There is a great spreadsheet here somewhere if you look that lets you play with most variables in the drivetrain.
IIRC 17-30 basicly converts 4th into 5 ,3rd into 4th etc. It makes 5th a overdrive.
Six months after I first bought Old Brown in the 1970's she got a 32 tooth sprocket . Never looked back. Big difference in Houston's 80+ mph traffic. For one thing it makes first gear usable in stop and go traffic. Once your in second everything is pretty much the same, just a gear lower. Once she got the 750 kit she was much faster than the stock gearing to 30 mph.
The race bike had 18-30 and while 1st was pretty tall, I was in first for maybe 5 seconds at the start and my lap times dropped by 6 seconds a lap at Texas World. The race bike was broken in on a 300 mile trip to Laredo chasing a buddy on a 900 Kawa on US 59 through a whole lot of small towns. We averaged over 90 most of the way and when I got home old Brown was gifted a 18 tooth countershaft sprocket. I don't recommend a 18 because of the possible havoc it could cause to some very important bits around the countershaft sprocket.
I think bottom line is where you ride. Here in west Texas the Interstate average speed is somewhere north of of 90. Even riding the 2 lane back roads here the speeds are often 80 or better. The stock gearing is pretty buzzy at that speed.
I have that spreadsheet somewhere. If I can find it perhaps we can put in the tech forum so that it would easier to find.
IIRC 17-30 basicly converts 4th into 5 ,3rd into 4th etc. It makes 5th a overdrive.
Six months after I first bought Old Brown in the 1970's she got a 32 tooth sprocket . Never looked back. Big difference in Houston's 80+ mph traffic. For one thing it makes first gear usable in stop and go traffic. Once your in second everything is pretty much the same, just a gear lower. Once she got the 750 kit she was much faster than the stock gearing to 30 mph.
The race bike had 18-30 and while 1st was pretty tall, I was in first for maybe 5 seconds at the start and my lap times dropped by 6 seconds a lap at Texas World. The race bike was broken in on a 300 mile trip to Laredo chasing a buddy on a 900 Kawa on US 59 through a whole lot of small towns. We averaged over 90 most of the way and when I got home old Brown was gifted a 18 tooth countershaft sprocket. I don't recommend a 18 because of the possible havoc it could cause to some very important bits around the countershaft sprocket.
I think bottom line is where you ride. Here in west Texas the Interstate average speed is somewhere north of of 90. Even riding the 2 lane back roads here the speeds are often 80 or better. The stock gearing is pretty buzzy at that speed.
I have that spreadsheet somewhere. If I can find it perhaps we can put in the tech forum so that it would easier to find.
