VZ800 Sprocket / Gearing Change

I was thinking about putting a 17 tooth front sprocket on my "scooter", but the previous owner said the bike lost all of its "oomph". Now after reading this LINK . I am going to put it on and see for myself. He gave my the 17 tooth sprocket when I bought the bike from him.

Both sprockets and chain are new (less than 1k miles on them), so no big deal there mixing old and new sprockets.

Nick the chain driven VZ has a 15 tooth front sprocket and a 48 tooth rear sprocket. You have the chain and sprocket so nothing lost from trying it but If you add 2 teeth to the front, that is the same as taking 6 teeth from the rear, that's a huge gearing change. I would be more inclined to to go for a 16/48 or a 15/45 combo as a more realistic happy medium. The change that you are suggesting would give a 700 rpm drop at 60mph, I think that is too much.

I think you are right Dave. Though I have the 17 tooth, I've been doing some research and I was thinking the 16 tooth would be a good choice. The sprockets are cheap (inexpensive) so it is not a cost thing.

I just want slightly taller gears and I think the 16 tooth will give me that.

I found a site with a cool "gearing spreadsheet". Let me know if I can post it (Not sure).

Nick PM sent mate

I think Daves right, going to a 16 will give you the extra legs you want without any noticable losses else where

Here is the link to a great front/rear sprocket website:
http://gearingcommander.com/

Nick, good link on gearing, nice find.  

big punisher did u change your sprocket to a 16 tooth and did u like it?

I actually just changed over to a 17/46 combo and it's awesome! SO much better for highway driving. Yeah, you lose a little bit of kick off the line but it's not that big deal. Just kick it down a gear and go WOT, you'll still have plenty of get up and go. Especially in a 480 pound cruiser.

I love to go fast and if you want to drive above 75mph comfortably or for any distance then I HIGHLY recommend the sprocket change. And if you want to add a little more kick back into the bike then just do a simple Stage 3 rejet kit and you gain about a 20% increase in HP. Done and done. I couldn't be happier with my conversion.

The most common change on gearing is either 1 extra on the front which is the same as 3 less on the back. depending on your chain it may be best just to try the additional tooth up front and see how you feel with that before going a bit more drastic but it all very much depends on the type of roads you ride the most

try dropping 2 teeth on the rear think you'll be happy with that

Cheaper to buy a front sprocket with 1 additional tooth than it is to buy a rear sprocket with minus 2 that will give practically the same result. 1 on the front is worth 3 on the rear.

Hello All,
I have been absent for awhile, but I am back. I finally changed my front 15 tooth to the 17 tooth that I got from the previous owner and I love it! Rear is still 45 tooth.

The gearing change is perfect for the way I like to ride. I weigh @ 200lbs and the little bit of "oomph" you lose off the line is negligible for me. However, if you had two-up it may be an issue if your combined weight was > 325lbs. This is just a guess.

I rarely have a passenger, so this gearing is perfect for me. Now I can stretch out each gear a little further and the bike is not revving so high at >55MPH.

If you had a passenger frequently, I would say the front 16 tooth (w/ 45 tooth rear) would be a good compromise.

It's amazing how small changes like this can really enhance your riding experience.

Glad your liking it mate  It's funny how changing the gear ratio a little, can make a big difference in the bike, making it more user friendly and suitable for your needs, giving a much better riding experience overall.

That's great to read, very glad you have found a setup that is perfect for you. The ride I can only imagine is so much better due to the standard high gearing.

Hi Nick. I was wondering about you the other day.
 I wish I could do some gear changing on my trike. Since It has a auto type rearend it would take a major rearend change. Dollar cost makes that not very probable.

Good on you Nick getting it set right for your style of riding and area you live in is a real bonus  

Hey Tex. I've been so busy at work and and other hobbies... it is hard to keep up with "my forums".  Plus, it rained almost everyday here in central Florida over the summer. That made it difficult to ride my bike and enjoy it.

Now, the weather is perfect and I've been out enjoying the weather and nice fall days.

Just looking for a bit of input here...  I do a good mixture of Hi way/back road (speeds 100km +) and city driving (50-60km)... currently I'm running stock 15/48 sprockets... and I'm not liking the vibrations and high RPMS...

can't really get a feel for what's best for my style of riding.. 16T vs 17T.  Was thinking of 16T (lower rpms but don't loose on of the start)  how much "Of the start" is lost with a 17T?  I weigh approx. 180lbs and don't carry passengers...

To be honest the front sprockets are so cheap that it is worth trying one and if your unhappy trying the other. Again to be honest, I hate wasting even small amounts of cash.  
It's a real matter of perspective on whether to go 16 or 17. My scramblers have the sprockets changed for as littler reason as the time of year.
A 16 tooth will give you longer legs and a reduced level of vibe at higher speeds with no real noticable difference from standing still & pulling away. The 17 tooth will give a noticable difference on pulling away, although this will only really notice in a big way when trying to pull away very quickly. I would personally go for a 16 to give you the both of best worlds & would only go for the 17 if the largest part of my riding was at highway speeds of above 65/70 mph as as a rule.

LMAO took me a min to convert MPH to KmH....  As I said I do a good mixture of 100+ and 50-60 in town...I was thinking going for the 16T as you said "best of both worlds"  Here the sprockets range from $25-$35.

Looking at the kph and doing a conversion to mph averages, I would be inclined to go for the 16 tooth

Yeah going to go with that... thanks for the help guys :)