brb
Active Member
What has worked for me on my 2012 manual is going down 2 teeth on the back to a 41 from the 43 std. When I do get aggressive from 1st to 2nd hitting that limiter is rarely an issue. The gear spacing is increased and highway revs are less. The 5 percent gear change appears to be fine for this engines power curve. I did at one time use a 70 series rear tire with this gearing and overall the 8 percent change was a little too much. As far as people calling out lugging this engine by speed in which gear they are in that really depends on what total load is on it. This engine has super efficient combustion and a high inertial crank but the rider needs to keep the engine in the proper rpm range for that load. The auto mfr,s have all gone to 8~10 speed trans for this very reason.