/4 inch down, soften suspension, 16/48 mayb 15/48 Idk just brain storming here.

Sorry I have nothing to add to this conversation, what you have now and what you're proposing have no basis in reality or common sense. In my humble opinion!

Wow that was like the most passive aggressive thing I've ever heard lol. I'm obviously listening if youd care to elaborate? I'm here to learn.

Well I'll ask again have you ever tried stock gearing or even 16/43?

I'll also ask this again, why do you want that kind of gearing?

Not much aggression there.

Like I said in my first reply no I've never tried another gearing had 16/46 wen I bought it an haven't changed it, might b worth a try. Wich leads to 2nd part wanna change it just to try something new its grown kinda stale after 3 years.

Havoc, after having lived on this BB for a while, some of the things I've learned are:

Going to that big of a rear sprocket will change the angle of the chain, pulling it down towards the swingarm.

Most people go to the 15/43 (-1 +2) when they want lower gearing. This setup will allow you to use a stock length chain, as well as shortening the wheelbase, which will make your turn in quicker.

Others want just a little lower, so they use a 16/43, still the stock chain, about the same wheelbase.

The thumb rule is, 1 tooth in the front equals 3 in the rear.

For stunting, if you are interested, this bike has plenty of torque. The stock gearing is more than adequate. I have a friend who owned a SH years ago. He told me that a multiple mile ride on the rear wheel was easy to do.

There are MULTIPLE threads about sprockets, who has what opinion about what is best. One member runs a 17 in the front, it suits his riding. Give a search and you will get plenty of reading.

Erik

Let's look at a couple of other things too:

Generally if your rear sprocket needs to be replaced, your front sprocket and chain should be replaced too. The chain may look OK, but it will wear out the next sprocket much faster if you don't replace it.

While the torque on this bike is decent for stunting, it's not necessarily the best bike to do the job. The front cylinder is depraved of oil when it sits in the air for a long period of time via prolonged wheelie (at least this is what I've read, I cannot say I've seen any evidence of this)

Also, any speed you thought you were going up to this point, you were going much slower than that ;)

Reasons to drop to 16/43 from 16/46: You don't have that massive momentum gyro in the back. Your first gear can be used on the big boy streets and not just to get out of the driveway. You can use the stock length chain and shorten your wheelbase a touch (making turn-in slightly faster, and slightly more fun!)

If you want a similar ratio that you have now, go to 15/43. The acceleration that you're used to feeling will still be there, but with less weight.

This forum has a lot of racers, commuters, and canyon carvers so the stunting gearing doesn't get much love.

Thanx for the info erik. That wld Deffenetly solve the what chain do I use issue. I seen in those threads lots of people use the 16/46 and was gonna switch to that when I first bought the bike. Then realized I already had this so never changed it.

I kind of wonder if 16/43 wld feel more or less responsive after running the 16/46 for so long, or if id even notice?

Well just as I post my last reply I got an answer to the " wld it feel less responsive" question lol. Thanx 7moore7

Have a look here Gearing Commander: Motorcycle Speed, RPM, Chain & Sprockets Calculator to figure out the real world difference with the various options on gearing... You won't loose much in acceleration by doing that change, but you will get a speedo that reads remotely true, and you will get full usage of the entire gearbox...

Another note, you said "softening" the suspension... That sounds very, very odd to me... If you are anything above 110 pounds, the stock suspension is already way too soft and wobbly... The rear is a bit harsh and noticably firmer than the front, but neither really needs to be softer... They need to be at the correct firness and level of controlled movement for your actual weight though, and if you aren't extremely lightweight, that's almost certainly firmer... Although it can certainly feel like you need it softer if the bike is getting twitchy because you are a lot heavier than intended...

Awsome link tweety, always helpfull thank you.

As for suspension that might b the case, I'm around 225lbs 5'10" tall.

Wat did you think about dropping triple trees down 1/4 to 1/2 inch? I'm hearing it makes cornering tight an snappy

At 225 you are heavier than me, and I can tell you without any question, that making the suspension softer is a very, very good way of getting hurt... It's not a good idea at all, since it's desperataly undersprung for you as it is...

You will end up grinding the header wide open if you drop the fork like that on the stock springs... I can promise you it's a very bad idea since the ground clearance is going to suffer big time...

Go 16/43 with stock length 102 link chain. Shortens wheelbase slightly. Shim the rear shock to raise it a bit. This slightly decreases the rake for that faster turn-in that you want without sacrificing ground clearance (and adding to it a bit). It will transfer the weight to the front a bit too, which won't be good with the stock shocks valved/sprung as they are.

But don't just go willy nilly changing the geometry of the bike, especially in big jumps. Everything you do affects wheelbase/weight distribution/rake/trail etc. and you're doing more than just "making cornering tight and snappy" when you change things.

Did I just see Tweety get all nice and cozy w/ a not-so-newby proposing something downright silly???:lol::lol:

Did the earths magnetic field flip without me knowing? This forum never ceases to entertain!

:laughing2::laughing2::laughing2::laughing2:

The guy still hasn't answered the question of why he wants to do a larger sprocket given he's never tried a lower sprocket. What does he think he's gaining, does he want to eliminate first gear altogether and make his bird a 5 spd?

Well... not-so-new or not... Softening the suspension is a baaad idea at that weight, so my main concern was having him stay healthy... I can always yell at him later... ;)

Are you riding a SH? Just asking because you state lots of people run 16\46 gearing but yet you are the first I have ever heard of trying to run that large of a rear sprocket.

@ tweety this is true can't yell at me if I'm dead lol.thanx tho hadn't considered that.

@ hawk, I know its been awhile sence I've been on but wen I first join sh forum seemed like everyone was running 16/46. There threads upon threads of people running 16/46 or atleast claiming to.

@ 7moore7 thank you I am considering it.

@ hrca I've said it quite a few times. Was just looking to try something new thought it might b fun. Wasn't sure so I asked an got my answer.

@

I looked, I searched and I could find mention of anything higher than 45. So maybe, just maybe, you think you read 46 a bunch, however, in the gearing threads, you won't find mention of a 46 rear gear.

Lots of 15/43, 16/41 and 16/43 usage.

I may be wrong, quite possibly. Just show me. I just didn't see the .

Lol yeah I'm not searching over 500 pages of sprocket post's to pull some links I'm sure you can google it ;p but any rate i know wat i saw, an thats why I wanted it. found out it was already on the bike so kept it.

Actually if you do google it, and specifically search this site for anything related to 45-46-47-48-49-50 tooth sprockets, and all the other comnbinations of words which can be used for that, you find exactly two threads... As in this one, and more where gearing is discussed, and a 46 tooth sprocket is used as an extreme example, ie mentioned specifically as a bad idea since it throws the gearing way off, and needs a longer chain...

Hence, the claim is considered refuted, unless you can provide a link... ;)

+1

opinions are like assholes, everyone has one. Me too and mine is as follows:

don't be afraid to experiment with gearing, geometry, or anything. If you are afraid, stick with convention because you may fuck yourself or you bike up and there will be no one to blame but yourself. If your aren't afraid of being a bit of a test pilot, carry on.

Don't lower the front without at least matching your fork springs to your weight unless you're willing to open up the underside of your header pipe. I thought I could get away with it since i got my ass-end jacked up severely plus a 190/55 Q2. Still scraped on a smooth road at near full lean. Definitely got my attention.....boot first, then metal scrape. Put it back to OEM for now but may go back to 5mm drop since i liked the geometry better. I used to scrape my old Norton's megaphones flat and often slide out a bit, but things were much cheaper to replace back in the day.

Gearing wise, I wouldn't hesitate to change it. Mine is 15/44, 520. 100 links and i wouldn't change it albeit for touring or track day, i.e., specific to configuration. With 100 links, the axle is almost up to max forward which is where i like it for added agility in the twisties. However this raises other concerns with swingarm movement but that's a different topic.

Anyway, you say you want to try 16/48..... don't know myself, but you may like it. It wouldn't cost much to try it without changing the other components if they're not too worn. You can visually examine the teeth and pull the chain back at the middle/rear of your big sprocket to find out easily. If it pulls away from the teeth too much, zee chain, she is caput.

@hrca
so what did you end up with? like or dislike?

@anyone, what sprocket configuration do you like, and WHY?

about me:
I ride freeways 100+ mph frequently so I dont want to give too many rpms winding up engine more and killing gas mileage. also I like to do power wheelies and havent achieved doing so in 2nd gear with my stock sprocket config.