[mrsurr]

I don’t know how you guys who bought stock 1200s felt, but the gearing on my 1260 is much too tall.

My mechanic advised against going down to a 14T front sprocket, saying it changes the geometry of the drive in a way that could create too much swing arm friction. So I’m going up on the back sprocket.

Anybody have an opinion about 2.8 vs 2.86 final drive ratio? I don’t mind so much sacrificing some theoretical top-end speed to shorten the gearing and tighten thinks up. I’m leaning towards 43T/15T and going to a 525 pitch.

 

[monk63]

I changed my 2103 multi gearing to 15/43 and the bike pulls great also I have been very happy with the improved 6th gear highway gearing. 80 MPH is 5000 rpm but 60 mph is 4200 rpm just above this bikes dip in the torque curve. I would stay with the 530 chain and of the best quality sold. I used an EK530 SRX2 chain and had to adjust more often than the stock chain. Make certain that you leave the same space from tire to cat as stock your the cat will cook the tire when you stop after every ride. I used the SuperSprox brand front and rear, showing no wear after 13,000 miles.

 

[tzoykas]

I have done the 15/42 conversion on my 2011 Multistrada and the change has been very beneficial. However, 2nd was unusable in town and the 6th was too tall for highway speeds. Both cases solved. No change whatsoever in consumption. This is not the case with the 1260 though. I found it to be really civilized, without any jerkiness on 1st and 2nd gears. Maybe the 6th is too tall but this is a change that is not really needed in the 1260, only desired. I stayed with the same chain (530 and 108 links). Constant lubrication with a tutoro oiler solved my problems with longevity. 16K kms now on this chain and I haven't even tightened it yet.

 

[suruppak]

When it is time to change the chain and sprockets on my 1260 I will probably go with a 43 in the rear, like I did with my 1200. I like to be able to crawl along in first gear without wearing out the clutch if I want to, and 6th is still high enough it won't have any detrimental effects there either.

 

[Strega]

Anybody have an opinion about 2.8 vs 2.86 final drive ratio?

Negligible difference.

 

[mrsurr]

Thanks guys.

I haven’t liked second gear around town really. I’ve tested it out just driving at the same rpm and seeing how smooth it is and you just get these random jerkey pulls. Not really horrible, but we can do better. And as it stands, sixth has been my “cruise control gear.”

I’m going to pop in a Superlite 15/43 525 conversion kit with a DID chain.

 

[Pelly182]

I changed my 2103 multi gearing to 15/43 and the bike pulls great also I have been very happy with the improved 6th gear highway gearing. 80 MPH is 5000 rpm but 60 mph is 4200 rpm just above this bikes dip in the torque curve. I would stay with the 530 chain and of the best quality sold. I used an EK530 SRX2 chain and had to adjust more often than the stock chain. Make certain that you leave the same space from tire to cat as stock your the cat will cook the tire when you stop after every ride. I used the SuperSprox brand front and rear, showing no wear after 13,000 miles.

Can you elaborate on this??

 

[zr1000a1]

Can you elaborate on this??

I think what monk meant is when you put a larger sprocket and keep the same chain, the rear wheel moves forward closer to a CAT converter.
There are 2 options:
1. Use a longer chain
2. Or (as I did, but not for that reason) put non-CAT exhaust headers. Akra is the best!

 

[monk63]

Yes zr1000 is right, add 2 links to the chain length which should put the rear wheel in the middle of the adjustment range.

 

[shredder]

I waited until my chain went on my 13 Multi to replace the sprockets (mistake on waiting). Went up 2 in the rear. Absolutely should have done that as soon as I got the bike, without waiting for the chain. That was WAY worth the cost of admission and I'll do that swap asap on the next one.

 

[DaveK]

I started with 0/+2/525 and that was a decent "move in the right direction"... then decided to try -1/+2 and it's a pretty huge change. Probably a bit beyond 'the sweet spot'... but damn it makes first and second gear fun/hooligan'ish. Undecided if I'm going to go back to 0/+2... but never going back to stock.

 

[suruppak]

Dave, do you think +3 in the rear would be the sweet spot then?

 

[DaveK]

It might be worth trying... I'm sure the -1 front does increase wear rate (though it's working well so far). Not sure what size the rear can go to before causing problems.

 

[mrsurr]

Got my 43T rear sprocket put on today, took the pitch down to 525 and changed out the flange to something sexier.

Guys, if you’re running stock 40/15, your bike is unfinished (IMHO). It’s like night and day.

Before: You’re moving along at a good clip and come up on some cars. Passing not an option. Have to slow to 35mph, drop it to second, too high in the torque curve, try third again; borderline lugging. Ugh. ** Hit a really sharp angle, already leaned in, don’t want to downshift now, let the revs fall while still in third, hit apex, damn not enough power. Wait, there’s a 6th gear?

After: Acceleration comes on hard, first gear isn’t as unbearable (but it’s barely there), clutch feels a bit lighter. Second gear fine for a slow crawl. Third can do 35-40 mph all day and you’ll spend most of your time in it on twisties. Get up-on-it in the twisties and click it into 4th on apex exit until the next sharp turn approaches. Power is tight, smooth and delivers surprisingly fast. More overall time is spent “in the power.” Sixth gear 6k rpm at exactly 100. Just right.

 

[DarR]

Got my 43T rear sprocket put on today, took the pitch down to 525 and changed out the flange to something sexier.

Quick question:
Did you change the front sprocket to match the width of the new rear?

 

[DarR]

I have produced this table to illustrate the impact on gear change effect.
I used a 150mph top speed as a baseline although the bike may run a few mph faster so please don't tear-apart the messenger.
The (0~60 mph*) math methodology could be off as well as there's a limit to the improvement increased leverage would produce.

0~60 mph source:
https://www.zeroto60times.com/body-style/motorcycle/

 

[DarR]

I've previously done -1F on the Panigale with great results but would prefer changing the rear sprocket for my current bikes.

BTW, here's some interesting stats between the Diavel, Monster 1200 and the Multistrada 1200/1260.
All internal gearbox ratios are the same. However, final drives are different as follows:
Diavel 15/43
Monster 15/41
Multistrada 15/40

I'm thinking of going +2R for both the Monster and the Multistrada.
Monster 43T
Multistrada 42T

Still undecided but looking for additional comments.

 

[mandel]

On my 2016 Multistrada DVT, I upped the rear sprocket to 42 when I put on a new chain. That made a tremendous improvement in low end acceleration and overall feel. The DVT doesn't hit its stride until at least 4,000 rpm (min.); with the gearing change, I can spend all day at or over 4k without breaking 5,000 -- unless I want to.

Love the change and no second thoughts.

 

[suruppak]

I'll definitely be changing my rear gearing on my 1260 when it needs new sprockets. I love it on the 2011 I had. I'm debating between +2 or +3 in the rear.

 

[DarR]

I'll definitely be changing my rear gearing on my 1260 when it needs new sprockets. I love it on the 2011 I had. I'm debating between +2 or +3 in the rear.

For me it's either -1F or +2R.
If you're still thinking about +3R, I would suggest -1F to try it out.
-1F is the same as +3R and the front sprocket is much cheaper and you can use your stock chain.