Trying to figure out Gearing Commander.com

Here's what I don't get.
This is what Gearing Commander says about my selections.
Stock is the bone stock as far as I can tell with all the interchangeable variables

Current is what was suggested to change to when I mentioned to a Service Manager I'd like to change my gearing a lil bit. -1 on drive gear

Custom is what seems to be a popular swap (as far as I can tell) from a few riders here on this site. -1 on Drive and +1 on wheel

I've GPS'ed my bike 6th gear WOT and I am nowhere near it's stock suggested speed at 14,500 RPM.
So, is the sites gearing ratios wrong for our bike, or is it possible that my bike has already had some sort of gearing modification done to it?
I did purchase my bike one owner used in 2010 with 12,000 miles.

I've read just going down -1 on the front is plenty of change for faster acceleration, much easier power wheelieing(SP?), etc.
There's several threads on how different the bike behaves with just the front sprocket change.

IMO, you may want to do that change only/first and see how you like it. You shouldn't have to change the # of links in the chain.

Stock sprockets are 16 front and 46 rear, so you can just count the front. The rear sprocket, it should be stamped in it if its stock (or just count the teeth if its aftermarket).


BTW, I belive the highest HP drops a bit before the Red line so you may want to look into that..

Please post your results...

TownsendsFJR1300 said:

I've read just going down -1 on the front is plenty of change for faster acceleration, much easier power wheelieing(SP?), etc.
There's several threads on how different the bike behaves with just the front sprocket change.

IMO, you may want to do that change only/first and see how you like it. You shouldn't have to change the # of links in the chain.

Stock sprockets are 16 front and 46 rear, so you can just count the front. The rear sprocket, it should be stamped in it if its stock (or just count the teeth if its aftermarket).


BTW, I belive the highest HP drops a bit before the Red line so you may want to look into that..

Please post your results...

Click to expand...

So, it's been a couple weeks that I have been using the -1 front sprocket.
I must say, she's quite perky on the low end and I have accidentally got a small amount of air under the front tire! LOL I really didn't mean to, promise, scared me a lil...
Thanks to GoPro, I have some video to compare the before/after acceleration. I will post these videos after editing.
IMO: Yes I like the acceleration, but I sacrificed top end, and 6th has increased about 1000 RPM (Very rough estimate, as you increase speed, the RPM begins to fluctuate per 10MPH Gain)

I hope that lase sentence made sense, lol. Maybe the Videos will explain it better, I'll post as soon as I am done with them and posted to YouTube.

EDIT: Oh and go ahead and plan on buying some sort of speed correcting device. For my 32.0 Mile drive, the odometer states I've rode about 37 miles.

How's your gas mileage been affected??

iviyth0s said:

How's your gas mileage been affected??

Click to expand...

Honestly, I can't tell at the moment. I'm Tracking my drives via My Tracks application for my phone to help determine my mileage but it's not accurate, I'll try to figure that out next week after my adjustments to the application and I should be pretty close. I'll inform once I know.

DeepEmissions said:

Honestly, I can't tell at the moment. I'm Tracking my drives via My Tracks application for my phone to help determine my mileage but it's not accurate, I'll try to figure that out next week after my adjustments to the application and I should be pretty close. I'll inform once I know.

Click to expand...

Sounds like a plan, I did this for a couple rides to determine my FZ6 (with stock gearing) reports about 5% over what's doing. (aka it's only doing about 95% of what it says)

Let me know, For science! I'll be upping the front, eventually, to 17T since I hear it fixes the inaccuracy and for the lower highway revs.

iviyth0s said:

Sounds like a plan, I did this for a couple rides to determine my FZ6 (with stock gearing) reports about 5% over what's doing. (aka it's only doing about 95% of what it says)

Let me know, For science! I'll be upping the front, eventually, to 17T since I hear it fixes the inaccuracy and for the lower highway revs.

Click to expand...

Yeah 15T only make that inaccuracy worse! lol I found a part of my video where I could use Google Maps and watch the odometer and for 27.1 miles it is 2.7 miles off so, ~10%. My track will make that figure much more accurate though.

DeepEmissions said:

Yeah 15T only make that inaccuracy worse! lol I found a part of my video where I could use Google Maps and watch the odometer and for 27.1 miles it is 2.7 miles off so, ~10%. My track will make that figure much more accurate though.

Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that lol, but I bet you're enjoying the added torqueyness

I eagerly await your results.

To anyone wondering about fuel efficiency, you guys don't even have
to ask, because there HAS to be a difference, but in real world it's hard
to tell because you don't ride at the same speed with the same gear
and same head wind all the time.

I went the other way, +1 on the front, and didn't notice an improvement
in MPG figures but I'm sure the bike needs less fuel turning 300-400 revs
less in top gear at the same speeds.

However, I'm missing the "punch" of the 1st and 2nd gear a lot - it was gutless
stock in reality compared to the 650 twin I owned before, but now it's like the
bike has 400cc.

DeepEmissions said:

Here's what I don't get.
This is what Gearing Commander says about my selections.
Stock is the bone stock as far as I can tell with all the interchangeable variables

Current is what was suggested to change to when I mentioned to a Service Manager I'd like to change my gearing a lil bit. -1 on drive gear

Custom is what seems to be a popular swap (as far as I can tell) from a few riders here on this site. -1 on Drive and +1 on wheel

I've GPS'ed my bike 6th gear WOT and I am nowhere near it's stock suggested speed at 14,500 RPM.
So, is the sites gearing ratios wrong for our bike, or is it possible that my bike has already had some sort of gearing modification done to it?
I did purchase my bike one owner used in 2010 with 12,000 miles.

Click to expand...

Hmm.... so what are your expectations? For one, 6th gear at redline is impossible unless you did it in the driveway.
Is that what you did? I'm not sure which is more unsafe, a tire spinning some crazy speed or man and machine going 135mph... be safe.

I also don't understand the bolded part.
Even with -1 sprocket, there's no way the bike will hit the redline in 6th.

Cortez said:

To anyone wondering about fuel efficiency, you guys don't even have
to ask, because there HAS to be a difference, but in real world it's hard
to tell because you don't ride at the same speed with the same gear
and same head wind all the time.

I went the other way, +1 on the front, and didn't notice an improvement
in MPG figures but I'm sure the bike needs less fuel turning 300-400 revs
less in top gear at the same speeds.

However, I'm missing the "punch" of the 1st and 2nd gear a lot - it was gutless
stock in reality compared to the 650 twin I owned before, but now it's like the
bike has 400cc.

Click to expand...

That'd be because the larger front sprocket cures the speedometer/odometer error so it "appears" the mileage has not improved but really it has. Before it SAID that you were getting XXMPG but now you're actually doing it because it isn't misreporting :thumbup:

iviyth0s said:

That'd be because the larger front sprocket cures the speedometer/odometer error so it "appears" the mileage has not improved but really it has. Before it SAID that you were getting XXMPG but now you're actually doing it because it isn't misreporting :thumbup:

Click to expand...

Actually, mine isn't, I have the very same error as before, probably due to
the ABS and the bike picking up the speed from the ABS sensors or somewhere
else.

Everyone else who did the +1 got a dead on accurate speedo and the
relation between indicated speed and revs remained the same, like I had
on my last bike - but not this time, I got a drop in revs at all speeds
just like the gearing commander says, but I still have the same speedo error.

I've started a whole thread about this but no one could figure out why it's
different for me, and the only difference that people could point to was ABS.

FinalImpact said:

Hmm.... so what are your expectations? For one, 6th gear at redline is impossible unless you did it in the driveway.
Is that what you did? I'm not sure which is more unsafe, a tire spinning some crazy speed or man and machine going 135mph... be safe.

Click to expand...

Well, if I do feel like opening it up some, I make sure it is on a long straight with no vehicles.
I trust my judgement, it's everyone else's judgement I don't trust.
I don't understand how it is impossible? Wide Open Throttle is just that, I never actually hit the red in 6th, it takes forever when the bike is above 100 MPH.
The point is, that I was having trouble understanding the website, because it didn't match stock, or modified with a -15T front sprocket.
I'm also trying to understand, how the bike stock, can have a speedometer so far off. If I remember correctly, speedometers couldn't be greater than 5% ... or maybe someone just told me that, idk... lol.

Cortez said:

To anyone wondering about fuel efficiency, you guys don't even have
to ask...

Click to expand...

Oh I certainly agree, but it'd be nice to have a real world number to baseline off of.
With Florida being the tropical environment that it is, I haven't gotten to ride it much, but I do know how many trips to work I can make with the 16T front sprocket, and I'm pretty sure I will not hit that same number.

Does anyone have suggestions as to a Speed Correcting Device?

Cortez said:

I also don't understand the bolded part.
Even with -1 sprocket, there's no way the bike will hit the redline in 6th.

Click to expand...

Well you know what they say... "Pics or it didn't happen"
Lol but I think everyone is kinda getting off track with what my point was with the OP.
GearingCommander.com seems way off to me on it's numbers.
What if you based you findings on this website, not knowing any better, to try and determine your riding style with the gearing change? You would probably be surprised to find that the site doesn't match real world results.

Of course a perfect match to real world results... Never can happen, there are simply too many variables. But to get you close, it should at least accomplish that.
Am I the only 2007 FZ6 owner who was shocked to GPS his Bike at 70MPH, only to realize his speedometer needed to say 77MPH for that to happen???
Did I buy a fluke stock, way-out-there bike with a glitchy speedometer? It is possible, very possible.
I will say that with a -1 (15T) front sprocket, my engine speed and speedometer match each other perfectly. When I am at 5850RPM's my speedometer is at 70MPH.
Having stated that, makes me think the Speed sensor isn't exactly looking at the turning radius of a wheel to determine my speed. It is most likely, a magnetic sensor on the sprocket shaft (maybe kinda like how ABS works??) that counts the rotations (RPM's) and works out a predetermined formula based on stock figures to get the MPH number and display it to the rider.
That's all bad engineering to me.
What's a GPS cost nowadays? Decent El-Cheap-O for ~$100.
What's a GPS Receiver cost nowadays? ~$30.
Seems to me a deadly accurate set of information being displayed to the rider is a far more worthy selling point than a heated cushion for $250.

Maybe I am alone in that thought...
and if I am, I shall dance!

DeepEmissions said:

GearingCommander.com seems way off to me on it's numbers.

Click to expand...

Speed (GPS) vs revs on my FZ6 and Kawi ER6F matched within 1%
what the website said, and I've done 2 different gearing settings on both.

I have a Speedohealer but I suspect it works the same way. (stock gearing BTW) My 07 was off (reading low)around 5MPH (as I recall) at around 70 MPH, (way too much for me)

On my FZ6, I checked actual speed with a GPS vs reported/speedometer speed (no Speedohealer hooked up yet) at 60 MPH and recorded it.

Each bike will be slightly different, just wear on the tires will affect it..

I adjusted the Speedohealer, not with the chart, but just fine tuned it to the bike.

With the older rear tire on the bike at the time (years ago) it was reading low by maybe .3 MPH at 60MPH, (pretty damn close).

Right now, with a much newer tire on the rear, the speedometer reads about .2-.3 MPH high (both compared to the GPS) at 60 MPH... It literally fluctuates back and forth when holding the throttle at 60 MPH (GPS).


If most of your riding or commuting is at 70 or 80 or whatever, I would take measurements at those speeds and adjust accordingly for the most accurate setting. Checking it for 150+ MPH is, IMHO, (and not being a smart a$$) really silly and a waste of time. (maybe I'm missing something or mis-reading something)

I paid a little extra for the plug and play kit (think it fits all Yamaha's) so I didn't have to hack up the stock wiring harhess. The version I have also has a place to plug into the unit that records your highest speed, which is kinda cool. You re-set it by just holding the button in a couple of seconds.. You can leave the switch off and not have it if you wish as well


** I'm wondering if the bike that won't come close to an accurate setting, is a plug and play or generic unit, a wrong wire was tapped into for the speedometer signal???

I know on the older FJRs, without cruise control, guys were putting on aftermarket true cruise control. On occassion, they tapped into the wrong wire for a signal and it didn't work right...

So, it's been a couple months since I've had the PR3's, 15T front and 46T rear sprocket combo installed and I thought I'd give an update.

1. Fuel Economy

Basing this on an exact measurement from my home to work and back, I seem to have lost about 20 miles to a tank. Not horrible, but the road I travel has only 1 gas station at the 24 mile mark from work, so that means I'm filling the bike up more often during the week to keep me out of a bind.
There has been occasions that less than 10 miles from the gas station, a wreck has prevented me from finishing the trip and I've had to divert 7 miles back to where I just came from and take an alternate route, which is even more desolate and longer. Luckily, I had the fuel, but I'm sure I'm also not the first person to cut my fuel REALLY close to where passing a Prius could mean I don't make it to the gas station! lol.

• Comfort

I still do not know what is causing the higher pitched whine, it'd be nearly impossible to determine without replacing the tires with a completely different brand.
The Service Counter rep at ARS advised I'd hear a whine with the new PR3's, he didn't mention the 15T sprocket would cause it, but my gut it telling me it's more noise from the Sprocket since it's spinning faster than stock.
It isn't annoying or anything, eventually the noise will drown out to wind and vehicles, but it returns the second you roll the throttle back.

• Response

Having the 15T front sprocket has revamped the excitement I got when I first cracked the throttle back on the FZ a few weeks after getting used the bike when I first got it in 2010.
It also scared the bejesus outta me when I acquired some more-than-requested airtime between the front tire and the road when shifting from 1st to 2nd at high RPM. I was so used to the small hop the front tire would do that when the front end came up more than an inch or so, it kinda freaked me out! LOL. Wasn't ready for it at all. Since then I've learned to roll it back without the tire leaving the ground.

• Synopsis

• Tires

I've had one instance where the wet traction was tested within the last couple months. Yes I live in Florida but I haven't been driving it much because of how far off the Speedometer is now.
I will say these tires rode the wet, slick pavement perfectly (keep in mind, I don't get to lean much) and never gave me the feeling that traction could be lost at any time, even with the 15T Sprocket that had the chance of spinning the tire better than the 16T.
I do kinda feel, that maybe the tires have a little harder compound in the middle, because I don't "feel the road" like I did with the B20's.
but, the wear of the B20's could be a contributing factor as to why I felt more with them over the brand new PR3's.
PR3's = Not counting wear conditions of the PR3's since they're brand new to me, I would gladly buy these tires again and again, they gave me ample confidence in the downpour I had to ride through, and the compound mixture feels good when taking on a mild to moderate lean angle (as that was all I could bout for) no feeling of traction loss.

• 15T Front Sprocket

Basically, to do all over again, I'd match the 15T front Sprocket with a 45T Rear (-1, -1), I wasn't a fan of the RPM's being @5700 RPM's when I was at about 70MPH, and I really don't like the RPM's now being at 6100 RPM's for the same speed. More RPM's = more fuel being delivered. The aforementioned combo should sit my RPM's just above 6000 RPM, and still give me the kick if I want it.
This should give me close to the same feel I have now at the low end, and drop my RPM's a lil bit at the top end, to help with fuel economy.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy my post, please feel free to comment any questions or whatever and I'll be glad to answer asap.

Nice!

I also did the 15t mod i i love it. Best mod you can do for the money IMO, well worth it.
Regarding the difference in rpm it really didn't make much difference to me, if anything it made it more natural to keep the bike above 8000 rpm which is where i like her.
It's like she just wants to go there now.
I have ridden hundreds of miles keeping the rpm between 8000 and 12000 rpm and the bike never seemed to care, not even getting hot.

Surprisingly mileage didn't really change at all, i used to keep the bike in high rpm before, i just need to work less to achieve the same thing now.

I think that if you are the kind of person who enjoys keeping the tach needle left of 8000 you will see a decrease in mileage.
If you keep your needle right of 8000 it will not really change a thing, apart from a bigger smile on your face!