13/52 comments

Well...I bought my bike with a new 13/52 combo on it.
I have about 1500 kms on 'er. About 500 hwy, the rest trails.
I'm an aggressive, noob, with little experience , from long ago. And I like to think, i try harder than most.
My bike has always worked well for me.

I thought I would give my impression , of my gearing, for those that were interested.

First, it's gearing is real low. Anyone not familiar, usually pulls away in lurches. What I call the Hee-Haw affect. It's hard to ride smooth, real slow.
....If you're trying to be smooth, shift to 2nd, and bog the slow stuff.
...If you're trying to be quick, 1st is a quick shift...or rev out 2nd to pull away.

Thick sand or deep mud... 1st will motor along easily, with minimal clutch. Alot of power for going slow and churning.
I think it has saved me a clutch more than once. Did I mention I love the rev limiter?...

When the trails open up a bit, between single tracks, i find that I ride in 2nd, revved up a bit. When I'm tempted to shift to 3rd, I bog down usually.
So i usually end up revving the piss out of 2nd.

I cannot ride 3rd, wound out, on my trails...tho maybe for a moment or so.
I'm usually looking for single track trails.

On the street, exhaust noise makes me paranoid, so I usually try to be easy, untill I hit the hwy (110 km/hr).
Regardless of 80 or 110 km/hr, I usually shift to 6th as quick as practicable.
In 5/6th it will motor well on secondary hwys...and keep up well on 100 series hwys in 6th. I never have to shift down on the hwy, where my buddies stocker may at times. If feel that about 25% of throttle is cruise at 110 kph, so a bit of room to spare.
The bike feels good on hwy, very smooth considering. My muffler (PC4), is the worst vibe.
The engine revs so smooth up to red line, its hard to knock the low gears...

I have a new set of stock chains n sprockets, that I'll probably never use.

When I go for my next set...I'm thinking 13/47.
Mostly because of the want to shift to 3rd, on the trails, I guess...
...tho I'm guessing my clutch will suffer on the shitty trails...

Anywho, at this point, I'm still considering a 6hr trip to Cape Breton...so I think that's says something dam good about 13/52...if you are considering...

You have 13/52 sprockets.
You currently bog down on trails when you try 3rd gear.
How will going to 13/47 let you use 3rd gear on those trails?

Wow...13/52????

That's a dinner plate on the rear.

And you bought it that way?

You really need to try the stock gearing so you can feel how different your bike really is.


A 52 rear is HUGE. No wonder your first gear is lurchy. That's a stunt sprocket. A wheelie sprocket.


Also - your speedometer is WAY off with that gearing, unless you have a speedo corrector or gps.
If you're seeing 110kph on factory Yamaha speedo your actual speed is probably closer to 80kph.

Seems like a really odd combination of sprockets for an R.

oops...I meant that second would be that bit taller, so as not tempted to shift to 3rd so much...

And ya, the bike had new tires , chain , and sprockets on it at purchase. Also a worn set of 13/42 and chain, as well as a new set of 13/42 and chain on the side.

My speedo seems to be off, roughly, 20%

Well, I took motokid's advice.
For the first time, I put stock gearing on my bike.
I put a, like new, heavy duty o-ring chain and 42 T sprocket on my bike last sunday...(parts that came with the bike)
Wow...what a difference.
No serious trails yet, but, the street seems way better.
Gears seem to line up with my , local, speed limits (50,80,100,110 kph)...pretty much perfectly and smoothly.
As before, I was about a 1/2 a gear, or more, lower...according to seat of my pants. Either revving out or boggin down...less than smooth at speed limits.
A short spell on the hwy showed I have a, whole, 'nother gear to use now...6th will actually bog a lil at 100 kph.
makes me wonder how fast this thing will actually go.
Having the speedo read close to correct is, quite, appealing as well...Like a big bonus.
Because of 1st, the back yards and parking lots seem a bit quicker pace...by comparison. Tho traffic/roads in general seems alot smoother
Using alot more clutch feathering to maneuver slow stuff than before...tho, my throttle still seems snappy, still some hee-haw...but smoother and begging to go, as usual.
Only general riding sofar, but feels even better than before...a good trail ride saturday should test my other scope better...can't wait.
Not sure if its my favorite gearing, but i am totally enjoying the difference for the moment.
I'll have to clutch first alot more in the rough...but the added speed and momentum should fit in well, for me.
Saturday's trails should shed alot more light. But for now, I like it alot.
...I'll comment, again, after that.

Do you have any pictures of the 52T rear on the bike? I'm curious to see how the guides and guards matched up with it.

Pictures Please!!!

I don't know how to post a pic at this point...but I do have a couple older pics and will try.

errrr...can't figure it out...help....

click me please <-- how to post pictures

K...thanks








...thats all I have with the 52 on...hope it helps.

Thanks for the pictures. Did the previous owner trim that black plastic top chain guard to fit the 52T?

No...he redrilled for the insert at the back of the gaurd, just below the original hole. It broke thru a bit but held the insert and seems to work fine.

What about the lower chain guide? I picked up a 50T in the rear and it looks like it wants to rub the lower piece.

Still curious about the lower guide (post pics please) if anyone can explain how they modded their chain guides. I'm thinking of running a 14/50 setup when I'm in motard mode.

whitea42 wrote:

Still curious about the lower guide (post pics please) if anyone can explain how they modded their chain guides. I'm thinking of running a 14/50 setup when I'm in motard mode.

Why 14 on front?


I have 13/48 and no modifications were needed to stock anything.

I don't believe mine was changed at all...and no issues.

whitea42 wrote:

Still curious about the lower guide (post pics please) if anyone can explain how they modded their chain guides. I'm thinking of running a 14/50 setup when I'm in motard mode.

Put 14/50 on my R last night. No need to move guards and no issues with the Sandman case saver either.

I like it, made for a smoother ride on the street, especially around what use to be idle speeds that I get to use a little throttle for now.

Jon

i put the pie plate back on today...for some reason.
Had to do it before my next gearing purchase.

And yes, it rubs the lower guard a bit.
My top guard is modded to mount a lil higher than stock.

Just need a good trail now...that should be any day...

I think I'd like 13-52.
I have 13-50 on mine and think it could be lower at times, while riding offroad.
Not in first gear tho its a touch too low as is but in second through fourth, I want them closer together so im in the right gear while climbing hills and hopping over logs, first is to slow unless your revvng the snot out of it to make it up or over that stuff.
Im going to wait untill I install my new tire before I change gearing tho, I've been running used 120/90 rear tires because I had a couple, my new trackmaster 100/100 is atleast an inch shorter that should gear it down a touch.

13-52 sounds good. I live in the Rockies and usually ride on average around 10,000 feet MSL and with my 12-50 I usually climb most hills in 3rd gear. 1st gear is only an annoyance and always ride in 3, 4 on trails and 2nd gear at the bottom end.
Look at this website for gearing help and information for your gearing. Really brings things into perspective with the compare feature..

gearingcommander.com

Bob

Guest wrote:

Still curious about the lower guide (post pics please) if anyone can explain how they modded their chain guides. I'm thinking of running a 14/50 setup when I'm in motard mode.

I'm running 14/51 on my R and the 51 fits just fine in the rear. There isn't much space between the chain guide and the sprocket but there is enough.

-morgan

Wild really appreciate it if someone with a 52 rear could take a picture of it with a shot of the lower chain guard. I am looking to run 14/52 as I have continually destroyed chain slides with 12,13 fronts and am tired of buying them so 14 it is but I really like the gearing combo of 13/48 so that is a 14/52 replacement but am worried about lower chain guide clearance. I have a 14/50 right now but it's still just a little too tall for my liking and I know it's close on the lower.

Thanks

How much clearance you have depends on how far back your wheel is, with the chain adjustment all the way forward it will likey hit, with it most of the way back it will clear just fine.

You could also remove the lower chain guide and cut/grind a 1/4 or 1/2 inch off the back of it so it wont ever hit.

i just ordered a 52 rear if i get it on this weekend i will take a pic of it.

I run a 12 / 48 and have had no issues with swing arm wear. Top speed is 120 km/ h 12 O'clock labs adjusted and gps.
I would like to try a 50 . I run 14 on the front if I am on the road a lot.

I just went to 13/51, 112 chain length. Fits no problem and I LOVE it in the bush. I ran 13/47 last year and this new combo is SWEET!!!

I believe the only way to grind away the chain sliders is running your chain to tight. I have run 12/47, 13/47 and now 12/51, 13/51. I have 12000kms of hard abuse, many crashes, and I have NEVER had an issue with the chain sliders, top or bottom.

My $0.02

Cheers