WRR Gearing for highway speed

A while back I ran a 13/42 with a 130/90 rear tire. It was in a very comfy rpm range when cruising at highway speed, but had no passing or pulling power, mostly wide open and lugging with it everywhere. I would see a similar actual speed to what the stock speedo read. It would top out near 90 in a tuck on a long flat stretch. I commute mostly at about 65mph, then ride on tight single track with not much in between. For me, that setup was nice for the single track too, just leave it in second for the most part.

waltermitty

My point was that the stock gearing for the WR250X is 13/42. People say that it will barely pull 6th gear on flat ground. With 14/42 6th gear would be unusable and maybe not even 5th.

I haven't found that to be the case. The WR250X hits the rev limiter at about 10,800. Peak hp is at around 9,000. Mine would exceed 9,000 rpm with stock 13/42 gearing in 6th. Moving to 14/42 actually moved the maximum rpm in 6th closer to 9,000.

I agree with others, that the stock gearing is good for 70+...

My bike is doing much better with 14/43 for highway miles.

Evol wrote:

Fiftygrit wrote:

13-47 or 13-48 works pretty good for most riding.

The OP is worried the stock gearing is NOT tall enough for highway and you are suggesting a 47 or 48 in the rear? That will make it scream at highway speeds !!!
I know, as I had 13/48 on my WRX and it would be yelling at me at 60mph, screaming at 75mph and top out at 81mph. By contrast, with stock gearing I top out at 91mph due to the lack of power (RPMs are still fine).

Gearbox94: Stick with stock gearing for highway use. It's your best bet. Don't worry about the RPMs with stock gearing as it runs out of power before running out of gearing.
If your local traffic is running faster than you can keep up (like here in Montreal) get a different bike as the WRR/X is not suited for high speeds.

***Completely agree, a Honda 700 gets 70mpg if you are looking for a light commuter that can do those speeds without stress. I have both and they are each great for their "lanes." WR for fun, exploring, and putting around town.