Hello,
I have a 98 Monster 900, which I use for errands around town & for short fun rides...not a whole lot of freeway.
I find myself in between 1st & 2nd gears alot...so I am wondering if I should gear down.
Please give me pros & cons.
Aloha for Honolulu!!! [beer]
What gearing are you running now?
Assuming 15T up front right now...
Pros:
- Easier low speed behavior.
- Easier to get that front end up?
Cons:
- Slightly worse fuel economy due to higher RPMs. Maybe? Does it even matter?
- Slightly worse chain wear. Stepping up in the rear is supposed to be better on the chain. Again, does it even matter?
- Slightly lower top speed. Matters?
Go for it. The pros greatly outweigh the cons.
+1
There are no cons, just do it.
On my 00 M900 I ran a 14 in the front and a 41 in the back (i think that's -1/+2 from stock)
Not only did 6th gear become usable, the bike flat out ripped and even on a day ride that saw lots of throttle, I still got 50 mpg. Sometimes more, and I was running a PC2 that was toward the rich side.
Do it! Do it now!! What are you waiting for!?!?
Thanks for the replies!! [bow_down]
Currently running 15 front & 41 rear
For the price of a new front sprocket, there is no reason not to. If you don't like it, you can always go back. Now, if you change the rear, I was told that you may need to change the chain.
After using 14T couple of times, I am going to go back to 15T this time. I want to see the difference in the chain rub and awful chain rub noise. I am guessing the 14T is the culprit. I'll see if 15T makes a difference for now.
Quote from: 118811 on June 23, 2009, 11:41:41 AM
Hello,
I have a 98 Monster 900, which I use for errands around town & for short fun rides...not a whole lot of freeway.
I find myself in between 1st & 2nd gears alot...so I am wondering if I should gear down.
Please give me pros & cons.
Aloha for Honolulu!!! [beer]
hard call, but as others said cheap trial and easy to go back if not.
If you're between first and second a lot then the attempt would be to be in second more. usually the 14t works best for folks who hate how their bike acts in first. If you can get into second you're a little different issue. It is possible the shorter gearing would allow you to be in second more often and not be swapping bettween the two all the time....so you won't be lugging around in second.
let us know.
to me its a no brainer ...this is a must do mod totally transforms the Monster
Works great for that "in between gears" problem you have in town. Gives you a little more at the get go. Don't expect to all of a sudden come out of the whole like a rocket or anything. I think the 14 tooth sometimes gets elevated to greek god status during these threads. I like mine, and won't go back, but less because of the blazing takeoff and more for the fact that I think my bike rides better day to day. I would say to give it a go and see if you like it.
mine is stock and I'm happy (the s4rs is geared lower than the s4r it replaced)
....people shouldn't be changing their gearing unless they can identify an actual problem lower gearing would solve. This thread is good, but so many people just do it because everyone says they should and can't explain what is wrong that they want to change.
Given you ride in the USA, I think it is a mod worth trying.
If you ride in Europe and use the Autobahns regularly I would stay with the stock gearing.
Quote from: Statler on June 23, 2009, 04:19:09 PM
mine is stock and I'm happy (the s4rs is geared lower than the s4r it replaced)
....people shouldn't be changing their gearing unless they can identify an actual problem lower gearing would solve. This thread is good, but so many people just do it because everyone says they should and can't explain what is wrong that they want to change.
Some time you won't know what's 'wrong' until you try to change. Then you'll suddenly realized what you have been missing. :) I did 14T change on my old Multistrada. It was so good, that's one of the first thing I did to my M696 once I get it.
OP: Do it, do not hesitate. Only reason Ducati geared the final drive so high is only emission / noise requirement. You bought the bike already, those are not an issue and enjoy.
Quote from: Statler on June 23, 2009, 04:19:09 PM
mine is stock and I'm happy (the s4rs is geared lower than the s4r it replaced)
....people shouldn't be changing their gearing unless they can identify an actual problem lower gearing would solve. This thread is good, but so many people just do it because everyone says they should and can't explain what is wrong that they want to change.
In my case someone did it for me and I miss my stock gearing (switching back soon).
I run 15/41 on my 96 and like it a lot.
If you're in the city I can understand why you might want a little more grunt, but for my area it's perfect.
Definitely go for the 14t sprocket, however if its time to change all your chain and sprockets I'd keep the standard front and go up 2-3 teeth on the back.
The main reason (for me anyway) is that with the single sided swingarm and the rear raised by an inch, the chain does rub excessively on the swingarm as it gets loose, so I really have to be on the ball with that chain tension. I can see it becoming more of a problem as the chain wears. (also means I can get a bunch of 15t slightly used sprockets for next to nix, but don't tell anyone I said that, okay ;))
I put a 14T on my Monster when I put it back together (after powdercoating) and must say it totally made the bike more fun/easier to ride (especially in the city). Should of done it sooner..
I have a 14T and I have to be careful on the throttle because for me it pulls to hard from a dead stop when I have to take a tight left or right from a dead stop especially if there is sand on the road. I may go back to a 15T.
Quote from: rendler on June 24, 2009, 02:47:24 PM
I have a 14T and I have to be careful on the throttle because for me it pulls to hard from a dead stop when I have to take a tight left or right from a dead stop especially if there is sand on the road. I may go back to a 15T.
learn to slip the clutch and drag the back brake in those situations...gearing should not effect your ability to pull away while turning.
Except for taking stuff off and putting it on the shelf a 14t front sprocket is the only cheap mod I have found for a Ducati and certainly the best bang for the buck.
ALL Ducatis should have a 14t sprocket wired to the price tag on the show room floor. My S4R and S4RS never saw 6th gear in regular hwyway use with 15t, which comprises a lot of use in my case. After the 14t, 62 mph occurs at 4000 rpm. This is right at about 60 lb.ft. and is the perfect place for roll ons and passing without having to downshift.
The bike still goes just as fast on top as it's drag limited anyway.
LA
14T sprocket for your use is a no brainer. [thumbsup] [thumbsup] [thumbsup]
Its a 30 minute job and if you don't like it or are going to go on a tour / track day or whatever just change it back.
I had it on my 900 and I'd bet you'll never want to change it back once you feel the extra pull down low. [evil] [evil] [evil]
Just did it on my 1100.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE 14T!!!!
i have ducati monster 750 dark carbed (year 2000) and has currently 41 rear and 15t front . couple teeth were missing ( prev owner never bothered to check? i dunno Plus the chain is sooo bad). so i never had a chance to realy test it out but i did notice that first is quite a long gear .
ordered 14t front and 40 rear jt sprockets with a new rx 0-ring chain. aparently ducatis are geared high from factory anyways. (what i heard).
Hopefully it feels nice and not too touchy off a full stop.
this is a little bit of a tech question, but was just curious if anyone that has made the switch to a 14t had issues with the master link wearing in?
I just had my 696 changed from a 15 to a 14 (by the dealer), and now there is a noticebale clunk-clunk-clunk sound coming from the engine, but I was told its just that new master link on the chain wearing in, and it will go away. The mech at the shop told me that and he's spot on with everything else he and I have talked about. Just curious if others have had that issue... and how quickly it goes away.
I just changed mine from 15T to a 14T & I'm not getting any noise. Did they use the right master link for your chain?