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XT Gearing cheanges - Experiences please. XT Gearing cheanges - Experiences please.
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Yamaha Tech Originally the Yamaha XT600 Tech Forum, due to demand it now includes all Yamaha's technical / mechanical / repair / preparation questions.
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  #1  
Old 9 Apr 2007
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XT Gearing cheanges - Experiences please.
Hey all..

Iv got an XT600E.. It runs 15/45

As you all probably know, the XT struggles with anything over 60-70mph.

Has anyone LOWERED the gearing to say a 15/42 to give a smoother cruising RPM and maybe better top speed.
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Old 9 Apr 2007
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Gearing changes
Besame,
I have a DR 650 and i use it for touring, commuting, enduro riding. Basically i need 3 bikes but as i can only have one this is it. It comes standard with 15/41 gearing and i changed to 14/48 for enduro and mountain trail riding. I use 15/48 for commuting and most other things. If i have to cover a lot of distance on bitumen before i get to the "real ride" i use 16/48.

I have used 16/41 but didnt feel the need to do over 200kph.

I used to change rear sprockets, but it is way faster (on the dr at least) to change a cs sprocket. The change you decribed will only be a 3 tooth difference and may not be enough for what you want.

Any way, hope this helps in some way. None of these changes has been detrimental to the bike in any way. You just change riding habits a bit for the gearing.

Good luck with the XT they are a great bike .

Regards

Todd Downey
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Old 9 Apr 2007
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Mind the gearbox!
Would not change to a longer final drive, as the fifth gear will be loaded even more than it usually is.
For more speed, just rev up higher, the redline is at 6000 rpm, so cruising at 5000 / 5500 rpm is no problem whatsoever. And, one teeth in front less or two more at the back will only lower the engine speed with about 200 rpm.
My good ole Tenere does 100 km/h at 4200 rpm, and I'm quite happy about that.
A reason for not exceeding 100 km/h is the wear on you, your tires and the rest of the bike. Not to mention, your fuel consumption ...

Auke
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Old 11 Apr 2007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tedmagnum View Post
Hey all..

Iv got an XT600E.. It runs 15/45

As you all probably know, the XT struggles with anything over 60-70mph.

Has anyone LOWERED the gearing to say a 15/42 to give a smoother cruising RPM and maybe better top speed.
My reply here is as much of a question as any advice.
On my 88 XT600 (stock 15/45) the bike came to me with 16/40. It won't go over 75mph. With this sprocketing, in 5th gear, the motor will not go past 5000rpm at full throttle. In the lower gears, there is no problem going to the 7000rpm redline.
I also have some slight clutch slipping issues. Could this sprocket combo be contributing to this?
I have purchased stock sprockets and new chain for replacement. Before I install these, is this the best combination?
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Old 11 Apr 2007
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I must admit, when I first got an XT600 I was a little disappointed in top end performance, especially on long highway driving and I have contemplated on a number of occasions changing the final drive ratios. However, I have now adjusted my riding style to suit the ‘happy XT’ cruising speed of around 110 to 120 kp/h which equate to about 4500 rpm and a useful tank range in the region of 250km. This also leaves me plenty of revs to drop a gear and overtake, etc, if necessary

Whilst this is not particularly quick, I find it a lot less stressful (especially when fully loaded in touring mode) and it gives me more time to look around at the beautiful scenery that I pass through and which more than makes up for the lack of top end speed.

Also worth pointing out, is there is a direct link between stress and speed; I have often found the “tortoise and hare” situation to be true, where I have caught and passed much faster bikes, just because they need to stop refuel and rest, whilst I just potter along at a steady pace.
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Old 11 Apr 2007
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xt600 gearing
I run a 14 front and 45 rear with a 18 ins back wheel, best combo that i have tryde so far 550 revs at 120 klm. havent tryde it loaded yet but all things being equel should be ok
norm
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Old 25 Apr 2007
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Gearing
I run 14 x 45 with 18 rear wheel on MT43 Tyres

It’s great off road I did the MCC Exeter Trial on it and have been off roading A few times
I found the standard gearing a bit high for off-road

I don’t do a lot of road miles on the bike so if you had a long way to go you could carry two front sprockets

A word of warning if you are going to do this make sure you do the bloody thing up properly when you change it or you might have to get your gearbox sprocket welded to the shaft so you can get home

Or is that just me??????
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Old 25 Apr 2007
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Thanks for the info Bob.
So you're suggesting changing to the 15 tooth for longer road trips?
How do you change it properly in the field?
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Old 25 Apr 2007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bwframe View Post
Thanks for the info Bob.
So you're suggesting changing to the 15 tooth for longer road trips?
How do you change it properly in the field?

That was the problem I didn’t do the lock nut up properly and ended up with a problem when I went to the Stella a few years ago the nut came off and made a mess of the shaft
That was on my old XT500
If you are going to do this on a trip I would make sure you have all the tools and a spare nut and lock washer, you should be carrying theses with you anyway
I tend to just leave the XT600 on the lower gearing and it works great for me but
Like I said I don’t go a long way on it and I’m not a fast rider anyway but it pulls well in all the gears and it makes it a lot easer to lift the front wheel off road to get over things (and just for the fun of it )
Hope this helps Bob
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