Kawasaki Forums - 12 T front sprocket

Quote:

ORIGINAL: Nobrakes

Am I the only one who likes the stock 14:42 gearing? I honestly don't think I'd mind going 15:42 or maybe 14:39. The main thing I don't like about going up in the back or down in the front is that it makes the cruising RPMs higher and after a while that tends to wear me out a lot faster on the road. And I never had any problems with first gear being too fast off-road. I guess I'm just different. I reckon I've always been on the fringes of the bell curve, so this should be no different. :D

While the gearing ratios have no correspondance with the KLX, I got my 49 tooth rear for the KTM and that lets me use the stock chain with the 14 tooth front. My first gearing try was 13:52 and that was a little buzzy at highway speeds. Not bad, probably about like the KLX in 6th gear using stock 14:42. But I tested out 14:49 this evening and I think this gearing is superb. On the high end it would be equivalent to a 7th gear in the KLX, cruising at 60 MPH at around 5000 RPM, just rumbling along is great, I could do that all day and not get tired. Makes first a little high, but with the larger low-end torque, it still lugs along just fine in first so I don't think I'll have any problems going slow when I need to. I tested it a little off-road and it was fine.

Well actually it really comes down to rider preference. Take me for example, the longest I have to ride at highway or close to highway speeds is a couple of miles. What I really geared down for is so that no matter what trail or steep gravel hill I am riding on I know in my mind and through experience is that if and when I need the bike to haul me out of a low or steep spot its going to grunt and pull with out having to slip the clutch too much. I can't imaging going back to stock, let alone the other way that would yea let you do 80 down the highway, but you would be slipping the clutch all the time just to get it to hook up off road when you really needed it. So if you ride almost all highway and don't really care about low end power then keep the stock 14-42 or go to a 15-42, or a 14-40, I mean we can talk about what gears are the best, and I have done it on more than one occasion, but really it all boils down to a couple of things. How much do you weigh, and where do you want to go?