6-speed gearboxes.

[Big Dave]

I rate them as complete overkill on a 65+hp road bike.
Why Harley did it I have no idea - they could get away with 3.

Fo' or agin?

[Ixion]

Six isnt enough. I reckon eight speeds.

[speedpro]

marketing . . . . .

[James Deuce]

On the HD big blocks, 6th gear at legal motorway speeds feels just horrible. Total overkill.

Most big bore V-Twins drop out of their sweet range at 100 km.hr and 6th gear making them go all lumpy, crank flexy, and strained. Like prune juice with stones in.

[Owl]

I would happily go one less on the S3! Probably just easier to share a Daytona box than create a new one?

[AD345]

My Kingpin has 6 gears but the 6th one is a true overdrive (0.84:1 final drive).

I love it, nice to lope along in, enough torque to cope with motorway or wide-open road riding. I can drop into 5th for anything else and stick there all day as well if needed (the 8-ball only has 5 gears with the same engine).

I dunno if the Harleys have a 6th gear or an overdrive so can't really comment on them (all the H-D's I rode were 5 speeds)

[jrandom]

Well, I like having sixth gear on the GSX1400. 3,000 rpm at 100kph.

Of course, at that point, she's already putting out about 85 foot pounds at the wheel. Perhaps machines like HDs that are a little weaker down low don't fare so well.

[Big Dave]

Well, I like having sixth gear on the GSX1400. 3,000 rpm at 100kph.

Of course, at that point, she's already putting out about 85 foot pounds at the wheel. Perhaps machines like HDs that are a little weaker down low don't fare so well.

They have other advantages.

Would it make any difference if the final ratio was the same and it took less clicks to get there?

[jrandom]

Would it make any difference if the final ratio was the same and it took less clicks to get there?

It certainly would for the racing I'm doing on it at the moment.

[Big Dave]

It certainly would for the racing I'm doing on it at the moment.

Yeah - that's fair enough - but only a very small % of road bikes hit the track regularly.

I pose the question because some of the Buell heads are asking for 6 speeds on the 12X.

Nooooo I cry - leaving it in 3rd and sports riding through the twisties in some of the major attraction of the bike - a beautiful thing.

To have to row it between third and 4th would rooon it.

And apart from that it is just unnecessary. Then I extrapolate (he'll go blind) and thingk 'what bikes have i ridden that 'needed it'?

Still thinking.

[jrandom]

I pose the question because some of the Buell heads are asking for 6 speeds on the 12X.

Nooooo I cry - leaving it in 3rd and sports riding through the twisties in some of the major attraction of the bike - a beautiful thing.

To have to row it between third and 4th would rooon it.

I suppose that's very much a matter of personal taste.

Got a lot to do with the characteristics of the engine in question, too, dunnit. Have the 12X six-speed advocates proposed an actual set of ratios that they think would work better?

[Big Dave]

I suppose that's very much a matter of personal taste.

Got a lot to do with the characteristics of the engine in question, too, dunnit. Have the 12X six-speed advocates proposed an actual set of ratios that they think would work better?

Not really - just interweeb dribble.
A lot are doing the conversion that puts a XB9 primary drive on. Lowers all rations by 'about a gear' - not for me and here either.

[Coyote]

10 speed is the way to go.

[jrandom]

Not really - just interweeb dribble.
A lot are doing the conversion that puts a XB9 primary drive on. Lowers all rations by 'about a gear' - not for me and here either.

My take on it would be, the design engineers probably knew what they were doing.

Pretty silly to put a close-ratio gearbox on a ditch pump motor. (No disrespect meant, some of my best friends are ditch pump motors, etc.)

If they want six gears on a Buell they can always buy an 1125R, eh?

[Motu]

I'm wondering why the R65 has 5 speeds - and this is the small capacity short stroke rev happy boxer.I need to change gear too often....I feel I shouldn't have to,it's got the torque spread to cope.Two up with loaded panniers and top box pushing a screen and it would be a different story.

Grunty cars that went from 3 speed to four speed never felt very comfortable to drive.MkIII Zephyr,FJ40 Landcruiser are a couple of good examples - the 3 speed versions were a much more relaxed drive.(I know the MkIII didn't have 3 on the tree,but the MkII did)