XR650L Second and Fifth Gear Mod

[@guesswhooldtimer2358]

First to second gear change was absolutely perfect for off and on road use.

[@monsoon3868]

Three years in still a useful video , Thanks for posting it.

[@overkilldyl6841]

Tried to find a 600 countershaft but I guess it’s pretty impossible now lol

[@JosephNB1989]

Thanks for posting this

[@cow7boy]

Pardon my ignorance, but how is this mod different than just changing the front and rear sprockets? Don't you get the same result? Say I want to improve highway riding by making the gearing taller. I can go with a larger sprocket in the front or a smaller one in the rear or change both sprockets. Problem solved. How is this mod different or better than just changing the sprockets? Great video, by the way. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@MichaelAbramo]

When you change sprockets you are moving the entire range of your gearing. For example, if you install a smaller rear sprocket, you increase your top speed. But you also increase the speed that 1st gear can go and makes it easier to stall in 1st. Swapping 5th gear makes the gap between 4th and 5th slightly wider and gives you a higher top speed without changing the torque or speed in the other gears. As for the 2nd gear swap, the gap between 1st and 2nd is notoriously big on this bike. What I mean by that is this: If you are in 1st gear, lets say you're revving the rpms relatively high and you're going 12mph and you're riding some trail in the woods. You now want to shift to 2nd and ride at the same or similar speed but at a lower rpm. So you shift to 2nd. Now you're going 15mph and your rpms are super low... if you go any lower you will stall! But you don't want to go 15-20mph. You want to go 12-15mph, but 2nd gear is too tall a gear to do that and 1st is too low! By swapping the 2nd gear on this bike, you bring that gear ratio down and make the shifts from 1st-2nd and 2nd-3rd more even and now you can use 2nd gear on the trail more comfortably WITHOUT changing your sprockets. That means you are getting the result that (most people) want without sacrificing top end speed. I hope this makes sense.

[@markmcdaniel6006]

Thanks

[@scotttaggart]

Thanks for this video. I just bought a 650L today and the seller recommend this mod so here I am! Dumb question: if you change the 2nd and 5th gears, don't they change diameter? I can't see how you could not also have to change the opposite gears to 2 and 5. Second issue: I'm a bit confused because the XR650L service manual shows M2 as a 16T gear, not 17T. Also, you show the second gear as a 28T but the other writeups show the 16T and you even mention the 16T, not 28T???

[@MichaelAbramo]

The outer diameters of the gears are the same. It's a non issue. I think in your second point you referenced the description of the video? I fixed the mistake. I don't know why the manual says M2-16T. In any case, you're swapping the 17T to a 16T. It's been a while so my memory of all this is not perfect.

[@guesswhooldtimer2358]

The mechanic the rebuilt my worn counter shaft sprocket spline was not sold but the NV gear works. He said the clicked through the gears several times to make sure it would work. It’s something about the gear cut. Make sure to swap to the 600R drive sprocket. Flip it outside in. Worn countershaft splines mean a complete tear down.

[@stmboat]

I'm doing these same mods, kickstart and what have you. Did you choose a group to take care of your cylinder and head work? Maybe you're leaving it idk.

[@MichaelAbramo]

No head work. Local machine shop for the bore and hone. Honestly I don't need to squeeze power out of this bike. With the right gearing it'll pull 100mph. I just put a high comp piston in to try it out. Reliability is most important to me

[@buckyrides6165]

Could u put a link for the gears? Cause everywhere I looked they were both close to 200+ dollars a piece and I’m not sure I was looking at the right parts.

[@MichaelAbramo]

Added the part numbers to the description. The 5th gear is difficult to source in the US. I actually bought the gear almost 2 years before doing the conversion. Watch ebay because some dude imports them in bulk from europe. They were originally in the NX650 and FMX650.

[@ronromano9140]

what are the part numbers for these gears and shaft & what did you do to complete the kickstarter

[@MichaelAbramo]

Part numbers added to the description. Once you have the countershaft from the XR600, you need an XR600 or XL600 clutch cover, kickstart spindle assembly, and the kick lever.

[@jholl326]

I've seen a part number 23421-mn9-010. Do i use the one listed here on the one I've seen?

[@MichaelAbramo]

You have the correct part number

[@daddybabyvillager4711]

So what are the results....was it worth it?

[@scottjost8736]

Will this also work in the xr650r?

[@MichaelAbramo]

No. Totally different gears. There are no known gear swaps for the XRR.

[@scottjost8736]

@@MichaelAbramo ok thanks that what i was thinking since they use different part number. I wish there was a gear swap for them a new 5th would make a world of a difference

[@evanpilot]

So what where the results?

[@MichaelAbramo]

The bike isn't back together yet. I'll post a follow up after I finish.

[@beunbad]

Well did it ever work?