High 5 gear versus 18 tooth drive question

Buzz · Full Member Joined: Jun 27, 2005 Posts: 37

I been running an 18 tooth drive sprocket for some time and it works well in 5th gear and cruises well at 65 to 70 mph. Unfortunately is tends to be sluggish off the line. I'm rebuilding a new engine with a 750 KIT from Mike's. I also purchased 24 tooth 5th gear to replace the 23 tooth stock gear. This will be used with the stock 17 tooth sprocket. This requires me to part the case. before I attempt doing this, has anyone installed this gear and is it worth the trouble?

Buzz

xsjohn

Mikes gear will effect 5th less that going to the 18 from 17 in 5th.....so changing out the 18 gear and going to a 17 will lower 1st gear and 5th will be a bit lower than before .....with mikes gear.........take off's in first and the lower rpms on mine are improved by retardig the timing slightly...............

Everyone will have a different response to this post for sure......s*** I run 18/29 ........and love it....always have a gear that is usefull......

xsjohn

jimmythetrucker · Full Member Joined: Mar 12, 2008 Posts: 1283

I ran 18 and 32 teeth on my '79 and loved it. I had a beautiful cruising speed.

Just the other day there was a buncha people here crying about vibration in the XS650. I had vibration in my '79 as long as I ran 17 and 34 teeth sprockets. When I changed to 18 and 32, the vibration all but disappeared. I still had plenty of power in the lower gears, but the stock carbs I was running didn't let me realize my top end.

My bike actually ran faster in fourth gear than in fifth. I could get 90 mph in fourth but, when I shifted to fifth, it wouldn't pull faster than 80 mph. The stock carbs just weren't good enough. I plan to get past that limitation this time with a set of VM34s, still with 18 and 32 teeth sprockets.

I don't know how John can run up to redline in fifth gear with 18 pulling 29 teeth. He must have done something with those carbs. John?

xsjohn

Never been over 85 mph on mine since I've had it.........

The engineers that made these said redline was 7000+ or what ever.....I know better and 5500 is not even good for them....pressed cranks and all that crap.........wallow the thing to death..........and hopping these up is about the ....I won't say it............setting them up to run a bit freeer is a much more satisifying ride..........not the American way though.......MORE MORE MORE........for god sake.............all the valves clattering from big cams and pistons slapping from the extra compression......been at this too long for all that crap........

xsjohn

jimmythetrucker · Full Member Joined: Mar 12, 2008 Posts: 1283

xsjohn wrote:

Never been over 85 mph on mine since I've had it.........xsjohn

Well, that explains it. If you've never run it over 85 mph, you wouldn't have the problem. But my engine wasn't souped up at all. Everything was stock, including the carbs, which, as I said, weren't up to the job. They were fine as long as I had 17 pulling 34 teeth. I could twist it right up to redline in fifth. But when I changed the sprockets, I no longer had the power to do that.

xs1961

All mine geared at 18/30 or18/29 will blow any standard geared XS's with stock carbs/pipes around here.. To make the most of performance(if thats what you want) then better carbs & pipes are a must..Look at my vid and see how well mine goes on raised gearing , that was just a 1/4 mile run-up ..
I never take mine over 85 either if I can help it john, thats more than plenty for a 650 - the 840's were a different matter.. Wink

JVM650 · Full Member Joined: Jun 23, 2008 Posts: 19

I have the stock gearing, what ever that is, on my 81 and I get to 115- 120MPH and just over 8000RPM

jimmythetrucker · Full Member Joined: Mar 12, 2008 Posts: 1283

If you're getting 120 mph at redline, you ain't got stock gearing.

JVM650 · Full Member Joined: Jun 23, 2008 Posts: 19

Redline is 7500 and I am getting just over 8000 17/34 gearing from Mikes XS

xs1961

Heck, hell of a top gear then ! 8000 - I wouldnt dare.. Shocked

yamaman

Can always up the anti with some new primary gears, Mikes 5th gear & 18-29

www.xs650.org.au/Racers.htm

schtipp

man you couldn't get me to go past 75 on this bike. it's not designed for it. it's all loose in the front and the back. i hope that you hopped up the swing arm and stiffened up the front end. your going to hurt yourself or someone else. ever considered what happens when your 27 year old engine blows up at 120 MPH 500 rpm's past redline? BAD things man, very bad things. don't take me the wrong way, you can go fast. but get a bike that's designed for it. what your doing is like driving a ford focus 140 down the expressway. Sad

yamaman

Ya sissy

xsjohn · Last edited by xsjohn on August 6, 2009, 12:26 pm; edited 1 time in total

Think most don't get what the taller gearing is about.........not speed or anything like that ......it's about letting the engine settle down in high gear and pull you along without reving it's self to death.......

And schtipp is right .....I have never been over 80 on mine and don't intend to.........just cruise along a 65 on the express at 3500 and be done with it.............

If a person want's a hot rod then go buy a hot rod.......that simple.........

And these have a funked close ratio trans.........designed by an idiot.....1st gets too high when 5th is correct for express cruising...........18/29 is a good compromise.......spose mikes gear would make that even better.......unless you eat too much........ Laughing

just go off the express and looked at mine in 5th gear 2900 at 50 and 3500 at 65........and 4th is what 5th used to be .......

Just saw a pristine Kawasaki 1100 for 1000 dollars.........could easily spend a 1000 on these and still never have a half decent hot rod.......just a hot running clanking vibrating piece of junk....in my opinion..........

xsjohn

yamaman · Last edited by yamaman on August 6, 2009, 12:37 pm; edited 1 time in total

If your happy with what you've got, thats all thats important!

The beauty of these bikes, you can moto cross them, speedway them, road race, cafe, chop, bob, stock or even turn them into a cruiser!
And they perform pretty bloody good in all these roles!

The only time mine goes over 7000 rpm is down the back straight (guessing I'm doing around 110+ mph), the rest of the time it's pulling along great between 4500 & 7000.

The XS makes a great hot rod!

xsjohn · Last edited by xsjohn on August 6, 2009, 12:43 pm; edited 1 time in total

Guess when we get a little older and have ridden over a half million miles on motorcycles we can start to prefer something with a bit more more sophication....... but not to get too carried away with that either..... Laughing

And if you bought a car that turned 5000 rpm on the express you might take it back to the dealer or maybe shift to a higher gear....... Laughing

When I lived in Orlando my mother drove my 289 mustang to Miami in drive 2 (second only) .......she said it was a real peppy car.... Laughing

yamaman

Here you go old boy Laughing

Sophisticated enough for ya? Laughing

xsjohn

Got one ........it's called an XS650.......... Laughing

jayel

yamaman wrote:

Here you go old boy Laughing

Sophisticated enough for ya? Laughing

gotta watch those the front end looks floppy maybe a tapered bearing kit?

jerseykat1 · Full Member Joined: May 03, 2009 Posts: 79

Well I just switched to a 18/30 and I love it. Retarded the timing a bit, and the freakin thing is a torque monster. It feels faster, without the illusion you get from the engine reving so quickly through the gears, but it really feels faster I mean I get to 40 mph quicker actually sometimes before I realize it and that's only second gear. Had her out on a moderate speed highway (50 mph speed limit) and I couldn't get her into 5th gear because the traffic was not allowing me to go faster than 55. Ok enough with the BS. I highly reccoment this. Only small drawback is that you need to be quicker and more precise with the clutch in 1st gear if you plan on doing a green light launch to get in front of the traffic, it doesn't quite launch as hard as stock until you get past 5-7 mph then it just takes off like a muscle car and not needing a shift til about 25-30 mph (if you wind it out). You probably can launch it as hard as stock, It's just that I don't feel comfortable with slipping the clutch that much with the taller gearing, feels like clutch abuse LOL. I am thinking 18/31 or maybe 18/32 with mikes 5th gear might make these things a all around fast bike. But I LOVE my 18/30 set up, and will never go back.

Joseph · Full Member Joined: May 22, 2007 Posts: 767 Location: NY

I have a 1980 with 17t front and 30t rear. I couldn't imagine 4th not being as fast as 5th although I know for some that is the case with taller gears. I have stock carbs and weigh about 200lbs. I just went back to smaller main jets and noticed I have to wind it up a bit more to take off in 1st. 5th still has plenty of power and for me is faster than 4th feels like it should as far as gear changes and speeds and power. 4krpm is 65mph. Id try the 18//30 combo next would never go back to less than 17/30.

nj1639

jerseykat1 wrote:

Well I just switched to a 18/30 and I love it. Retarded the timing a bit, and the freakin thing is a torque monster. It feels faster, without the illusion you get from the engine reving so quickly through the gears, but it really feels faster I mean I get to 40 mph quicker actually sometimes before I realize it and that's only second gear. Had her out on a moderate speed highway (50 mph speed limit) and I couldn't get her into 5th gear because the traffic was not allowing me to go faster than 55. Ok enough with the BS. I highly reccoment this. Only small drawback is that you need to be quicker and more precise with the clutch in 1st gear if you plan on doing a green light launch to get in front of the traffic, it doesn't quite launch as hard as stock until you get past 5-7 mph then it just takes off like a muscle car and not needing a shift til about 25-30 mph (if you wind it out). You probably can launch it as hard as stock, It's just that I don't feel comfortable with slipping the clutch that much with the taller gearing, feels like clutch abuse LOL. I am thinking 18/31 or maybe 18/32 with mikes 5th gear might make these things a all around fast bike. But I LOVE my 18/30 set up, and will never go back.

Aye, a couple of smart lads. And ya never even get close to red line. Great, ennit?

mikeava · Full Member Joined: Jul 05, 2008 Posts: 18

went from 17/34 jumped to 17/30 worked my way right back up to 17/34. with 17/32 i could beat out a 2003 750 honda shadow, with the 17/34 i could completely dust it, and 2009 450 4wheelers off the line and the whole way up.

needless to say i'm sold on the 17/34 Smile

still, i do agree that the 5 gear is retardly close.

that being said, so anyone got a report on using the mike's replacement 5th? Smile

What Happened to 650rider.com?

Yamaha xs650