Question about highway RPM and gearing

[JeffrosFZ6]

Something I have been wanting to know... At highway speeds (65-75 mph) its right where the engine has that little "buzz" and likes either higher or lower rpms. I have been thinking about changing either the front or rear sprocket to <lower> the rpms. Ive heard about people changing the ratio for more acceleration but not lowering for a little less rpms at speed. At 65 its at what... 6500 rpm??

Any thoughts?

 

[tolgatt]

i was using a tooth bigger counter sprocket on my old bike which was allowing lower rpms on highway speeds,,,it was a vstrom though,,lots of torque,,so i wasnt feeling any lack of acceleration,,,i dont know what would happen if you do it to fz6......

i know some of the riders use 1 tooth smaller counter sprocket and saying that it accelerates much better ...so it should make a difference the other way too

 

[HavBlue]

Something I have been wanting to know... At highway speeds (65-75 mph) its right where the engine has that little "buzz" and likes either higher or lower rpms. I have been thinking about changing either the front or rear sprocket to <lower> the rpms. Ive heard about people changing the ratio for more acceleration but not lowering for a little less rpms at speed. At 65 its at what... 6500 rpm??

Any thoughts?

At 6,500rpm in 4th gear you will be running at roughly 65mph if you are running the stock 2.87:1 (16/46) combination. At 65mph in 6th gear you will likely be around 5,800rpm, which as it turns out is right in the buzz range between 5,200rpm and roughly 6,000rpm. Going to the 17/46 combination will give you a final of 2.70:1 and drop the rpm in 6th gear roughly 400. It will also drop the relative rpm in other gears as well. It is also important to note the roll-on will be far less capable of snapping you off the stop or for that matter allowing you to pass. This will in effect require more shifting in order to get the ratio necessary to get the job done so to speak. On the cruise it will however give you better fuel mileage and range.

I know of one man who made the swap to 17T on the counter simply because he wanted to take the bite out of the throttle so his wife could learn to ride the bike after her MSF class. He said he was going to swap it back to the 16T after she had some time in the saddle.

 

[JeffrosFZ6]

At 6,500rpm in 4th gear you will be running at roughly 65mph if you are running the stock 2.87:1 (16/46) combination. At 65mph in 6th gear you will likely be around 5,800rpm, which as it turns out is right in the buzz range between 5,200rpm and roughly 6,000rpm. Going to the 17/46 combination will give you a final of 2.70:1 and drop the rpm in 6th gear roughly 400. It will also drop the relative rpm in other gears as well. It is also important to note the roll-on will be far less capable of snapping you off the stop or for that matter allowing you to pass. This will in effect require more shifting in order to get the ratio necessary to get the job done so to speak. On the cruise it will however give you better fuel mileage and range.

I know of one man who made the swap to 17T on the counter simply because he wanted to take the bite out of the throttle so his wife could learn to ride the bike after her MSF class. He said he was going to swap it back to the 16T after she had some time in the saddle.

You are correct with the 5800 @65 mph (just got back from a 30 mile mini cruise). Thats almost the exact rpm the "buzz" happens (most of the speed limits are 55-65 that I ride). I might try the 17t and see how it feels.
Thanks

 

[HavBlue]

You are correct with the 5800 @65 mph (just got back from a 30 mile mini cruise). Thats almost the exact rpm the "buzz" happens (most of the speed limits are 55-65 that I ride). I might try the 17t and see how it feels.
Thanks

Just a thought that would save you some time and money. Why not drop down a gear? I run 3rd and 4th at 60-70mph and at that speed the trigger is ready to be pulled.

 

[Bryan]

you should be able to change the front sprocket (cheap) and without adding any links to the chain. I'm not sure on the fz6 but when I had my ninja 250 I went up 1 tooth on the front and down 7 on the rear. In the case of my ninja that was geared way to low, it made an incredible difference.

I think I will order up one for myself tonight.

AFAM 17-Tooth Front Sprocket (Yamaha FZ6 2006) at BikeBandit.com

 

[HavBlue]

you should be able to change the front sprocket (cheap) and without adding any links to the chain. I'm not sure on the fz6 but when I had my ninja 250 I went up 1 tooth on the front and down 7 on the rear. In the case of my ninja that was geared way to low, it made an incredible difference.

I think I will order up one for myself tonight.

AFAM 17-Tooth Front Sprocket (Yamaha FZ6 2006) at BikeBandit.com

In the case of the FZ6 1 tooth in the front is roughly the same as 4 teeth in the rear. The front sprockets are roughly $35. You folks do know you'll be taking a lot out of that bike right??

 

[Fred]

I run 3rd and 4th at 60-70mph and at that speed the trigger is ready to be pulled.

Does this affect your gas mileage?

Fred

 

[Tailgate]

Does this affect your gas mileage?

Fred

Fred, let me answer for HavBlue (gulp). Answer: Yes, it will decrease gas mileage. Higher RPM's = lower mileage. Do I have it right, HavBlue?

 

[HavBlue]

Fred, let me answer for HavBlue (gulp). Answer: Yes, it will decrease gas mileage. Higher RPM's = lower mileage. Do I have it right, HavBlue?

Yup, it costs about 20 miles on a load of fuel so instead of getting around 190 miles it's around 170 miles. gas mileage wise it's like 47-48 down to like 43-44mpg. It's a lot more fun though....

 

[Bryan]

I guess if I were just running around town I might like a much lower gear for the light to light action. However, I'm planning a 37 mile run back and forth to work this summer so I am looking for a little less wear and tear on the motor and a little more fuel economy. I would like to see 50 plus the the e-way.

I was looking for a thread on fuel economy but have not found one yet. I would like to find out what the best highway gear would be.