Motorcycle Gearing Changes Explained | MC Garage

Want more acceleration or better fuel mileage from your motorcycle? It might be as easy as swapping out a sprocket. We’ll tell you everything you need to know about changing the final-drive ratio on your bike in this video from the MC Garage.
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When we talk about gearing, we’re referring to the final-drive ratio, which you get by dividing the number of teeth on the rear sprocket by the number of teeth on the front, or countershaft sprocket. This figure represents the number of times the front sprocket has to rotate to turn the rear sprocket, and ultimately, it determines how engine rpm translates to road speed and how much torque there is at the rear wheel.
The Different Types Of Gear Ratios
Before we get into the nuts and bolts of it, let’s talk the lingo. When someone says that a bike is geared “tall” or “high,” that means you’ll get a higher top speed but at the cost of acceleration. If someone says that gearing is “short” or “low,” that means better acceleration but a lower top speed. Here’s the confusing part though. A larger gear ratio-say, 3.10-correlates to shorter gearing, while a low number-like 2.70-represents taller gearing. It all goes back to how many times that front sprocket has to rotate to turn the rear sprocket and the wheel.
The good news is that while crunching numbers to compare ratios is helpful, it’s not necessary. All you really need to know is what your bike’s current gearing is-it’s printed right on the side of the sprockets-and then figure out how you’ll need to adjust the tooth count to change your bike’s performance.
If you want better off-the-line acceleration, say, because you ride a small-displacement bike or predominantly ride in the city or really tight canyons, you’ll want to lower your gearing by either subtracting teeth from the front sprocket or adding them to the rear sprocket. If you want to get better gas mileage and net lower rpm as you cruise down the freeway, you’ll want to either add teeth to the front or subtract them from the rear.
For the most part, riders tend to gear their bikes shorter since many motorcycles today come with excessively tall gearing. But even if a bike feels like the gearing is way off for the way you ride, you probably won’t have to change the tooth count much to notice a big difference. In general, people will change the front sprocket by one, maybe two teeth, and alter the rear by perhaps two or three teeth at maximum.
Do I Need A New Chain When I Change Sprockets?
If you change your gearing, even by just a tooth, you’re changing the diameter of the sprocket and it’s going to affect your chain slack, so make sure you readjust the chain tension. Most minor gearing changes of just a tooth or two can be accounted for with the available adjustment at the swingarm, but you don’t want to mess with your wheelbase too much, and if you’re going big on the rear, you may find that you need a longer chain. Also, if you’ve got a decent amount of mileage on your drivetrain, you’ll want to replace everything as a set so it all wears evenly. Throwing a new sprocket at a worn chain is going to chew it up in a hurry.
Gearing Changes And Your Speedometer
Another thing to consider when changing your gearing is how it might affect your speedometer. Most bikes register speed off of the transmission, so altering the final-drive gearing is going to screw up the math the ECU is doing. If you have an older bike with a front-wheel speed sensor you're in the clear, but otherwise, you might want to consider getting a SpeedoHealer or a similar calibration device.
What Sprocket Should I Change First?
Now, if you're on a budget or just want to experiment to see how a gearing change affects your bike, the cheapest and easiest thing to do is to swap out the front sprocket. Front sprockets are cheaper, for one, at about $20 or $30, they're held in place with less hardware, and a change of just a single tooth alters the ratio more than a single tooth on the back wheel. Rear sprockets cost more, and you have to remove the rear wheel to replace 'em.
Full story here: www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearing-changes-explained/
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[@kavinsp]

The only sad thing about these videos are the fact that they end

[@kavinsp]

Auto blipper nobody cares about you and your shitty opinion

[@kavinsp]

Auto blipper get lost you are just a device which is used to blip the throttle while downshifting! How dare are you to speak bad about a human?

[@mrsauce9307]

Auto blipper both of you guys sound like 12 year olds💀

[@slovak4life1991]

Great video. Can you do a tutorial on how to make my biceps look like Ari’s?

[@Croak1]

Grom curls.

[@slovak4life1991]

John Capozzi Ah ok. That makes sense.

[@jospi2]

That's on Athleanx's channel.

[@TheGrendel1985]

Dude is doing roids! Cant you tell he is so angry all the time! Hair fell out a few years back. I mean all the signs are there.

[@GETUPANDGO]

lol

[@tyrrellburns7766]

I agree the back sprocket can be harder to change for some, however be careful going with a smaller front sproket cause most bikes will chew up the rubber chain slider and dig into the spingarn causing some expensive repairs.

[@AriH211]

Yup, great point.

[@MC-Racing]

I knew all this already, but i still watch these videos, just because they are damn good. :-)

[@davidjames1684]

On my 2004 Kawasaki ZX-10R (17-39 stock sprockets), I went with -2, +11 (15-50 sprockets) and not only did those look cool, it made the bike MUCH more fun at lower speeds since I could get at the power MUCH quicker without having to go at license losing speeds. When not riding aggressively, I could easily shortshift all 6 gears at legal speeds but when I wanted to hammer it, I had all 6 gears in the speed range of the stock first 4 gears. The bike just "ate up" each gear quickly but still had a theoretical top speed of close to 150 MPH. Lots of fun. The 15-50 sprocket combo is a 3.33 final drive ratio so to get that with the stock 17 tooth front, I would need 57 teeth (3.35) which would have made it look like a stunt bike sprocket. Reducing the # of teeth on the front sprocket somewhat "hides" that it is geared down but a rear sprocket change is kinda obvious.

[@ralphwarom2514]

I can't even imagine the wheelie machine you created. Those are massive changes.

[@itsmeta4]

Bruh all this "legal speeds" talk shut your dirty little mouth

[@mastergogoy6166]

Finally, I now know what those "taller" and "shorter" gearing you guys mention in your On Two Wheels videos.

[@irondiet6831]

This dude is amazing. Clear and concise.

[@griffithbowen4590]

5 year old video and still taught me something, awesome explination!

[@jakehiggins5118]

I replaced the stock 16t front sprocket on my 07 GS500F with a 14t sprocket and it makes a big difference in how the bike accelerates. I love this setup because I do more sporty riding than highway riding

[@robbchastain3036]

Thanks for this video and thanks for a GREAT magazine. Motorcyclist is one of my favorites, for sure.

[@brijeshmandanna147]

That was very helpful.. brilliant ..u got almost everything covered !

[@garymarquett7989]

Thanks mate👍....i did this to my GSXR1100 yrs ago and its off the line acceleration was awesome.

[@PewPewJet]

Learned something new today. Thanks!

[@bodjongski]

Always very informative. Thanks a lot for your videos.

[@victordiaz8983]

Quality content as always 💪🏼

[@shanetconnor]

Great info. Thanks for making the vid!

[@philkwon81]

This channel is such a double-edged sword. The information is so good and concisely put, that I spend hours scouring the internet for deals on parts that I don't really need and modifications that don't really need to be done. But it's winter here in Michigan, and I don't really have shit else to do. Lol. Do I really need to put $5000 of parts into a $4400 motorcycle? Don't answer that. Please.

[@Rohit-ij6eh]

Noo u shouldn't

[@philkwon81]

@@Rohit-ij6eh soooo…you’re saying maybe? 😂

[@reinearl05]

Right timing of this video. Thanks mc garage!

[@PapodeArmas]

This became my favorite motorcycle channel !!!

[@charlesdelusignan7909]

I literally did not know you could do this. Very informative. Would have been great on my old FZS600. Great video(s). Keep it up! PS can you do a video on like dealing with electrical issues and how to examine wiring harnesses?

[@lucasma3723]

super helpful info!! love this channel !!

[@MacDaddyC7Z06]

Already liked the video while the add was playing lol. I know its gonna be good.

[@jacobsherrell2501]

Great video. Explaining it to the simplest form!

[@joelgracelin3313]

love your videos .it helps me learn a lot about my bike . please make videos often

[@timothy9596]

Excellent vid as usual Ari.

[@allenhuling598]

Another good one, Ari...thanks!

[@alanhold2468]

Great stuff. Would love to see another build series

[@deveshyadav5776]

thanks . cleared all my questions .

[@missadventuresmotorcycledi2773]

Oh perfect, just what I was looking for!

[@arielramirezpr94]

Awesome ive wondered this for ages. 🤙

[@avrc9285]

Great info there. Thank you.

[@jacobdad2742]

Thanks, this was very helpful.

[@anuvav9524]

Thank you mc garage and ari henning...

[@gulstan6007]

Amazing, simple solution for a big problem

[@xontheweb2376]

I now feel better equipped to talk bikes at the pub! Cheers 🍺 Great explanations for wannabe great bikers.

[@007DevilDare]

Another great Video from MC Garage........

[@austinmiranda8028]

Nice video guys. Maybe the next MC Garage can be on "how to know when to replace your clutch plates, clutch cable, etc"?

[@alejandrodg82]

Great video guys!!!

[@pandeysiddhartha]

Hey Arai, love your easy and simple to understand videos. Though would like to know how to judge as to what no.of teeth we can increase or decrease on a certain bike?

[@chinarjadhav4061]

I asked for it twice a year ago and finally u made it.

[@Odin31b]

Thanks for the info!

[@CosenaEnzo]

Thanks a lot for this video!! ;)

[@shAdOwstAlkEr945]

I dropped a tooth on the front sprocket of my little R3 and it completely changed the characteristic of the bike. And since I do a lot of canyon carving and street riding with it, I much prefer this set-up.

[@pepsiboy4274]

FPSPhilippines i believe front sprocket is 15? So you drop one tooth its now 14? And rear sprocket 45?

[@shAdOwstAlkEr945]

Pepsi Boy42 the OEM is 14 front 43 rear and I just swapped for a 13T takasago front sprocket and left the stock chain and rear sprocket since it all fits. However the speedo is rather enthusiastic reading 100kph when in reality its running about 93kph give or take. But doesn't really bother me since the speed limits in our island are more "guidelines" than actual rules to follow lol.

[@baecchi4153]

ride safe paps ... nice info na din ..

[@raymunddiems5540]

does changing the front sprocket affects the speedo?? please reply im quite interesting especially in small cc bikes

[@JJ_ExMachina]

Yeah did 2 down and three up on my 2005 Triumph Daytona 650... It now is an insanely quick bike.. Yeah I can only do 156-158 top end... BUT I don't ever hit those speeds on the street... I can keep up with my buddies stock ZX14 from a standstill to about 130MPH... SO I am just fine with that...

[@IamSaud_YT]

Please explain about fork oils and which oil we use for better usability according to the ride style. Right now I am having problems with my suspension setup.

[@kennethcuenca5009]

Very informative and simple 👍

[@caruser4]

Great video as always. I eliminated two teeth on the rear sprocket of my Wee and it was nice having the RPM go down on the highway but climbing hills sucked

[@jennteam]

Hi Carlos-I'm in a similar situation. How much did your RPM go down in highway? That is my main objective. Are you happy with the change? Thanks, -DJ

[@KitbashCody]

so helpful thank you so much :D

[@jeepadventure4x4]

Very well explained.. Thanks

[@dennisswanberg1718]

I put 15 T sprocket on my 300 Ninja and love it. Makes those highway rides much smoother.

[@adarshp6930]

Great vid mate!... Lot of info.

[@sun6v546]

Very Good job , Mate .........Thank you .👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@sbsb4995]

Great stuff

[@ashez01]

Excellent video...!!

[@ethanmacheras5967]

Very helpful, thanks

[@yadhukrishnanms1261]

Great info. And I need to know about bhp,hp,torque,rpm and how to change these for more power.

[@michelemicoli]

Would love to see a video off you guys going on an adventure with the Versys 650!

[@crisaraya2558]

you really picked the best bike for this example, as a former owner of a versys, I always thought the gear ration was too low. is too aggressive especially in the city. great video, would have been nice to see real-life results in the versys to see the top end speed change gain in sacrifice to a bit of torque ( which in my opinion there is plenty in that bike)

[@CAlegal]

Helped me a lot to understand

[@Killer13panda]

You are an awesome human being. 🤘

[@jermainedeshad]

Awesome video matt

[@86harsha]

Amazing video thx a lor

[@shashi4576]

As usual very informative and interesting video, my query is --> Does alteration in final drive is simple in motorbikes with IMU and cornering ABS. I mean can I just go for it for 2018 Kawasaki Z10000sx or there is a Software complication from IMU

[@sandywright6394]

Thank you! I'm new into riding. Didn't grow up with a mechanical dad to teach me the ropes. So many vloggers and forum talk just throw out terms like everyone knows them.

[@AriH211]

That's why we are here Sandy!

[@sandywright6394]

How about a video on suspension? I don't get when people say their bike has too soft of suspension. How do you know what is good for the rider? Etc

[@Lame_He]

Great information

[@TheErnieeeb]

Really like your videos, to the point with great info, now about Ari's biceps?

[@acog9891]

On my 2016 Yamaha TTR 230 I went down 6 teeth in the rear after jetting the carburetor and installing a K&N air filter. I had to remove two links out of my chain but it was totally worth it. Stock it was geared too low and with the mods that had to have been done.

[@simonpatcharin]

Well done man...

[@mscar8024]

Ari can you talk about engine braking/downshifting and rev matching?

[@coconuciferanuts339]

Thanks mate.Another informative video as usual.On my v-strom650xt I got a 16t to replace the 15t front sprocket.What are your opinions on this?Cheers.

[@Jambome]

Very informative! Have you done one on compression ratios and what they mean,? Also bore and stroke,? Kindly Share the link if there's one of each. Keep it up!

[@juliusschmidt193]

Very cool topic

[@saikatdas9122]

Please make a video to clean fuel injectors & fuel pumps, your videos are neat & short & crisp. Thanks.

[@piggymito]

Great video but it's worth adding that you'll need to be careful not to go too small as it can cause clearance issues with chain cutting into the swing arm.

[@thehealer22]

Amazing video

[@bobbyseiler228]

This was a great tutorial

[@Thesaviorsway]

Changing my final drive from 2.14 to 2.1333 repeating is improving my fuel economy, increasing top speed and since my rear sprocket is bigger my acceleration shouldn't be hurt so much

[@B10401]

It's good to keep in mind that shorter gearing mainly helps off the line, as you can just be in a lower gear when up to speed, and you'll have the same acceleration at a given rpm and mph. If you're always going slow then shorter gears can help you stay in the power band, though. And if you have a sport bike that's geared ridiculously tall, and can go 90+ mph while lugging the engine, then there's no downside to going shorter.

[@B10401]

A good tool for doing the math is gearingcommander,com. if you want to know how big of a change it will be.

[@Bursar60]

I have a versys 1000 and torn on whatd be better. 1st gear zip seems fine, its more I hate loss of grunt in 6th gear going 60-100mph. Like feels like a bigger change 5-6th than between other gears. So making passes on highway I find myself wanting to go to 5th. Loss of mpg would be sad but feels like wasted gearing when im not running it up to 150mph and even doing 80/90 im only at like 3500/4000 rpm Though as a new rider I may just be scared of keeping it in higher revs. Other than moments of flooring it. Even going fast fron a stop Im enjoying fast up shifts with barely a release rowing up thru the gears at 4500-6000 rpm. Seems better than hitting second and reving it up to 8k hitting 60 then shifting up 4 gears in one go.

[@akmaldawson5187]

Helpful indeed.

[@MrTrick.]

Good job Ari.

[@adamrubinger2644]

Another thing to think about is rebound inertia. Similar to the power loss of a piston having to travel in the opposite direction before more power can be created by it. Think about your chain having to whip around a tiny front sprocket vs being able to more slowly/efficiently roll around it. So having a bigger front sprocket and also a bigger rear sprocket may be worth trying. Also at the same time you may, depending on how big you go on either, will equate more sprocket and chain weight (if you need more chain links) and more rotating mass, unless you are running aluminum vs stock steel. Without a crap ton of math making it a perfect science it's another consideration of gear changes to think about/play with. Especially for the rider who has three or four fronts and eight or ten rears. I've gone back and forth with a few of these myself on dirt and street with interesting results. Lemme know if anyone tries it and how it works out for you.

[@SpottedCreeper]

Great video as usual Ari. Would have been nice to show some stats of the differences going up/down teeth on that Versys. Eg. we went up two teeth on the rear and top end dropped from 133 mph down to 1xx mph, but the 1/4 mile time improved from xx seconds to xx seconds. And maybe some fuel consumption figures. Get Zack to do a commute on the standard size sprocket and then change it (up or down in teeth) and do the commute again and see how much it affects consumption. Keep the MC Garage vids coming, I'm always learning something new from them!

[@amerpaisa6920]

Looking for stats:www.gearingcommander.com

[@SpottedCreeper]

Nice link, thanks!

[@jakemandel92]

Can you do a video on boring out cylinders to get a bigger displacement? Benefits / drawbacks, etc

[@mikelapiz5213]

Awesome bro..

[@lotusjlr]

Great video. Can you make a video on how to fix a striped drain plug. I have 2 bike that it need to be adress. Thanks and keep up the good work!

[@one-of-us9939]

Thanks bro.

[@ae70gts]

1 tooth biggger front = about 3.5 teeth smallest rear

[@dvlarry]

depends on the bike and gears, some bikes 1:2.5, some 1:3, not always 1:3.5

[@najjuzac]

Ari you are best 👍

[@tombullock8752]

like all your videos. could you do somthing on the sv650s all generations please

[@jon98tj]

Thank you

[@jyotiprakashsingh9222]

Wow very nice

[@aldiprai9308]

What should I do to increase initial pickup for wheelie?

[@seinfeld11123]

actually did this last week. I wanted taller gearing on my R3 as its always revving its tits off. so I worked out I got 8% higher top speed / loss of torque. So to combat that I got myself a high end X ring chain that recovered said lost torque. Win fricking win!

[@P38Aaron]

Love the videos guys, great work. I have a new bike (KTM Duke 790) with more performance than I've had before (Duke 390) & am now starting to get my confidence & ride more spiritedly, I have had headshake a few times when coming out of corners, I'm not worried about this but should I be & when does a headshake turn into a tank slapper?

[@Daschickenify]

There is a very fine line between headshake and a tankslapper, and it can quickly get out of control. Make sure the steering head bearings are not loose or worn out. Try to ease onto the throttle instead of being violent with it, as that could initiate a wheelie and turn into headshake when the wheel comes down again. My four cylinder CBR 250R would self-initiate a headshake above 30 mph if I took both hands off the handlebars. When I got a new front tire the headshake stopped! Consider installing a steering damper if your bike does not have one already(pretty sure it doesn't). Those can be lifesaving, especially at higher speeds.

[@timluther5171]

Very good video. I just got a 88 GSX1100F that my wife and I hope to tour around on and for me anyhow it feels like there should be a 6th gear because 4000 rpm at 100 kph just seems too high. It's not like it doesn't have enough power to change things up so it is maybe at 3500 rpm at the same speed.

[@bobbymalta73]

Thank You..

[@sandicroatia1573]

Great videos. Thank you very much. What do you think about husqvarna 701, would love to have something in between speed and acceleration, maybe a little bit to the acceleration side. I was thinking about 15/45. What is you opinion, thank you very much. Greetings from Croatia

[@pranoyradiya]

Hi can you please make video on changing or repairing O2 sensor (if possible specially for KTM Duke 390).

[@jay_321]

Another factor to consider when changing the front sprocket is chain life. Going taller in the front extends chain life significantly. Going shorter in the front decreases chain life significantly.

[@Aaaaa69999]

Jay _ yes that's why you always increase in the rear vs decreasing in front, even though ari recommended the opposite

[@JJ_ExMachina]

Well I went 2 down on the front and 3 up on the rear... OF my 2005 Triumph Daytona 650 about 20k miles ago... Chain and teeth are still just fine, yes the chain is getting near the point I will want to change it (measured the "stretch"), however it is still well within safe limits. I don't do any sort of wheelies... I do ride aggressively, and I purchased to spec parts. SO while I agree it does put added wear on the chain to do what I did, it's NOT going to wear it out that much faster then if you didn't do it. OR at least in my case (I take really good care of my stuff), it has not really effected the longevity of the life of the chain.

[@yessure5291]

@@JJ_ExMachina Wow that is a drastic change.

[@JJ_ExMachina]

@@yessure5291 Well I only do street riding, so the top end is not important. It really improved the response at speed and the way the bike leaves the line. With everything done to the bike, I am putting about 120hp to the wheel. So the bike is a rocket at street speeds.

[@yessure5291]

@@JJ_ExMachina Take it easy - speeding tickets are easy to get and costly in fines and insurance increases. ;)

[@jonathanklein8426]

You are awesome with this stuff, if only I could send you my bike with a set amount of cash and see what you are able to do with it for a video would be sick.

[@theorbitronz838]

Your a nerd in a very awesome way