badwolf
Serious Thumper
Offline
Ridin' my Lil' Bagger - 153k miles so far
Posts: 803
Palm Beach County, FL
Gender:
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Neither of the pulleys ( 25 + 65 ) are bolt-on. They need lathe work to adapt. Dave here does some front pulleys from time to time and sells them in the marketplace. Just the front 25 tooth and a 140/90 15 rear tire will make a huge difference, and is pretty easy and reversible if you don't like them. I would not push anyone to go with both pulleys and 150 tire unless they run a LOT of Interstate. There is also the option of chain conversion. That is pretty easy and gives you a huge choice of gearing, and is easy to switch for trips, or around town. You get the extra maintenance of a chain, but the new ones aren't too bad, and should last 20k or so. Before you commit to big tall gears, remember you are raising ALL the gears, not just 5th. Ride around for at least a week without using 1st gear. If you aren't comfortable starting in 2nd you don't want to go with a really tall gear. I live in South Fla and it is FLAT here, a occasional trip to the mountains doesn't bother me, as I have over 40k on this gearing and am used to it. I bought another S-40 and when I test rode it it seemed low. I am not sure why some guys want a lower 1st. Another big concern is your speedo. Ours runs of the output shaft of the tranny, not the front wheel like most bikes. Mine was 23% off with the tall gearing and big tire. You can swap the front wheel and get a speedo off whatever you used, or I went with a GPS unit. Works great, as long as it can ''see'' the sky. Not so good in tunnels. It sometimes goes wierd passing under bridges or underpasses, but comes right back online when you are back in the open. MMRanch does some big trips with a lot of Interstate with a 25 tooth front pulley and a 140/90 15 rear tire. (last I saw him) He has gotten used to it. (but now he has bought a Guzzi, so we will see which he rides the most) For what it was intended, I think the S-40 does what it is suppose to. BUT, a LITTLE taller 5th gear would be a improvement for most of it's riders. If you want what you want, it is a pretty easy chunk of raw material to start with!
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