Hi, Was wondering about the gear ratio on my 04 Road King. I have read on another post about changing the clutch and outer in the primary to change the gear ratio but I have seen in the catolouge's that you can get a front pully 3 teeth smaller. Has anyone done this? Did it make much difference or are there any other ideas on changeing the gear ratio. The stock gear ratio is too high and face it I dont need to and dont want to go 100mph.
Thanks
Tim
Tim,
J&P Cycles catalogue has a large selection of pulleys and Sprockets for fine tuning your gearing.
www.jpcycles.com
Lonnie
Originally written by whitsundaytattoo on 4/28/2008 12:56 PM
Hi, Was wondering about the gear ratio on my 04 Road King. I have read on another post about changing the clutch and outer in the primary to change the gear ratio but I have seen in the catolouge's that you can get a front pully 3 teeth smaller. Has anyone done this? Did it make much difference or are there any other ideas on changeing the gear ratio. The stock gear ratio is too high and face it I dont need to and dont want to go 100mph.
Thanks
Tim
I changed the gearing on my 2004 HD Ultra for my new TLE sidecar. I don't have the part numbers handy but basically, you would use a 24 tooth motor sprocket instead of a 25. On the clutch you change the clutch basket to a 37 tooth from a 36 tooth. These are Harley parts from an EVO and they are a bolt-in.
Assuming that you have the stock 32/70 rear belt unit, this takes your gearing from 3.15:1 to a more sensible 3.37:1. I've been very pleased with that gearing on my 88" engine with a Harley sidecar.
There are aftermarket motor sprockets with 22 teeth but the ones I've seen were made out of aluminum alloy and were a solid sprocket. You really must maintain your compensator sprocket to cushion the shock on the motor shaft.
Furthermore, if you lose three teeth on the motor sprocket, you will have a front chain issue. The change I made uses the stock front chain. If you can't get a proper fit on the front chain, that's bad. It's not recommended to use a master link chain at all.
Also, a 22 tooth motor sprocket is rather low and will limit your road speed severely, not to mention eating fuel. It would put your gearing down around 3.578:1 or so. That's simply too low for a Big Twin.
Happy Trails!
Thanks GNM and Lonie, I have read that before. Was there a reason that you didn't just change the front drive belt pully. In the JP Cycles catalogue there is a final drive pully 29 teeth instead of the stock 32. Was wondering if you or anyone has done this and if so how it went and if there are any prblems. Clearence isues, belt being too long etc. It would aparently acording to the catalogue change the ratio from 3.15 to 3.48 so that would apear to be good going on what the previous post was saying.
Thanks all
Tim
Originally written by whitsundaytattoo on 4/30/2008 2:21 AM
Thanks GNM and Lonie, I have read that before. Was there a reason that you didn't just change the front drive belt pully. In the JP Cycles catalogue there is a final drive pully 29 teeth instead of the stock 32. Was wondering if you or anyone has done this and if so how it went and if there are any prblems. Clearence isues, belt being too long etc. It would aparently acording to the catalogue change the ratio from 3.15 to 3.48 so that would apear to be good going on what the previous post was saying.
Thanks all
Tim
Well, first of all, changing the rear belt countershaft pulley is a miserable job. It requires the removal of the inner primary and this is much more difficult than merely working on the motor sprocket and clutch basket, which would be the only two parts to be removed and changed on the modification that I outlined to you.
Also, you say that this would give you a 3.48:1 ratio? That's OK but getting too low to begin with and also, you can get 3.37 without touching the inner primary and rear belt. That's pretty close with less work.
Secondly, the rear belt probably won't adjust if you drop that many teeth. If you are lucky and get an adjustment, the wheel will be at the extreme rear of its adjustment. Additionally, if it comes from J&P (The most expensive seller in the known, civilized world!) it would very likely be a Chinese-made aftermarket sprocket and I've found that some aftermarket companies make items that have inferior fit and weaker materials when compared to the OEM Harley pulleys. If you get a pulley with a less than original fit, it will never lock down and stay put regardless of how tight you torque the retaining nut. So, for those reasons, that's why I made the change as I did.
Oh, by the way, did J&P tell you that changing the rear pulley arrangement will screw up your speedometer and odometer readings? No....heh heh, I wonder why?
Another thing that comes to mind is that 3.37:1 is an excellent solo gearing. If you stay away from the oft-recommended triple tree rake and trail change, you would still be able to remove the sidecar from time to time and ride the bike solo with the 3.37:1 gearing.
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it, LOL
Thanks GNM, I have to change the belt so thought might as well do the pully at the same time. Its Andrews so thought the quality would be good but who knows where its made. Who knows where the Harley stuf is made for that matter. I'm not rideing the bike solo ever again, its a tug for the rest of its life so the ratio I think would be good.
Apreciate your imput and will take it on board.
Tim
I went with the 3 tooth smaller pully on the front at the recomendation of my mechanic and it has worked out good for me. I have a 95 ultra wth a s. cal friendship 1. I did lose a little in fuel mileage but the gain in mid-range power makes up for it. My old 80 needed all the help it could get. I suspose if you've got an 88 or 96 you could get by with less. I have a raked triple tree and have riden many times without the sidecar. Everything seems to be normal. What kind of problems should I be looking for?
Thanks, Dick
Hi Dick, What will happen with the modified trees is the reduction of trail will cause the front end to become lighter and more unstable. Depending on the amount it may be unsafe or as in your case you may be able to ride it. If you have a steering damper then that may also be helping. I have a leading link fitted to my bike so I dont intend to ride it solo. I am going to go with the Pully as you did. Were there any issues with the adjustment of the belt?
Tim
I like this upgrade. It's simple and reliable.
Does the ECM need remapped after the sprocket change? I'm wondering if changing the sprocket and then dyno tuning would increase performance and fuel consumption.
Tim, I tried to use the old chain but it was to long after changing the gear. After a few miles I had to pull it back apart and put on a shorter drive chain. It didn't have any effect on the belt.
You mention these are from an EVO? I gather they still are a direct bolt on, just lower gearing from when the motors had less power? I have a 95" motor, cammed for torque. I like this idea, assuming it bolts right on. In my case, it time for a new clutch (I have 70k on it) so would do both at the same time. thanks greg
Originally written by gnm109 on 4/30/2008 12:06 AM
Tim
I changed the gearing on my 2004 HD Ultra for my new TLE sidecar. I don't have the part numbers handy but basically, you would use a 24 tooth motor sprocket instead of a 25. On the clutch you change the clutch basket to a 37 tooth from a 36 tooth. These are Harley parts from an EVO and they are a bolt-in.Assuming that you have the stock 32/70 rear belt unit, this takes your gearing from 3.15:1 to a more sensible 3.37:1. I've been very pleased with that gearing on my 88" engine with a Harley sidecar. There are aftermarket motor sprockets with 22 teeth but the ones I've seen were made out of aluminum alloy and were a solid sprocket. You really must maintain your compensator sprocket to cushion the shock on the motor shaft.Furthermore, if you lose three teeth on the motor sprocket, you will have a front chain issue. The change I made uses the stock front chain. If you can't get a proper fit on the front chain, that's bad. It's not recommended to use a master link chain at all.Also, a 22 tooth motor sprocket is rather low and will limit your road speed severely, not to mention eating fuel. It would put your gearing down around 3.578:1 or so. That's simply too low for a Big Twin. Happy Trails!
Originally written by gregbenner on 5/14/2008 8:47 AM
You mention these are from an EVO? I gather they still are a direct bolt on, just lower gearing from when the motors had less power? I have a 95" motor, cammed for torque. I like this idea, assuming it bolts right on. In my case, it time for a new clutch (I have 70k on it) so would do both at the same time. thanks greg
Some of the 88 cubic inch Twin cams have 3.37:1 and some have 3.15:1. The newer 96 cubic inch Twin cams are geared even higher, like 2.94:1. The 96" bikes have a different primary and won't take the early 3.37:1 sprockets.
In any case, if you have an Evolution, it's likely that you already have the 3.37:1 ratios. That is, 24 tooth front sprocket and 37 tooth clutch basket.
I have s 2002 RoadKing, came with an 88 ci engine. How do I tell the gearing? If I count the teeth, which sprockets? Thx againgreg
Originally written by gnm109 on 5/14/2008 10:28 AM
Originally written by gregbenner on 5/14/2008 8:47 AMYou mention these are from an EVO? I gather they still are a direct bolt on, just lower gearing from when the motors had less power? I have a 95" motor, cammed for torque. I like this idea, assuming it bolts right on. In my case, it time for a new clutch (I have 70k on it) so would do both at the same time. thanks greg
Some of the 88 cubic inch Twin cams have 3.37:1 and some have 3.15:1. The newer 96 cubic inch Twin cams are geared even higher, like 2.94:1. The 96" bikes have a different primary and won't take the early 3.37:1 sprockets. In any case, if you have an Evolution, it's likely that you already have the 3.37:1 ratios. That is, 24 tooth front sprocket and 37 tooth clutch basket.
For 3.37:1 ratio:
Motor sprocket = 24 teeth.
Clutch basket sprocket = 37 teeth.
Countershaft belt pulley = 32 teeth.
Rear wheel belt pulley = 70 teeth.
