My 2013 Bonneville has a Tec Tracker exhaust, K&N air filter, removed AI and 02 sensors with a custom tune. Lots of weight reduction with other bits and pieces. However, it still feels gutless low down which is where I'd prefer to have some power, but picks up well higher in the rev range. So long as I can cruise at 80 I'd be happy to lose some top end if I can get more lower to mid range. Has anyone played about with their gearing? If I went down a tooth on the front sprocket or up 1 or 2 on the rear would it have much effect? Cheers
I was riding a Thruxton 1200s, and haven't ridden the Bonnie for a few weeks, so it could just be being used to the torque of the Thruxton. I was just thinking that the chain and sprockets might come up for replacement anyway in the next year or so and thought it might be a cheap improvement. I don't really tour or anything, so as long as it can hold 80 without too much buzzing I would be happy to lose some top end. I'm not too worried really. I'm very happy with the Bonnie and see it as a do everything kind of bike that is just really easy to ride. Cheers
Just to chip in, racing this year has shown me how much different the bike is by just changing 1 tooth on the back (1 on front is worth 3 on back), my Bandit 600 normally runs 14/48 for tracks without massive straights, 14/47 for most others, Snetterton was the only one where I dropped to 14/46, gearing is always a bit of a compromise, the bike comes out of corners much better with 14/48 but revs out much quicker, as they say, 'you pays your money'. I know it is cheaper & easier to change the front than the rear, but with a reduction of 1 tooth on the front being equivalent to 3 more on rear, it is quite a big step, just food for thought.
Never tried it mate, but strangely I can kind of see how that would work, sometimes I have been able to pull top down a particular straight, then later in the day the wind picks up & it simply slows down if you select top.
I normally go with the one down on the front for most sports bikes on the road but my current Speed Twin is the first bike i'm going to go one up as soon as the sprocket gets here will post my thought as soon as it's done.
Thanks all, and special thanks to Half Ton for the offer of a sprocket. I'll mull it all over and have a think but I'll probably wait until the chain and sprockets need doing in any case, unless I get bored over winter.
I agree with the points already made but let's not forget one quite major point; Final drive gearing is a ratio but as it is set against a multiple ratio gearbox there is more to consider. Not only do the ratios go up or down, depending on whether you increase or decrease the tooth count, but the gaps themselves grow or shrink. A drastic gearing down will give you a CLOSER ratio box. Obviously the inverse is also true. When doing enduros I used to go for the lowest gearing possible whilst still aiming to be quick enough on the fire roads.
