Gearing Pregunta

[gsatterw]

So I'm running 14t/41t i believe. Is this gearing too extreme/am I not getting the full benefit of the engines power band by chewing through rpm's so quickly? I know I'm getting robbed on gas mileage. The bike feels pretty torquey (running a v&h exhaust with lunchbox, rejetted to my satisfaction) but for some reason I feel like I can get more useable power out of the engine by backing off on the gearing a bit? Thoughts? Opinions?

Thanks, Graham

[Janx101]

well stock is 16/39 ............. search around on here and you find a lot of comments on how riders want to get more torque and better response by doing similar to what you currently have .. maybe not 14t front as thats kinda small ...

i run stock sprockets and have no real complaints apart from some long straight hills i ride occasionally the bike does labour a bit if i dont bother changing gears .. but it does have me on it... about 140kg/340lbs with gear ...

not hackin on your dilemma but mostly i dont see the need to change from stock sprockets... all this 15/40 and 15/41 'better for the takeoff, faster in the ride' ... tis a gs500 roadie!... not a GP at catalunya with a race team chasing 100ths or 1000ths!

[RossLH]

14/41 I'm sure you get a hell of a start on that thing, but once you get moving the benefit is kinda lost. Unless you go uphill.....everywhere.

[gsatterw]

starts very quickly, but then i have to get out of 1st so quickly and I feel like i run out of gears pretty quickly. Stunned to find myself in 5th sometimes not on the highway

[mister]

starts very quickly, but then i have to get out of 1st so quickly and I feel like i run out of gears pretty quickly. Stunned to find myself in 5th sometimes not on the highway

I was gonna say... don't you wanna use first gear? With those sprockets you could take off in 2nd without problem.

The only advantage to a smaller front sprocket is in initial take off. After that, there is no real advantage as the same rpms can be achieved by riding one gear lower in stock.

Michael

[gsatterw]

It does take off in 2nd pretty easily, just not as much "umph". 2nd also feels slightly gutless until i hit like 7k rpm's. I think i should start thinking about a bigger bike :/

[bombsquad83]

I would suggest going to 15/39.  Gives pretty good torque of the line, but doesn't run out of gears so quickly.  You can cruise at 70 mph at about 6.5k rpm.  Your gearing is pretty crazy low.  I can't imagine what kind of mileage you are getting.  You probably cruise around with the bike at 6k rpm all the time!  I get to 5th gear in town sometimes with 15/39, if it's a 40-45 mph speed limit.

[gsatterw]

yea...im getting like 40 mpg tops

[DoD#i]

It does take off in 2nd pretty easily, just not as much "umph". 2nd also feels slightly gutless until i hit like 7k rpm's. I think i should start thinking about a bigger bike :/

Well, you do sound like someone who just wants a bigger bike... Given that 16/39 and the stock 40-45 horsepower is quite adequate to smoke a Porsche off the line. But.

running a v&h exhaust with lunchbox, rejetted to my satisfaction

I'd like to point out that the two things I've bolded may be more related than the people that sell aftermarket exhaust would care to point out. You generally get some more horsepower in a narrow band, and worse overall performance. My avatar is how I greatly improved my stock exhaust which Clever Previous Owner had removed the rear baffle of to "open it up." The broad-band performance improved hugely.

[gsatterw]

I just feel like my little gs is working really hard when I twist the throttle to get the response i want, which is why I started modifying it in the first place. After each mod I was really happy with the improvements, but then I would get used to them and it would feel normal. For a gs500 to beat a porsche off the line, you need to really put the bike through hell, and I feel like when I run the bike that hard I'm ruining its longevity. I'm just thinking I want a bike that that could smoke a porsche off the line and not feel like I'm about to blow the engine up. I don't like feeling like I'm wringing the thing's neck.

Further, whats wrong with a larger bike? I know this is a gs500 forum (and dont get me wrong I love this place and all them helpful people) but i feel like everyone is seriously against anything larger than a 500cc bike.

[Worm]

I just feel like my little gs is working really hard when I twist the throttle to get the response i want, which is why I started modifying it in the first place. After each mod I was really happy with the improvements, but then I would get used to them and it would feel normal. For a gs500 to beat a porsche off the line, you need to really put the bike through hell, and I feel like when I run the bike that hard I'm ruining its longevity. I'm just thinking I want a bike that that could smoke a porsche off the line and not feel like I'm about to blow the engine up. I don't like feeling like I'm wringing the thing's neck.

Further, whats wrong with a larger bike? I know this is a gs500 forum (and dont get me wrong I love this place and all them helpful people) but i feel like everyone is seriously against anything larger than a 500cc bike.

I don't think anyone here is against larger bikes. I think most people here are happy with what they have but if supersport performance is what you want, get a supersport bike. You're wasting money on the GS trying to get that kind of performance that will never happen.

I went to Indy Motor Speedway this weekend for the Red Bull MotoGP and sat on a CBR600RR that I would love to have. That thing is almost 100lbs lighter than the GS and about 3 times the horsepower. I would have one if I could afford it. I only ride a few miles a day so the comfort would not be an issue for me. Just have to take inventory of what you are really looking for, then find the bike that fits that list.

[DoD#i]

Yep. I, Myself, downsized from 2 650s (the one left in the sig can do about 100 hp since it has a turbo, when its not being a garage lurker, which is what it's been for too many years and may stay) to the GS.

That does not mean I think everyone should - I think anyone who wants to mod the hell out of a GS to make lots more power is going to be a lot happier and spend less money if they perform the modification by removing the keychain from the gs, Sliding the GS out from under the keychain, sliding a 600 supersport or 1000+ sport-tourer under the keychain, and attaching the keychain to the key of the new bike.

I actually came close to getting two different 1200s before I got the 650 turbo, but the FJ1200 the guy opted to keep after all, and the Kawasaki monster sport-tourer I forget the name of right now was irritatingly hot to ride with the liquid cooling and radiator placement, and too tall, top heavy and piggish for my medium-height self to be happy with.

As compared to my 1982 era bikes, the GS is much lighter, has better suspension, and sucks way less gas than the turbo (40 mpg on a good day.) Plus, it actually has spare parts. You get all that (well, probably not better milage, come to think of it) and way more ponies moving from a GS to a CBR600 or R6 or whatever else I haven't been paying attention to in the 4 cylinder water cooled fuel injected bikes that are out there now. If it's what you want, go to it. I can't get excited about the contorted position those things require, but I'm old.

There is little room for improvement of the gs, and not much reliability in the motor if you do manage to up the horses much. If you wanna go faster, there are bikes for that. On the other hand, there's nothing to indicate that a GS in proper tune minds pulling to 9000 7 days a week. The Porsche will pass you when air resistance becomes a bigger factor at higher speeds, but I stick to going from zero to the speed limit as fast as possible, and leave the guy with the small pee pee in the Porsche to pay the speeding fines if he wants to go faster than that...

[gsatterw]

I've got my eye on some form of triumph triple. They sound sooooooooooooo nice. I like the speed triple, but I can't stand that goofy headlight. Gonna have to test ride the shat out of some bikes i suppose. I'm definitely gonna stick with the gs for another year at least, I have no $$$ at the moment and she is just what I need for school.