Ducati 999 - 14 teeth what will I loose and gain?

[stu]

thinking of going for a smaller front sproket on my 05 999, i believe 14 tooth is the prefered weapon..

my reason for this is when i am oiut with my mates on gixers blades and ninjas my bike struggles up to 80 ish then i start to pull them in.. i have no probs on twisties as they usually cant stay with me its mainly on long straights out of roundabouts and dual carrigway stuff if they get the drive early on me they can pull a gap and it takes a bit to catch up...

my concern is that yes smaller sproket on front gives more acceleration, but i do a lot of riding the bike terminal speed and dont want to loose out on the top end speed..

so my question is to those who have done this, SPIKE (legal or otherwise) and james,
do i loose the top end for a marginal gain in acceleration or do i get both

[ducati2242]

Obviously your bike will not go as fast flat out pulling with a smaller front sprocket. But you will feel a considerable amount of more tourque. The last ducati i did this to was my 996 and even in germany i did not need to go any faster {approx 160} You will feel the performance through the gears is better and although i have not yet changed the gearing an my 999 i probably will in the future. Although i think that a greater toothed sprocket on the rear is probably more usable.

[stu]

cheers 2242
i was hoping that it may pull a bit harder and rev cleaner in top using more torque so as not to loose much on the top end seeing about 173ish according to my mates zx10 speedo, or 168 on the clockon mine at the mo not sure to the rpm as i need to concentrate will have a look tommoz and at least if its not near the red, then i presume a smaller sproket should still pull a similar speed but just at higher revs ( i hope)

[jamesguschi]

I changed the gearing on my Ducati when I first got her as the difference between my RX and the Duke was considerable. I first put a 14 on the front and still found the Bike to be still much higher. I purchased a 36 for the rear just to see what it was like. WOW..... Just a little not much higher than the RX. Not had a chance really to rip through the gears yet to see how it accelerates but I will at Knockhill on my first Track Day.

Anybody else got this setting on their 999? Is it reccomended, or not?

[Tortuga]

Hi mate,

I did this mod to my 999S last winter. I asked about for different opinions and the general feeling was dont go down on the front for road use, it puts to much stress through your chain. I went up 2 teeth on the back which is the same as one down on the front. I bought a subaki gold chain 525 (standard thickness) and Renthal front and rear sprockets. I bought these from B & C express on line. They do race gearing kits which are one down on the front and 2 up on the back together with a 520 chain however the lighter thiner chain etc are intended for race use and being thinner offer a weight saving and they get changed all the time so if you fit this for road use whilst it should be fine it will not last to long and will need adjusting all the time due to stretching.
Doing the 2 up at the back mod the experts reckon it gives 7percent more power through the gears. Yes I have lost top end speed but the bike will still top out towards 150mph. I have found the front lifting a bit now which should be sorted by getting my suspension set up for me (next job) it isnt to bad as in it is not trying to launch into the sky but it is lifting when you pull on the throttle a bit quick. The other thing you find is that you will have to change gear more as it revs out quicker than before, so you will be short shifting more.
I hope that is some help.

[stu]

thanks guys
i think a change of the front is on the cards and see how it is from there its ba new bike only coverd 1600 miles so not to keen on the expense of a full kit as the chain is still like new
will let you know when its done.
jim is 186nm on the front spocket... i am sure you posted that somewhere

[Freak]

So you regularly do 173 on the road???? You need to have a serious chat with yourself!

I don't even get that on the track (not in the UK anyway) plus you won't be anywhere near the red-line in 6th with the standard gearing as all Ducati's are over geared.

Dropping one of the front will obviously be the cheapest option, some say you shouldn't because of the extra forces on the engine and shaft, but the advantage of doing this apart from being cheap is that you'll get an extra link in your chain, which in turn when adjusted will lengthen your wheelbase and give you greater stability.

Glad I don't live near you to be honest, you and your mates sound like the type of guys that give us lot a bad name, and get the police all over us thus why I save it for track... too many idiots out there and I think I've just met another

[Tortuga]

Yeah that was the main reason for playing with the gearing on my bike, what is 173mph for ? 150mph is enough for anyone. The only reason I wouldnt go lower than I have is that I dont want a sky ward facing rocket which is difficult to ride. All this top speed stuff is all what I call pub talk about whos bike is fastest and anything that cant do 180mph is rubbish stuff. It is all of no importance to riding a bike on the road and most tracks.

[stu]

thanks for the advice re the sprocket however i must reply to your remarks

Originally Posted by Freak

So you regularly do 173 on the road???? You need to have a serious chat with yourself! ,

Glad I don't live near you to be honest, you and your mates sound like the type of guys that give us lot a bad name, and get the police all over us thus why I save it for track... too many idiots out there and I think I've just met another

on this the feeling is mutual... i have been caught for speeding but never for loud pipes, small plates, dark visors, as i keep mine standard, and the only accidents have been on the track in 22 years of riding..

i may be an idiot but at least i have fun, and dont judge others for enjoying their bike, why have a fast bike if you dont use it

i may do some excesive speed, but this is not about o how fast i go or where i do it i could be in germany for all you know.. its a question as to the best method of maximising the power on my T9 by changing the gearing with out compromising the top end,
i do a lot of high speed riding abroad to visit family why i feel the need to explain myself to the likes of you i dont know.
get of your high horse

[ducati2242]

You probably will never see anymore than 173 on your clock anyway because if its like my 999s the speedo gives out at 174 and goes blank. I saw this speed on the autobhan in Germany ,well you have to try it dont you, and i was in front of a friend on a new R1 who said that i was pulling away from him and he had 179 on the clock but mine didnt show anyspeed at all after 174.

[stu]

carefull 2242 you may get called an idiot

its not so much the flat out speed i am woried about its the fast cruise i like when abroad (if you can cruise on a 999) and poss the flat out when im thrashing round the iom :wink: wen i visit my brother

[Brian]

Stu i think its the old A41 that make you do it i must admit i've had 1hundred odd miles per hour down there but the thing is you can see for miles and if there is no one behinde :wink: why not it only takes a few seconds

now i've just told you the A41 is good we best not be speeding down there for a while just incase MrPlod is watching

[Spikey]

ello , ello , ello , evening all !!

a41 you say !! that,ll bring my points tally up !

[ducati2242]

Stu theres no way i could reach flat out speeds like that anywhere in the isle of man but it is completely different on an autobhan in Germany . Theres no one going to condemn you for doing those speeds and there is people going an awfull lot faster. All i said was that if you ride your bike on roads that do not have a speed limit you would have to be some sort of saint not to think i wonder if my bike will do those reported speeds and not give it a go yourself.Whats the point of being an individual and not making your own decisions somewhere where its legal to to it anyway. I am going back in 6 weeks time and will probably go faster on the autobhan than i will on the neubergring.

[jamesguschi]

Sorry Lads I said I put a 14 on the front. The standard for the rear is 36. I put a 39 tooth sprocket on mine and I think it is almost as close as my RX. Not quite. Has anybody got a 14 and a 39 on theirs.

Views and comments appreciated.