Sprocket Change - Fifth Gear Hack?

[Gummiente]

Maybe this is a stupid question to the informed, but can such modifications be made to Shaft drive bikes?

Not without throwing a lot of money at the bike - you'll most likely need someone to cast and machine a new set for you. Final drive gears for shaft driven bikes generally only come in one ratio, as installed from the manufacturer. If enough people complain about it, sometimes an aftermarket company will cast and machine a set with different ratios but that's rare. It's way more common to see this done for cars. If someone wants to change ratios on a shaftie, probably the only route is to change the gears inside the transmission - IF there's an aftermarket company out there already making them.

[Telesque]

Maybe this is a stupid question to the informed, but can such modifications be made to Shaft drive bikes?

Not without throwing a lot of money at the bike - you'll most likely need someone to cast and machine a new set for you. Final drive gears for shaft driven bikes generally only come in one ratio, as installed from the manufacturer. If enough people complain about it, sometimes an aftermarket company will cast and machine a set with different ratios but that's rare. It's way more common to see this done for cars. If someone wants to change ratios on a shaftie, probably the only route is to change the gears inside the transmission - IF there's an aftermarket company out there already making them.

It's been my experience that you if you want to change the gears on your car, you either change the rear axle (more common) or transmission (usually if yours is about to puke anyways). But that's probably because I come from a do-it-yourself highschool-metalshop-quality kinda of place.

[bigswifty]

But that's probably because I come from a do-it-yourself highschool-metalshop-quality kinda of place.

that my subset as well.
in fact, i work in a place where i could probly make a gearset for a shaftdrive in about a day

[bigswifty]

telesque said:

55 is good. 90 is better.

i was talking mph=less mpg

PS i'm editing so much bcozz i'm p_i_s_s drunk.
damn rain....

[Gummiente]

It's been my experience that you if you want to change the gears on your car, you either change the rear axle (more common) or transmission

I should have been more clear on that, I meant that it's easier on cars to change the rear end gearing because there's usually several ratios available. That's a throwback to my stock car racing days, we used to change ratios in the differential depending upon which track we ran at.

[Gummiente]

in fact, i work in a place where i could probly make a gearset for a shaftdrive in about a day

Are you a Machinist? I'm a Millwright with a fair bit of experience on lathes and milling machines, but making a set of bevelled gears is WAY beyond my capabilities.

[bigswifty]

Are you a Machinist? I'm a Millwright with a fair bit of experience on lathes and milling machines, but making a set of bevelled gears is WAY beyond my capabilities. Embarassed

it's actually really easy. Access to equipment is clutch.
I work in a gear shop. I can't grind a bevel gear, but could cut the gear and send it out for hardening and grinding, then grind the OD journals and whatnot myself.

[bigswifty]

but one could probly get away without grinding gear faces. It would really be simple.