Gearing back to stock, almost, I think it's faster ??

When I bought my X a couple of weeks ago it came with 13/48 gearing, the guy I bought it from said it made it feel a lot quicker.

I think feel is the the key word there, as today I've gone back to almost stock 13/43, personally I prefer this gearing over the 13/48 by a long way. The 13/48 felt like I was always looking for another gear too quickly, and it was useless on the highway.

It now feels like the broad range of torque and power (for a 250) is being used more effectively. Gears are longer and more useful. I'm yet to set the speedo healer again, I just disconnected it, and it's definitely reading over.

My seat of the pants feel is it would now actually be faster over a set distance, 1/4 or 1/8 of a mile. Has anyone actually had a drag race with all else being equal?

I should've got the performance meter going on my phone before changing the gearing, as I had to drop two links on the chain, I can't go back and compare before/after.

I'm with you, been 13/43 for years.
Just replaced the chain and sprokets and went with 13/43 again.

I'm not sure it's quicker than 13/48 but it does have a faster top speed.

For the riding you do it may very well be that stock gearing is better for you.

There's no doubt that you'll have higher top speeds in all gears with stock gearing over 13/48.

There's no doubt you won't need to shift quite as often with stock gearing.

So yes - in every gear you will be faster with stock gearing as a function of mph.


If you're doing a lot of commuting and spending time on interstates and highways where speeds at or over 80 mph are required to stay alive - lower gearing, like stock gearing might be perfect for you. In fact you might want to look at going even lower. A 14 tooth front might be in your future.

It is all about personal needs and "feel". If you're happy that's all that matters.

From my perspective, and more than a handful of others here, stock gearing sucks maggot infested donkey intestines, and we'd sooner remove one or both of our own testicles with a dull rusty kitchen knife than go back to stock.

To each their own. Enjoy your ride.  

Yeah absolutely to each their own.

Yep longer gearing greater top speed in each gear, but I was talking about acceleration, to me it feels like I get to the speed limit faster than with 13/48, too much time on or too fast to the limiter and changing gears with 13/48. But there is no way to know for sure.

But yeah I prefer it, don't know if I'll go any taller, at our legal limit of 100kph down here 6th is almost too tall, but about right as I usually sit a bit above.

motokid wrote:

For the riding you do it may very well be that stock gearing is better for you.

A 14 tooth front might be in your future.

With a 14 tooth front sprocket the speedometer indicate now almost the real speed. With gearing 14/44 the speedometer show + 2 km/h at a real 111 km/h (1 mph error at a real 69 mph).

My gearing is just a bit taller than stock. My goal was to lower the rpm in 6th gear when riding real 110 km/h (68 mph). Don't know yet the effect on consumption. I did't find that acceleration suffer from this gearing. Hey, it's a 250 cc, only around 30 hp. My bike is stock except for the gearing.

Matric wrote:

With a 14 tooth front sprocket the speedometer indicate now almost the real speed. With gearing 14/44 the speedometer show + 2 km/h at a real 111 km/h (1 mph error at a real 69 mph).

Matric have you got a speedo healer? They really are essential if you are playing with gearing.

http://shop.12oclocklabs.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=59


So yesterday I took my X for it's first spin in the local twisties, did a 450klm trip with a loop of about 320klm mountain roads. The bike performed really well most everywhere, lot's of fun in the corners, the front is planted isn't it. Going up hill at a pace above 100kph is a problem, really have to keep the corner speed high to make progress. I guess this is where shorter gearing comes into it's own? Or is it just a case of not enough power?

100 kph is 62 mph.

There should be no problems on paved surfaces going up a hill faster than 62 mph unless you're in the wrong gear for what you want to do.

I'm guessing you're far from "working" the bike in it's full rev range.

If you're in 6th gear at (100 kph) 62 mph and trying to accelerate up a steep hill drop a gear, and hammer the throttle.

t205 wrote:

Matric wrote:

With a 14 tooth front sprocket the speedometer indicate now almost the real speed. With gearing 14/44 the speedometer show + 2 km/h at a real 111 km/h (1 mph error at a real 69 mph).

Matric have you got a speedo healer? They really are essential if you are playing with gearing.

I don't have a speedo healer. It's not necessary. The sensor for speed is in the transmission. And it seems that a 14 T sprocket cure the problem. So for me, a speedo healer is a waste of money.

The speedometer showed real speed with gearing 14/42. But gearing was too tall. 6th gear was useless. Acceleration become too weak at 100 km/h (62 mph) and i loose top speed, 10 km/h (6 mph). The motor isn't powerful enough for this tall gearing. Remember that my bike is stock except for the gearing.

I bought this bike because i wanted a little toy for commuter. I never kept a bike for more than 2 years in the last decade. So, i'm pretty amazed by the versality of the WR250X.  

Thanks Motokid, good advice but all covered here. It's a 250, just gotta get used to it.

Matric, yes it is very versatile, and really when you take a good look, a bit of a technical marvel. Variable intake and exhaust tuning, fuel injection, top quality stoppers, you'd have to go Brembo to do better, excellent suspension, rigid chassis, it's a great bike.

I really like the stock gearing. I do use the bike though how I think yamaha had envisioned it. Basically an around town commuter with short highway stints at 75mph. If I shortened the gearing I simply couldn't do the highway. The only advantage I would see to shortening the gearing is being able to easily start in 2nd and just never use 1st gear. I can start in 2nd now, but I don't like slipping the clutch quite that much. It is annoying how you run out of 1st gear before you are even out of the intersection.

A lot of people on here I think use the bike as an off road toy that can link trails via short on road driving. They are going to have a very different outlook on what they want from the bike then me. I bet a lot of bad advice is given because its easy to forget how many different uses there are for this bike.