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/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> finally installed the kawa pulley... /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1557252586 Message started by Bubba on 05/07/19 at 11:09:46 |
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Title: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by Bubba on 05/07/19 at 11:09:46 Finally got around to installing the kawa 25 tooth pulley I got from Dave/Armen... I've only managed to ride about 75 miles on the thing but it definitely is a different ride. Instead of cruising around town in 4th I can comfortably ride on most of the 40-50mph roads around here in 3rd. The stock gearing does make you run through gears kinda quick but I mainly wanted the swap to have a bit less of a screaming engine when I ride in the 60-70 mph range. *note - I have a 140/90 tire on it and tested the speed difference...at one point I cracked open the throttle and the speedo registered 65mph...the gps had me at 80mph!!! not sure that's accurate but it surprised me. I took it out on a ride to a stretch of road that always felt like I was kind of a struggle and it was so much more relaxed...didn't feel like I was pushing the bike quite so hard which maybe just let ME relax a bit more rather than the bike! Anyway, I'll be interested in seeing how it handles one of my favorite twisty canyon roads I ride at lunch...gonna have to get used to the taller gearing cuz it changes when/if you change gears. One question I do have however is if it's possible to grind out the slots on the swingarm to get a bit more clearance for adjusting belt alignment. As it stands now it would be nice to be able to slide that axle up a few more millimeters...Also, I'm not sure how much brake cable adjustment would be allowed if I push the axel up too much. BTW, I had no problem getting the new pulley to slip onto the shaft, I just strapped a long ratchet strap around the rear rim and ran it up to both front pegs and ratcheted it up until it slipped right on! Took me about 2 hours total to swap out by myself and then left the belt guards off for a day or 2 while I made final adjustments... |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by springman on 05/07/19 at 11:53:33 Well Bubba, if your GPS is indicating 80mph when your speedo is indicating 65 mph, I better GPS check my speedometer before I get in trouble! 8-) |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by Bubba on 05/07/19 at 11:56:51 HaHa...yeah, I have a handlebar mount on the way for my phone...it was tucked into my jacket when I was riding and when I pulled it out to check top speed I was like....what??? |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by Dave on 05/07/19 at 14:18:00 AYYEPPP.....you can grind out the axle slots a bit if you want to loosen the belt up a bit. Since the belt loosens both top and bottom, you don't need to grind out very much. I don't expect you will run out of brake adjustment - but you can always advance the lever onto the next spline on the shaft if you need to make a change. A bit less rpm at cruise speed is nice.......funny how just a few hundred rpm less can make such a difference. |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by Bubba on 05/07/19 at 14:37:55 Thanks for the info Dave! I figured I could grind some out...I may do that just so I have something to work with...it's pretty maxed out right now. When you say advance the lever into the next spline to what are you referring? Thanks again |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by philthymike on 05/07/19 at 14:48:20 This is pretty cool. Do you lose much torque with this pulley? |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by Bubba on 05/07/19 at 14:53:46 So far I haven't noticed...you do have to change the way you throttle the bike but when i get on it it still seems to have some grunt. About the only thing that concerns me is how the throttle response will be when I'm riding in the twisties. Also, you have to be aware of passing cuz you may have to drop down a gear to have the same pull you may have had before. I'll report back if I get a chance to ride it a bit more but it's supposed to dump rain for the next few days... |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by philthymike on 05/07/19 at 15:11:55 Sounds good. I look forward to hearing more from you. If you have an opportunity to ride up a steep hill that I would be curious about. |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by Dave on 05/07/19 at 17:44:11 665146464515141C17240 wrote:
The rear brake lever at the wheel hub is a splined lever installed on a splined shaft. You just take a marker and put a line on the end of the shaft in alignment with the clamping slot as a reference, then remove the clamp bolt - then pull the lever off and rotate it one spline so the lever moves backward. If the lever is tight on the shaft....insert a screwdriver in the slot to open it up a bit. |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by Dave on 05/07/19 at 17:50:59 322A2B2E362A3B2F2B2927420 wrote:
On the 5 speed bikes, high gear becomes similar to an "overdrive" to be used when you can cruise comfortably. You will find that 4th gear is very similar to what 5th used to be.....and when you need more power/acceleration than you can get it 5th - you just drop down a gear. I don't know about you folks who ride at high elevations where the engine power is reduced - but down here below 1,000 msl I never experienced any noticeable drop in acceleration, and the bike still feels like it accelerates well in the lower gears. |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by batman on 05/07/19 at 20:12:18 It's very possible for you to have been going 80mph, the change in pulley size (8.4%) and rear tire ( avg. 4.4 %-depending on brand) would put the speed of the bike at 76.75 mph, but this does not take into consideration your stock speedometer error . |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by badwolf on 05/07/19 at 21:08:33 I changed both pulleys and was running a 150/90 15, stock speedo said I rode 100 miles, gps said 123! Got rid of the stocker and put on a Speedhut gps speedo. Not cheap, but now I KNOW my REAL speed and have a trip meter to use as a gas gauge. Works great, cept in tunnels and after I go thru a underpass I check my max speed, and it shows 90+ mph! DAMM I must really have been rollin' back there! |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by Bubba on 05/08/19 at 06:30:25 @Dave, thanks for the info on the brake...yeah, I know exactly what you're referring to now. @philthymike, well the "steep hills" around me are what we call mountains...I often ride up over the Continental Divide so yeah I think I'll have the torque...I see the biggest adjustment being when I drop through some hairpins while going uphill...probably need to adjust what gear i'm in more than anything... :P @badwolf, I have a handlebar phone mount coming as I write so hopefully I can keep an eye on true speed...when I ride up to my place in the mtns there are quite a few tunnels (8 actually) but I'm usually paying attention to the road then anyway... ::) |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by Dave on 05/08/19 at 07:29:13 Bubba: I have been in your 6,000' - 10,000' elevations in my little 4 cylinder rental cars, and some of them were sure down on power once I got up into the mountains. One year we had a Kia Sportage and put 4 people in it - it felt like we were going to have to get out and push. You may have to use 4th gear on the way up the hill....and 5th gear on the way down! |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by Bubba on 05/08/19 at 07:59:00 haha, yeah that's what I do currently...I'm thinking 3rd on the way up!...1st and 2nd through the hairpins... I've often wondered how my bike would behave if there was a bit more O2 for it to use! |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by philthymike on 05/08/19 at 08:01:23 7D464B5C4D415A5C474F425D2E0 wrote:
On the 5 speed bikes, high gear becomes similar to an "overdrive" to be used when you can cruise comfortably. You will find that 4th gear is very similar to what 5th used to be.....and when you need more power/acceleration than you can get it 5th - you just drop down a gear. [/quote] This is what my bike is like since the big bore. I can comfortably ride 4th gear until 65 mph making 5th more like overdrive. Third gear now has a span of 30 mph before I need to shift. Around town and on backroads I can stay in 3rd all day. Seems to me if used the Kawa pulley I could just swap an old 4 speed tranny in and kiss 5th gear goodbye. |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by batman on 05/08/19 at 08:33:02 Why go to a four speed? the whole intent of the larger pulley(s) is to drop the motor's rpms , I'd retain 5th gear for use on interstates ,for better mileage ,if nothing else. |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by philthymike on 05/08/19 at 09:58:55 6360756C606F3539010 wrote:
Honestly I probably won’t swap the tranny. It’s alot of work and way over my head. My thinking was that I could reduce how much shifting is required riding in my preferred environment - backroads. With the bike having only 2” of suspension travel and the road surface of PA’s highways being what they are I rarely take this bike on the interstate anymore. Too much punishment. For highway riding I take my Ducati with its 6.5” of suspension travel. |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by VortecCPI on 05/08/19 at 12:17:31 I went up one tooth on my SRX600 (15>16). Though it is only a 6.7% increase in ratio it allows me to cruise easily at 55-60 MPH in fourth gear and leaves fifth gear for highway speeds. Even with an extra tooth the old SRX600 will easily do 25 MPH in third through the neighborhood. In my opinion bikes like LS650 and SRX600 are under-geared from the old "55 Saves Lives" era (thanks Carter). My wife's with pipe and jetting blows right through the gears and she is always wanting another gear on top. |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by Bubba on 05/08/19 at 12:36:59 ^ She would be a perfect candidate for the kawa pulley swap. Not incredible cheap but when you figure in what it takes to have them made it's not bad... |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by VortecCPI on 05/09/19 at 13:49:56 417661616232333B30030 wrote:
Agreed. From the factory the late-model versions are very lean and very strangled so perhaps the shorter ratio is okay. My wife's bike, however, runs like an entirely different machine with the pipe and jetting. Way more TQ and way more throttle feel and response and rides two-up no problem. Her bike really needs a taller overall ratio. These engines make good power when you uncork them... |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by badwolf on 05/10/19 at 14:22:41 You can't change the rear pulley only, the belt will be too long. You might be able to mod the swingarm to move the axle back to tighten the belt, but then you might run into clearance issues with the tire. Too much to monkey with. If you want some precise ratio go with a chain, much more options. |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by batman on 05/11/19 at 00:23:49 Badwolf ,What clearance issues? the 140 /90/ 15 tire on a stock bike will have none , either to each side or if it's move rearward, and if you can't tighten the belt that shouldn't be a problem either, the problem stems from the belt being to tight , or the tire being to close to the swingarm cross brace ,which only happens when using the kawa front pulley , the belt having a bit to much slack should not alter it's performance at all. |
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Title: Re: finally installed the kawa pulley... Post by badwolf on 05/11/19 at 07:43:15 I was thinking about hitting the back of the rear fender when compressed. I have run a 150/90 15 after swapping out some bolts for buttonheads and it was tight, but do-able. Modding the swingarm is work not for the average wrench twister. If you grind away the back of the slot you can weaken the whole assembly. NOT something you want to fail at speed. When changing both pulleys the axle is back about 7mm or so from stock, well within the stock slot. When changing just the front pulley the axle moves forward about the same amount. MMRanch runs a 140/90 15 with a Kaw front pulley and has not had to mod the front of the swingarm. Changing the front pulley with one of Dave's is a pretty easy job, and reversible. Changing the rear pulley is a LOT more involved. You need to turn the hub on a lathe to match the pulley, and re-drill the pulley for the new bolt pattern. Also the Kaw rear pulley is cast iron not aluminum, way heavier. Having said that, I have both pulleys installed and am very happy with the result. BUT, I live in S. Fla. (no hills) and ride solo all the time. I ride a lot of interstate and long trips, and am not concerned with speed and acceleration. I just cruise to get there.(retired) If I rode double and had to start on uphills a lot I might think it was geared too high. |
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