Built2Last wrote on 04/29/13 at 11:50:39:



No....You will not increase your top speed.  As geared the Savage will run out of Horsepower before you reach the Redline in high gear.

What you will do is reduce the rpm's that the engine is turning during normal roadway speeds.  When cruising along at 60 or 70 mph in top gear - you will be able to reduce the engine rpm's and make the bike a lot more "relaxed" at highway speeds.  If you are in high gear and roll on the throttle.....somewhere around 80 the bike will just run out of power and stop accelerating, and by shifting down a gear you might be able to go faster as the bike will be making more HP at higher engine speeds.

My bike is a 2007 5 speed version, and I have geared it pretty high and I have an 18" rear wheel.  In 5th gear I am turning about 3,400 rpm at 60 and about 4,000 at 70, and the bike is really nice on the interstate.  The bike will top out about 85  or so in 5th gear, and if I want to go faster I need to downshift to 4th.  I have lots of engine mods and if I want to get up to 100, it can only be done in 4th as I need the higher rpm's to develop the needed horsepower.......5th gear has become an overdrive or cruising gear, and can only be used at speeds above 60 mph.

Most reports I could find on the life of a chain is about 20,000 miles.  Sprockets might last through a second chain if you turn the sprockets around to wear on the other side of the tooth...depends a bit on the hardness of the sprocket, aluminum/steel, and how dirty the conditions where you ride.  Sprockets and chains can be messy, and do require adjustments, cleaning and oiling.

Dave  

The stock front pulley is 23 tooth, and the rear stock pulley is 68 tooth.  This ratio is 2.9565.

The Kawasaki front pulley is 25 tooth, the Kawasaki rear pulley is 65 tooth.  This ratio is 2.60.

With the 2.60 ratio first gear is very tall, and you do need to feather the clutch more to get going.  It also needs to be feathered a bit more in parking lots when you want to go slow, at idle it goes over 10 mph in first gear.

Dave

You can use "Gearing Commander" to do your own research.
http://www.gearingcommander.com/

I have mine fairly tight and I get a full swing of the swingarm without binding. I can take a measurement tonight, but my gut feeling is that it's just 0.75 to 1.00 inches.

Sorry to have to drag this one out of cold storage, but can't seem to find anything but scattered references.

I usually give some beans when I'm out on my own and would like to stretch the gears just a bit with a 17/45 or 17/43 ratio. But how well would the bike, with an open intake and exhaust tuned to match, handle said ratios with a passenger?

Dave wrote on 08/20/15 at 08:03:56:

Sounds great. But with stock engine, do you mean bone stock (intake snorkel, filter, exhaust and muffler and all) or an engine with upgraded intake and exhaust but stock internals (cam, bore and compression)?

Dave wrote on 08/20/15 at 12:39:02:


So in order to offset the 13% drop in ratio multiplied hp and torque, you really need to up the engines performance by 13% over stock just to break even. Sounds like a bit more than just your average K&N and muff job, but it's really good to know, so you know what to expect performance wise after converting.

This may have been answered before...

Can you run the stock belt guard with a chain conversion?  If so, is there a certain ratio which wouldn't allow the use of the belt guard (due to sprocket dimensions and chain clearance)?