spocket size

Hello Rudy 31 teeth on the front sprocket is high or is it a toothed belt? You get more effect on going down in the front then going up in the back.
Sven

rudyr - 3/24/2012 7:31 PM

I'm having a 31 tooth front sprocket put on my 07 96 in. road glide...

Hey rudyr: I have done 2 modifications that have made my little Sportster a competent little sidecar rig: Geared it down 4% with a smaller front pulley and modified the trees. The gearing change made 1st and 5th gears both much more usable.

I understand on the big twins you can accomplish the same result by changing out the primary sprocket on the crank-to-transmission side -- without affecting your speedometer.

Lee
MB5+TW200+CRF250L+GTV300+INT650
XL883R w/Texas Ranger Sidecar
Zuma 50F + Burgman w/Texas Sidecar<Mrs. SwampFox

 

The stock front sproket is 32 theeth so I should gain some lower end power. I've already installed the 5 deg. racked tree. and I've got one of those VW damper for the front end (not installed yet). along with a oil cooler and syn. oil. temp shouldn't be a problem out west this summer. Rudy

As Rudy puts it on the table. Who has what experience with syntetic oils?
A Canadian neighbour screwed his Beemer car by switching to syntetic oil....just 80km 50mi until dead headvales..all the line of 16...(old scum pluged the oil bores in the cam shaft bearings allhough the engine was just overhauled )
A buddy in Germany on a highly tuned up Kawa was happy. I didn't like the smell though and as I had seen swollen shaft gaskets in the shop I never made any personell try.
In my understanding it makes sence with a new bike until after the run in (break in) time. And in climates with extreme temperature changes. But seems not a good idea for a old bike because it swells the seals.

As I am a little out dated and consider myself a relatively old fashioned engineer I'd love to hear the recomendations of somebody who has hands on experience.
Thanks Sven

Hey Rudy: I found my rig did not need a damper after installing the 5-degree raked tree. No wobble at all at 55mph. And it no longer tries to snatch the bars out of my hands when encountering a bump/pothole in a left hand curve.

PS I checked on a smaller primary chain sproket but was told it puts more load on your starter. because you have changed the sproket ratio on the engin turn-over. so that's why I went the way I did. Rudy

I like the 31 tooth front sprooket. at 70 mph turnning 3000 rpm in 6 th gear with the sidecar and with out the trailer. I will try the trailer tomorrow. at 79 mph turning about 3350 rpm. rudy

rudyr - 3/29/2012 9:33 PM
I like the 31 tooth front sprooket.... at 79 mph turning about 3350 rpm....

My Sportster rig won't even go 79 mph.

Lee
MB5+TW200+CRF250L+GTV300+INT650
XL883R w/Texas Ranger Sidecar
Zuma 50F + Burgman w/Texas Sidecar<Mrs. SwampFox

 

I normaly go about 2-3 mph over the speed limit. that said if it won't run 80 mph out west they will run over you. I had a lady with kid's in a van once pass me on 90 in SD. I know she was doing 100 MPH. she was just talking away. like she was headed to Walmak's. they drive fast in the west. And I'm going out there for about 3 week's this year on my way to Sturgis. My evey make it to the Nat. Rally. And going to Tx. in May. And I've got a new Triump Bon.(no side car or leading link front end this year) so I'm going to do some tent camping with it. Rudy

Sven,
I only use Amsoil full synthetic oil products on all of my vehicles. At the first oil change. I have clients who also use the full synthetic oils on their older (well maintained) vehicles with no problems.
I would imagine some problems could occur from changing products in poorly maintained engines with sludge problems, just as they did back when detergent oil was first available and the detergents loosened up old deposits that ultimately blocked oil passages and clogged oil screens.

A strange merchandising ploy is now being used here in the States by the quicky oil change shops. They all recommend the same oil change interval that was used in the '40s when non detergent oil was King, 3,000 miles between oil and filter changes. The manufacturers have much longer change intervals when using their recommended oil products.
In earlier times many of the engines had no oil filter or had an inefficient bypass filter so the 3,000 mile oil change interval (with non detergent oils) made some sense. Not today though.

Regarding your Canadian friend's experience; Mechanics don't usually completely clean the oil passages of an overhauled engine as they will with a completely rebuilt engine. The blocks are completely stripped and cleaned with a rebuild. It's not the same process.

Sometimes you only get what you pay for (or less).

Lonnie

Thank you Lonnie for that input. Well, Richard has done quite a few strange things to his beloved Beemers... I better don't mention some of them I had been witnessing...
As to my experience with lathes I can mention that lathes with mechanical wet clutches like our bikes get very strange behaviour like overheating and slipping clutches when you use the wrong "better" oil, which contains EP extreme pressure additives or too much grease. With just changing back to plain hydraulic/turbine oil of the right viscosity without additives and a few hard direction changes a completely unusable lathe comes back to life in 20-30 minutes.
With that experience now having lived some 5 times I am tempted to apply it to the bikes too. I just use plain engine oil the factory recommends (Kawa = Motul = grade JASO MA2 ) which by the way is as cheap as commercial oils.
Old dogs like me seem to never learn, unless a very convincing arguments comes up.
At diesel engines I stay with Shell Rimula (no mud), at lathes and mills with Esso Teresso or Shell Tellus, Akron makes some nice hydraulic oil too. For Compressors I had some syntetic oil with good results but forgot the type from Esso. For Bedways I like Vactra and Esso Febis K. For solluble oil in cutting metal (lathe, saw, mill) I went very fast back to standard Esso Kutwell 40, because modern transparent sollutions based on Glycol "eat up" the machines...=> Do you want to see pickures of potato shaped spindle nut's balls or eaten up bearing seats?
I better do not mention those oils I am fed up with.
For today thank you very much and good night.
Enjoy the easter week. I am out...

the best speed I've found pulling the trailer with the sidecar att. is about 69 MPH 3000 RPM's in 5 th gear. In 6 th. gear at 74 MPH I'm turning about 2600 Rpm, but the engine seems to really like about 3000 RPM's Rudy

the 09 and later harley touring bikes actually have a gear ratio that can be matched on 07 and 08 bikesby putting a tri glide 30 tooth front sprocket on

there are issues with getting a proper belt to fit with a 30 tooth - some are doing swing arm mods with a die grinder to get the needed adjustment.

06 and earlier and 09 and later are about the same gearing - for some reason 07 and 08 are real tall.

still im running stock gearing on my 07 and if im not pushing a big headwind i can set the cruise control at 80 with me and my wife in 6th and it just goes along.

where the real issue is with the gearing is in gas milage, lower gearing or a bigger cam will keep the throttle position in the area that is closed loop, up a hill on cruise it drops out of closed loop and then just gulps gas - keeps going but.....

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