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Posted by rob f
- April 29, 2018, 22:27:09 PMRatman......recycling the cycle.
I like it!
Posted by OR Seedman
- April 29, 2018, 16:12:02 PMAs someone who has ridden with both setups on my 800, I prefer the 18/38 setup...my reasons being that I mostly rode the bike on country roads and the highway...usually at 55-70mph. With the oem sprocket setup I was constantly hunting for a 6th gear and the buzzing rpm vibration at anything over 60 mph was kind of annoying (but to be honest, my previous bikes were touring models and the 800 was my first V-twin). With the 18/38 set up, I was more comfortable at higher speeds, was not hunting for another gear and did not really notice any loss of torque at lower speeds. That being said, I have sold my 800 and am now riding the 1500 model. With the larger engine and shaft drive, it has a wider gearing setup and cruises comfortably at 70-75 on the highway, with loads of torque....
So...to each his own. But, unless you have ridden the same bike under both setups, it is presumptuous to dictate to others which is better, especially based upon your particular style of riding. You may find the oem setup more to your liking than Ratman and I did....if so, then that's the setup you should use....
Posted by CDNRatMan
- April 29, 2018, 15:18:23 PMForgot to add this little tidbit the picture below if you notice is the seat frame for Raven, it is a seat frame from a 2 up seat that I bought off ebay that someone else had tried to modify and gave up on. So I had it modified.....ok and why here in a discussion of sprockets.....look close and you can see I put my 17 T sprocket to good use and that is also the original sprocket of the machine.....lol....
Posted by CDNRatMan
- April 29, 2018, 15:14:16 PM 
Ok not going to get into a pissing contest here and I for one am not going to want to have anyone upset with me over this issue. So I will just say the following, I do know of a couple about 4 hours north east of me that have 2 800 Drifters and one has the sprocket swap and one without. So I am going to ask him his opinion. Now I also have a digital tach on my bike as Marc knows, cannot remember if he has one also. But I will take the time to get the figures in different gears and post them up here.
I do know that I rode my bike to Kingston ON along highway 41 from North Bay, a few really good twisties and some ugly steep hills (not mountains....) Now when I rode it with stock gearing I was looking for a sixth gear.
I took it in for servicing on my return, and the mechanic is someone I trust with your life. Now he is a personal friend of mine also. He jumped my shit because the idle was below 1000 rpm which is where the 800 is supposed to be when warm. So he set it to his liking, He also gave me the practical reasons why this machine has to run at higher RPMs than other bikes. So I understand about that and this summer while riding the Cabot trail yes I was shifting up and down, but I was keeping the rpm's up high and that little 800 responded like a champ, I had no issues keeping up with the "big boys".
So in closing, I will ride my way and to my liking and enjoy it. If it is not the same as you, so be it ....now imagine how boring it would be if we all did everything the same..........now just wait till you see Raven when she comes out to play.....
Posted by rob f
- April 29, 2018, 08:49:08 AMNeither here nor there : some tidbits I found while looking at sprocket info
"For every 1 tooth you change on the front, it is the equivalent to changing 3-4 teeth on the rear."
"A sprocket with an odd number of teeth will offer at least double the service life of a sprocket with even teeth.
In simple terms, if a sprocket has an even number of teeth, the same tooth will be engaged by the same rollers on each rotation. This leads to uneven wear on the chain and sprocket and a shortened service life for both components"
And for some heavy info see this:
http://www.ducatimonster.org/forums/tech/154060-excellent-chain-sprocket-information.html
Posted by kw-retrorider
- April 29, 2018, 05:21:28 AMRob F: on my second 800 with stock gearing and have never been moved by the discussion of changing sprockets. It does depend on where and how you ride. I am Maryland where it is fairly flat; I ride one up and do not ride highway at 70-75 mph.
That said, I also went to the Drift-In in 2013, some 500 miles each way and had plenty of 65MPH time on the highway with no issues.
To my sprocket changing friends, Mr. Greenbarn and Mr. Ratman.....we have had this discussion before. This is not a Harley; it is a better engineered engine designed to run at higher RPM. Because the swap results have been subjective without quantitative back-up from a tachometer or other info on power to RPM at shift points, most of the discussions have been about sound and feel.
I looked at the recommended shifting range that is published....it is much higher than what you feel when you actually ride....as a matter of fact I tried to ride the bike that way as a test...it was ridiculous how much I was winding out the engine. Talk about feel, that just didn't feel right. After that anecdotal test, wasn't convinced I need to change the sprocket ratio, which would only lug this engine... to what end.... just so it sounds like what some may be used to. As a non-Harley guy...I had no frame of reference for that, so stuck with what they built.
Again, just another view and not condemning others experience or preference. Also, to be fair...I have never ridden one with the swap. That might be the only way I might be swayed.
Posted by rob f
- April 28, 2018, 17:41:24 PMFrom the sounds of it I may have a power issue with my bike. But from my years of running equipment I am confident that this bike is running as well as it should through all gears ( except 5th) with exceptional low end torque. Maybe I should take the tranny apart ,remove the 5th driven gear and chuck it in the trees. I"ll never use it at this rate.
What I mean by 1st being too tall ..its a dirt biker term for a first gear that gives too much ground speed for the rpm. The Buell that i owned had a very fast first gear and I dropped it many times turning around because it liked to stall out because of this. I fixed it by installing a smaller drive gear in the tranny. I suppose this turned me off to speedy first gears.
Gonna order a 17T today and will let you know what I think in a week or so.
R
Posted by CDNRatMan
- April 28, 2018, 15:44:39 PM 
rob not sure what you mean that 1st is too tall. I had switched my sprockets. Bike is completely stock other than a Roadhouse exhaust and K&N air filter. Now to get it out I am 5'11" and about 250 lbs. First picture is of my bike prior to going to the East Coast and riding the Cabot Trail. For shits and giggles I weighed my gear prior to leaving and that included 3 gals of gas in case. That put the weight of the bike at 325 lbs.
I have never had to feather the clutch to take off. I cruised out to Montreal along the TC and maintained 120 to 130 kms all the way, from Montreal to Sackville I was again along the TC and was cruising along at 120 to 140 km. I think I might have had to gear down for one long hill but do not recall having to downshift often if at all.
Now Rob I am not going to get my panties in a knot because you disagree with me, I will say each to their own and I stand by my liking the gearing I have set up for my riding style and my riding speed. I have ridden from North Bay to Billings MT, and back via the TC in Canada with this set up and it has proven itself to me.
I would like to find a stock set up and ride along with them and see when and how often the shifting is done......Soon as I can get out I will try and make a record of my shifting at what speeds and what the tach is showing.......
Posted by greenbarn
- April 28, 2018, 10:08:17 AMWow, I'm really surprised- first time I've ever heard of anyone thinking the 18/38 was too high. I have never mapped my shift points, but I know before the swap, with stock gearing, at 70 MPH it would seem to be revving so high on the highway it would seem like it was coming apart.
Also, I know the 18/38 gearing is nearly identical to the gear ratio of the belt conversion kit.
Posted by Tfrank59
- April 28, 2018, 09:25:42 AMWell I've been running the stock gearing on my Drifter and I think like you I found it a little tall to begin with. I have no intentions of gearing up, but that's because I do very little riding at higher speeds. Mostly I ride between about 35 and 55 miles per hour and occasionally for an exit or two I'll get on the freeway (as a point of reference the stock gearing on my 800 is roughly the same as the gearing on my 1500 Valkyrie). I've made friends with the stock gearing on my 800, so I'm good with it just the way it is. I know some of our friends on this forum will chime in and say they like what they did gearing up but perhaps that's because a lot of them go on long trips (some of them even riding 2 up and they still find sufficient power to climb hills). To each his own.
Posted by rob f
- April 28, 2018, 09:11:17 AM I have done the 18/38 sprocket swap and just finished my first highway ride. I was not impressed.
Now , I am sure this comment will get a lot of VDR member's panties in a knot but hear me out.
I needed to change out the sprockets and chain anyway so I will not be asking GB for a refund as Ratman had suggested in an earlier post 
Some background info first: I have not ridden this bike with the stock sprockets it came with, as I just bought it Dec2017. The bike is pretty much stock except for a k/n filter, so hp is pretty much factory. Most of my roads are 90kph to 120kph (55mph-75mph). My personal comfort zone is around 105kph (65mph) These are my shifting speeds with the 18/38 conversion......
1-2 @40k/25m
2-3 @ 70k/45m
3-4 @95k/60m
4-5 @110k/68m
Does this shifting range sound right to you other 18/38'rs?
My experience: Took it on a 2hr run on the hyway into a strong crosswind. Could not hold it @ 110k/68m in 5th gear on any kind of hill. Ran it most of the way in 4th @ 105k/65m and on occasion had to dump it into 3rd on a very steep hill. The bike seems to be running fine and has new plugs. New properly inflated tires and I only weigh 170lbs ,solo, no luggage.
Bottom line: For my riding conditions the stock 800cc's cannot handle the 18/38 conversion . Also am finding that I am feathering the clutch too much at start up and also braking too much coming into intersections. 1st is way to tall for my liking.
I will try the cheap route first and change the front back to 17t. May be just enough. If not, I will have a pair of slightly used 18/38 sprockets for sale.
R