17T Front Sprocket

[cgoozee]

Hi All,
         Has anyone run a 17T front sprocket on a Wee? Standard is 15T.

I'm heading off to the Algarve with the Wee for a holiday in a few weeks, and fitting a new chain and sprockts prior to the trip. Was thinking the higher gearing will give a more relaxed crusing speed.
Or will it be too high?

Regards, Charlie.

[DesertStrom]

Not sure if anyone has tried a 17t sprocket but here are a few quotes from blokes that have fitted 16t front sprocket. Going up 2 teeth on the front is roughly the same as going down 4t on the rear!

Went up 1 on the front to a 16 tooth. I liked it & have kept it. Drops your revs by about 500-600 at 70-80 mph. Not really noticed much difference around town. Also cheap to do, about £12 & fitting (DIY?). If you don't like it, not much lost!

I have gone two down on the rear on a Wee, 15 front, 45 rear (standard is 47 rear.) I also experimented with various other longer combinations. I did this because at the time I was doing 185 miles a day primarily on motorways. The 15 front 45 rear combination was the best after all the testing. Well, I say best, but that its my preference, you might not like it. If you aren't doing a lot of motorway riding then there really is no point because there isn't any noticeable MPG benefits. I'll soon be back to about a 120-125 mile a day commute and I'm changing from stock to 45 on the rear again then. The bike just sits better at speed without feeling so busy. As for the down on power thing, as long as you change gear in accordance with the sprocket change you'll won't notice being "down on power" at all with minus 2 teeth on the rear. I toured in Europe with 2 teeth down on the rear, with the good lady on the back and about 160 litres of luggage and I didn't once feel down on power. That said, I still have the use of both my kidneys because I was riding relaxed on the whole trip.

[jimbo8098]

I wouldn't do it to be honest. Sure , you will see a difference in performace but the engine isn't designed to run with that many teeth and there would be more teeth to wear down the chain , it just stresses components. You'd really be best keeping that stuff OEM.

[greywolf]

It's an individual preference, much dependent on where and how the bike is ridden. I know people who extoll the virtues of anything from 14T to 17T. It's cheap enough to try and see how you like it. I tried a 16T myself and went back to stock after one long trip.

[cgoozee]

Thanks for your replies.

I'll think I'll split the diference then and order a 16T sprocket for the trip, and put a OEM one on when I get back home.

Cheers all.

Charlie.

[Little_Chris]

I'm running 16T but only cause the dealer changed it before I bought their demo bike.

I don't know how a standard Glee runs but at 70mph in 6th I'm doing 4900 rpm and at 80mph 5900rpm.

Hope this helps.

[greywolf]

One thing about the 16T sprocket on a Glee is it makes the speedometer accurate. The odometer reads about 4.4% low though.

[Yoyo]

I went up a tooth on the front of my Bandit due to the amount of motorway miles on my commute, it was OK but it took a surprising amount off the acceleration. It's worth a go, each to their own and all that!

[applecrossraider]

Hi Charlie yes give it a try, fitted a 16th shortly after buying my wee in 06 now done 54k toured all the european mountain ranges with no problem.s, I get 65/70 mpg and have got 300 miles to a tank full but that was at a sedate pace. good luck  

[chalky]

just bought new chain and sprockets and opted for the 16 tooth front sprocket, fitting them on sunday, hope I've not made a mistake.....

[Jacko]

It's a cheap mistake to rectify if you have..

[greywolf]

Hi Charlie yes give it a try, fitted a 16th shortly after buying my wee in 06 now done 54k toured all the european mountain ranges with no problem.s, I get 65/70 mpg and have got 300 miles to a tank full but that was at a sedate pace. good luck  

Based on my own experience and reports by other, going to a larger front sprocket has little to no effect on fuel economy. The lower revs are offset by a lower power output at those lower revs, requiring more throttle.

[Jacko]

I'm of the opinion that Suzuki have researched the gearing and given the bike the best balance of acceleration and economy.. Having also developed the engine in conjunction with the final drive I'm not about to second guess their R&D..

However, most of my riding takes in all riding situations and environments so I need that balance, if you only do motorway miles then there's merit in changing the gearing.. There is a school of thought that suggests that, as GW states, a drop in revs at a given speed due to higher gearing means the engine is working that bit harder at the new, lower, rev count and consequently uses more fuel, cancelling out the perceived saving due to the lower rpm.. I'm no engineer so I wouldn't want to state this as fact.. It makes sense though, after all how can you squeeze more energy out of the fuel, thereby using less for any given speed, with the same powerhouse?