motorpsycho
Active Member
if you go to a bigger sprocket you will lose top speed but gain bottom end torque. the bike will be quicker (from 0 to top speed) meaning that it will get from 0 to top speed alot faster. but your top speed will drop from (for example) from 30 mph with a 41 tooth down to about 25 mph with a 56 tooth
if you go to a smaller sprocket, you will lose bottom end torque but gain top speed. the bike will be slower on take off and you would probably have to peddle to keep the engine fron dying. think of taking off from a stop, in a stick shift car, in 3rd gear. it will be very slow to accelerate, you'd have to feather the heck out of the clutch and work the throttle, but eventually it will get up to speed.
you can also alter your gear ratio by tire and wheel sizes. going to a smaller diameter rear wheel and tire will give you more bottom end / acceleration, but less top end speed. going to a bigger diameter rear wheel and tire will take away from the acceleration, but give you slightly more top speed. but, if you go from a 26.5 inch tall tire to a 27 inch tall tire, you won't see much difference. the change in wheel and tire size has to be drastic to see a big difference (like going from a 26" wheel to a 20" wheel).
the only way to get the best of both worlds is with a shift kit....but a shift kit can set you back double of what a new engine kit will cost you.
if you go to a smaller sprocket, you will lose bottom end torque but gain top speed. the bike will be slower on take off and you would probably have to peddle to keep the engine fron dying. think of taking off from a stop, in a stick shift car, in 3rd gear. it will be very slow to accelerate, you'd have to feather the heck out of the clutch and work the throttle, but eventually it will get up to speed.
you can also alter your gear ratio by tire and wheel sizes. going to a smaller diameter rear wheel and tire will give you more bottom end / acceleration, but less top end speed. going to a bigger diameter rear wheel and tire will take away from the acceleration, but give you slightly more top speed. but, if you go from a 26.5 inch tall tire to a 27 inch tall tire, you won't see much difference. the change in wheel and tire size has to be drastic to see a big difference (like going from a 26" wheel to a 20" wheel).
the only way to get the best of both worlds is with a shift kit....but a shift kit can set you back double of what a new engine kit will cost you.