aum108
11th February 2012, 15:06
Hi all,
As some will have seen in earlier posts, I've been struggling for weeks to research and calculate the best gearing for my Yamaha XV250 Virago.
The net is full of contradictory opinions - apart from the general consensus that the Virago 250's standard OEM gearing of 16 tooth front, 45 tooth back is full of fail.
A couple of weeks ago, I replaced the 16t on the front with a 17t, and already an immediate improvement. The RPM dropped by 6.25% (about 1 semitone, for the musicians amongst us), but without any appreciable drop in power. This small change made the bike more comfortable at speed.
But what's really done it for me is replacing the rear 45t with a 41t.
So why 17t/41t?
It effectively gives me a whole new top gear
It makes the new 4th gear feel like the old 5th gear, only 4% more powerful
It totally gets rid of the urge to reach for a higher gear - the new 5th gear feels now like a *real* top gear
1st and 2nd gears are now actually useful (eg getting around a parking lot)
I can cruise at motorway speeds without the engine vibrating its ass off
Fuel economy has improved significantly
Taking off in 1st feels much more natural
I probably wouldn't go any taller (ie, 40t, 39t or 38t rear) because I strongly suspect the new 5th gear would be too gutless. Also, I would run out of chain tensioner, so the chain would need links taken out.
So for any XV250 Virago owners thinking about re-gearing, I can assure you that you'll love the 17t/41t combination. It's 17% taller than the standard 16t/45t, it makes the Virago feel much more like the 'cruiser' it is billed to be, it's pretty easy to install (took me 1 hour and I'm no mechanic) and will give your bike a whole new comfortable feel for city and highway riding.
Cheers
David
As some will have seen in earlier posts, I've been struggling for weeks to research and calculate the best gearing for my Yamaha XV250 Virago.
The net is full of contradictory opinions - apart from the general consensus that the Virago 250's standard OEM gearing of 16 tooth front, 45 tooth back is full of fail.
A couple of weeks ago, I replaced the 16t on the front with a 17t, and already an immediate improvement. The RPM dropped by 6.25% (about 1 semitone, for the musicians amongst us), but without any appreciable drop in power. This small change made the bike more comfortable at speed.
But what's really done it for me is replacing the rear 45t with a 41t.
So why 17t/41t?
It effectively gives me a whole new top gear
It makes the new 4th gear feel like the old 5th gear, only 4% more powerful
It totally gets rid of the urge to reach for a higher gear - the new 5th gear feels now like a *real* top gear
1st and 2nd gears are now actually useful (eg getting around a parking lot)
I can cruise at motorway speeds without the engine vibrating its ass off
Fuel economy has improved significantly
Taking off in 1st feels much more natural
I probably wouldn't go any taller (ie, 40t, 39t or 38t rear) because I strongly suspect the new 5th gear would be too gutless. Also, I would run out of chain tensioner, so the chain would need links taken out.
So for any XV250 Virago owners thinking about re-gearing, I can assure you that you'll love the 17t/41t combination. It's 17% taller than the standard 16t/45t, it makes the Virago feel much more like the 'cruiser' it is billed to be, it's pretty easy to install (took me 1 hour and I'm no mechanic) and will give your bike a whole new comfortable feel for city and highway riding.
Cheers
David