15 / 48 Gearing
Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 10:52 am
Don't do it ! It's shite !! 
Have bundles of front n rear sprockets for the bike but have never gotten around to experimenting with them until today !
With this set up the standard chain is on it's very first adjustment setting so plenty room for stretch
Initially fron cold I felt nothing , all the low down grunt has been lost, as the bike warmed up and I started to thrash it more that went to even lower levels , midrange seems to have a bit more pace about it and the top end is just plain dead !
All in all, it's all show and no go
I was expecting arm wrenching wheelie popping take off's but nadda ! What it does do effectively is hit the rev limiter in every single gear with out hesitation , never had it hit the limiter in 6th before.
From an indicated 130MPH in 4th gear on the redline it is now a baw hair above 110
and well into the red in 6th was struggling to show 130 Normally by the time I am at the top of 5th it is already nudging onto 160 and set to go off the clocks on the next gear change so there is an indicated 30+MPH drop in top end performance so this set up is going. going, gone
I have always stuck with factory gearing in the past and when I built the bike 2yrs ago I remember looking at a gearing calculator and running through the combinations I had available, I can't remember why I came to the descion to use the set-up I chose but can now see I done something right
It's not all nightmare though, cruising at 4K in top you can crack it wide open and it's off up to the redline/ rev limiter like a whippet - just the speed isn't there ! I was constantly looking for another gear. In city traffic it's great for punching your way through with out dropping gears.
All in all, utter poo !
I will be going back to 17/43 , never thought the bike was a slouch , totally impressed with the top end , never struggled in the twisties with it.
Personally I feel the bike has more torque, better engine braking & a higher corner speed too with the 17/43. What I have discovered today though is the 17T needs the sprocket cover modified and will explain why some of the race engines I get just have a metal plate on spacers bolted across the holding plate. I had seen flats develope on the outer edges of the chain and was about it , I discovered today that it has been wearing a channel away into the standard sprocket guard so I may further modify before fitting it back on or come up with another solution.
I guess gearing is down to your riding style as to what you get out of it but I canm't see a tooth either way being at all noticeable , it needs to be something extreme like this to show the benifits/faults . My brain tells me it should be effectively getting to 100mph quicker with the 15/48 set up than the 17/43 but it sure as hell doesn't feel it It's like screaming a twostroke up hill to me 
I do like the Gold sprocket though, almost perfect for the Ohlins so will invest in a 43T
MM!
Have bundles of front n rear sprockets for the bike but have never gotten around to experimenting with them until today !
With this set up the standard chain is on it's very first adjustment setting so plenty room for stretch
Initially fron cold I felt nothing , all the low down grunt has been lost, as the bike warmed up and I started to thrash it more that went to even lower levels
, midrange seems to have a bit more pace about it and the top end is just plain dead !All in all, it's all show and no go
I was expecting arm wrenching wheelie popping take off's but nadda ! What it does do effectively is hit the rev limiter in every single gear with out hesitation , never had it hit the limiter in 6th before.From an indicated 130MPH in 4th gear on the redline it is now a baw hair above 110
and well into the red in 6th was struggling to show 130 Normally by the time I am at the top of 5th it is already nudging onto 160 and set to go off the clocks on the next gear change so there is an indicated 30+MPH drop in top end performance so this set up is going. going, gone I have always stuck with factory gearing in the past and when I built the bike 2yrs ago I remember looking at a gearing calculator and running through the combinations I had available, I can't remember why I came to the descion to use the set-up I chose but can now see I done something right
It's not all nightmare though, cruising at 4K in top you can crack it wide open and it's off up to the redline/ rev limiter like a whippet - just the speed isn't there ! I was constantly looking for another gear. In city traffic it's great for punching your way through with out dropping gears.
All in all, utter poo !
I will be going back to 17/43 , never thought the bike was a slouch , totally impressed with the top end , never struggled in the twisties with it.
Personally I feel the bike has more torque, better engine braking & a higher corner speed too with the 17/43. What I have discovered today though is the 17T needs the sprocket cover modified and will explain why some of the race engines I get just have a metal plate on spacers bolted across the holding plate. I had seen flats develope on the outer edges of the chain and was
about it , I discovered today that it has been wearing a channel away into the standard sprocket guard so I may further modify before fitting it back on or come up with another solution.I guess gearing is down to your riding style as to what you get out of it but I canm't see a tooth either way being at all noticeable , it needs to be something extreme like this to show the benifits/faults . My brain tells me it should be effectively getting to 100mph quicker with the 15/48 set up than the 17/43 but it sure as hell doesn't feel it
It's like screaming a twostroke up hill to me I do like the Gold sprocket though, almost perfect for the Ohlins so will invest in a 43T
MM!
