batman wrote on 03/28/17 at 21:01:13:TDI ignition has about 5 degrees of advance which plays out at about 5000 RPM (that's about 80 mph in 5th gear) ,unless you think you'll be going faster in the twisties ,going to a higher ratio with chain drive may hurt your performance.
I don't believe the goal is performance....the goal is to reduce the rpm at highway speeds so that the engine is not turning 4,342 rpm at 65 mph or 4,676 rpm at 70 mph . The stock engine can handle a modest gearing change fine, and it makes the bike a lot more relaxing to ride on the highway. Several of the forum members have made a gearing change and are happy with the results.
The Kawasaki front pulley change makes an 8.7% reduction in rpm at cruise, and owners report the change doesn't make any noticeable "seat of the pants" difference in the acceleration. You could do a similar 9%-10% change using sprockets and get a bike that is nicer to ride when you have to do the 60-70 mph highway speeds.
When you make the gearing change - you most likely will use the bottom 4 gears when riding the twisties.....and the taller 5th gear will become the overdrive gear for use over 60 mph. And when you want to see how fast you can go - it may well be that 4th gear will get you the highest top speed.