Need favor from a Gen 2/3'er with GPS

[CopB8]

If one of you Gen 2'ers or Gen 3'ers can tell me the exact RPM reading you have at 80 mph (GPS) it would be greatly appreciated. I'll need this from someone who's running a stock sized rear tire.

After looking at all the contenders at the Dallas IMS show I'm standing on the threshold of pulling the trigger on a Gen 3 but I need to get a couple of niggly issues resolved first. All have to do with the transmission and whether I'm going to be happy with a 5 cog for the next 5+ years. My understanding is that there's no difference in ratios between a 2 and a 3 but that there is a difference of those two from the Gen 1, which is what I currently have.

A question for you Gen 3'ers only, does the display of your current gear selection stay visible all the time regardless of what you have selected on the trip computer?

Finally, has anyone here gone to a slight plus-size tire to change effective gearing? May a 190/55 vs stock 180/50?

BTW, I freak'n LOVE the new front end look and the '13 color. The ole girl still looks smok'n!

 

[FarWestFastEddie]

What an excellent question, and I am game, so this afternoon, I will take my bike for a spin in the sunshine and report back,

now keep in mind these numbers will be left of the Mississippi and nearly at sea level, maybe some fog thrown in. I'll get back to you.

Oh, one question, Does it matter much what gear I am in doing 80 mph? You just need the RPM's right?

FWFE

 

[Chiefblueman]

I don't own a gen2 or 3 but the difference in gearing vs. speed can be plotted using good ol' math. The gearing difference is 2.773 vs 2.698 secondary reduction which is applied to all 5 gears. The delta can be expressed as a percentage or you can go to -- https://woodsware.aciwebs.com/gears/gears.asp The hard work is done for you here. The rpm difference between gen1 and 2 @ 80 mph is 118 rpm, 4249 vs 4367. Changing to a 190/55-17 rear tire cuts the difference to 43 rpm, 4249 vs 4292. You mention stock tire size being 180/50-17, it's actually 180/55-17. Changing to a 190/50-17 would net virtually no difference. I'm going to change rear tire size to 190/55-17, but only because Sportbikegear screwed up and sent me the larger rear tire when I ordered a set of PR3's. Haven't spooned them on yet, the old PR2's still have a few miles left on 'em.

I've read wildly varying reports of the gearing difference, some claiming a 500 rpm difference at 70, in reality at 70 the difference is 100 rpm. I suspect most of the perceived difference lies with the accuracy of the speedo. Having ridden gen1 and 2 back to back the gearing difference was hardly noticeable to me, especially in traffic. I, like others, wish Yamaha would push that gearing out a bit further. The engine has the power to pull taller gearing.

The gen3 is a beauty, but I'm still drinking the gen1 koolaid By the time I'm done with Mr.1 there will probably be a gen4 to consider.

 

[CopB8]

Oh, one question, Does it matter much what gear I am in doing 80 mph? You just need the RPM's right?

FWFE

Thanks. Top gear please.

 

[CopB8]

I don't own a gen2 or 3 but the difference in gearing vs. speed can be plotted using good ol' math. The gearing difference is 2.773 vs 2.698 secondary reduction which is applied to all 5 gears. The delta can be expressed as a percentage or you can go to -- https://woodsware.aci...gears/gears.asp The hard work is done for you here. The rpm difference between gen1 and 2 @ 80 mph is 118 rpm, 4249 vs 4367. Changing to a 190/55-17 rear tire cuts the difference to 43 rpm, 4249 vs 4292. You mention stock tire size being 180/50-17, it's actually 180/55-17. Changing to a 190/50-17 would net virtually no difference. I'm going to change rear tire size to 190/55-17, but only because Sportbikegear screwed up and sent me the larger rear tire when I ordered a set of PR3's. Haven't spooned them on yet, the old PR2's still have a few miles left on 'em.

I've read wildly varying reports of the gearing difference, some claiming a 500 rpm difference at 70, in reality at 70 the difference is 100 rpm. I suspect most of the perceived difference lies with the accuracy of the speedo. Having ridden gen1 and 2 back to back the gearing difference was hardly noticeable to me, especially in traffic. I, like others, wish Yamaha would push that gearing out a bit further. The engine has the power to pull taller gearing.

The gen3 is a beauty, but I'm still drinking the gen1 koolaid By the time I'm done with Mr.1 there will probably be a gen4 to consider.

Thanks Chief. I can see now the difference is neglible. That's a bummer for me but not necessarily a deal killer if I can at least see the gear indicator on the dash at all times.

 

[Fontanaman]

I don't have a problem with 5 cog gear box. Went across Hwy 50 in Nevada (aka America's Loneliest Hwy - misnamed if you ask me) this year riding at 80mph. Real smooth and I like the ability to roll on without down shifting. Sometimes I catch myself in 4th gear.

I bought a new 09 and next time I will buy used like this 08 to save a whole lotta coin. Love my 09 now that I have it set up for the way I ride.

Maybe i will get me one of those 13's in 2017 or 2018.. I think I would like cruise control. I could do some farkle swapping.

 

[AKjitsu]

The gear indicator is always visible. And big.

 

[CopB8]

The gear indicator is always visible. And big.

Perfect. Thanks.

 

[garyahouse]

6 speeds?

I'll say first off that I'm going to be in the minority here. Some who've owned six speed bikes would argue that they prefer the five speed, as there's less shifting to do. I would certainly agree. I for one, would not want to deal with rowing up and down through six speeds every day. One online source, when grappling with the 6 speed question, said that the Gen 3 didn't need 6 speeds due to the incredible torque of that motor. For what it's worth, once the bike is in it's 6th speed, doesn't the lower RPM translate into slower roll-on acceleration?

Gary

darksider#44

 

[wfooshee]

6th speed is not necessarily a taller gear. Why is that always assumed??

What happens if first gear and top gear are the same, but more speeds in between, closer together?

That's usually why an extra cog is introduced, so the engine can stay in its ever-narrowing power band. Except our engine's power band ain't all that narrow.

Back in the day, I had an '85 Fiero GT. (WTF does this have to do with anything??? Shut up: I'm getting there.)

The two mid-engine "sport" coupes available in the US at the time were the Fiero and the Toyota MR2. The car rags all maintained that the MR2's gearbox was superior, with 5 speeds instead of the Fiero's 4, even as they published the Fiero's superior 0-60, 0-100, and quarter-mile times.

Well, later Fieros did eventually get the Getrag 5-speed gearbox, and you know what? It wasn't any taller, not by any significant amount. The ratios were simply closer together, and there were more of them. So what did it gain with the extra cog? Not a damn thing except "market acceptance," a phrase that basically means the ignorant savages were appeased. It actually lost a tiny bit of 0-60 because there were two shifts instead of just one on the way there.

 

[Chiefblueman]

The FJR certainly doesn't need closer gear spacing. I'd like to see the gaps widened a smidge between each gear with first remaining the same resulting in a fifth gear that was about 8% taller. I don't see the need for a sixth gear. Otoh, my FZ1 would not do as well with 5 speeds as opposed to the six it has. Not nearly the torque of the Feej but equal or more horsepower delivered at a much higher rpm.

 

[Afast03nNJ]

Why mess with the perfect balance between sport and tourer?

 

[Willie]

I am curious about other riders patterns here. Living in the Northeast I find myself in 4th more of the time and 3rd gear when around towns. I usually find the need for 5th gear when hitting about 65 and many times I have downshifted on the highway for passing and then simply forget to upshift again to 5th.

My Connie had a 6 speed but the powerband was totally different. I did a heck of alot more down and up on the connie.

So what say you on your riding habits. My conclusion is the FJR does NOT need a 5th gear.

Willie

 

[wfooshee]

Well, I think it needs the 5th gear.....

 

[20valves]

My Gen II turns ~4100rpm at a GPS indicated 80 mph. I agree that the bike has no need for an additional gear, the engine package on this bike is superb for its intended purpose, imho.

 

[bramfrank]

When my Gen-II spins 4000 RPM she is rolling at 118 kph according to the GPS with the present BT-023 tires, worn to whatever they are and with the tire pressure set to 42 psi cold (it does affect circumference) - that's 73.13 mph - that would be 4375 rpm for 80 mph. Note that the tach is not a calibrated instrument.

My indicated speed is the same as the GPS at those speeds because I have a speedo healer that I've calibrated to the bike. If I didn't have the speedo healer my speedo would be indicating about 8% higher.

That claimed 500 rpm differential between the Gen-I and Gen-II was what Yamaha said when the Gen-II was released.

 

[CopB8]

When my Gen-II spins 4000 RPM she is rolling at 118 kph according to the GPS with the present BT-023 tires, worn to whatever they are and with the tire pressure set to 42 psi cold (it does affect circumference) - that's 73.13 mph - that would be 4375 rpm for 80 mph. Note that the tach is not a calibrated instrument.

My indicated speed is the same as the GPS at those speeds because I have a speedo healer that I've calibrated to the bike. If I didn't have the speedo healer my speedo would be indicating about 8% higher.

That claimed 500 rpm differential between the Gen-I and Gen-II was what Yamaha said when the Gen-II was released.

Again, thanks to all of you for your answers. It seems that when you do the hard math on the published ratios that the difference between Gen I & II is only 100-200 RPM's at 80, however many of your indicated RPMS seems to vary 300-500 RPMS.

Overall I think the addition of the gear selection indicator will at least stop me from wanting to false shift. I've ridden the current bike for 9 years and have been happy enough to keep it that long so any reduction in 5th gear RPM's will just be gravy.

Looks like I need to contact the Yamy dealer and see what I can actually purchase one for. After that I'll need to determine the value of my pristine '04 GEN I with <20K miles and get it advertised.

 

[900gc]

When my Gen-II spins 4000 RPM she is rolling at 118 kph according to the GPS with the present BT-023 tires, worn to whatever they are and with the tire pressure set to 42 psi cold (it does affect circumference) - that's 73.13 mph - that would be 4375 rpm for 80 mph. Note that the tach is not a calibrated instrument.

My indicated speed is the same as the GPS at those speeds because I have a speedo healer that I've calibrated to the bike. If I didn't have the speedo healer my speedo would be indicating about 8% higher.

That claimed 500 rpm differential between the Gen-I and Gen-II was what Yamaha said when the Gen-II was released.

Again, thanks to all of you for your answers. It seems that when you do the hard math on the published ratios that the difference between Gen I & II is only 100-200 RPM's at 80, however many of your indicated RPMS seems to vary 300-500 RPMS.

Overall I think the addition of the gear selection indicator will at least stop me from wanting to false shift. I've ridden the current bike for 9 years and have been happy enough to keep it that long so any reduction in 5th gear RPM's will just be gravy.

Looks like I need to contact the Yamy dealer and see what I can actually purchase one for. After that I'll need to determine the value of my pristine '04 GEN I with <20K miles and get it advertised.

I came from a 6 speed box on my Cagiva Canyon that turned 6 grand at 80 mph. By habit I looked for that extra gear several times on the FJR but adjusted quickly. I agree that with the power of these bikes, 5 gears are fine. If one does a lot of extended high speed riding, 5th would have been nice with a little higher ratio to drop RPM another 200 or so. Where I typically ride in a densely populated and patrolled NE, too many extended visits over 80 mph can be costly.

 

[fudgejerkin1188]

If you just want to lower the RPM in top and you are otherwise happy with you gen 1 have you considered fitting a gen 2 hub and then using a speedo healer to get the correct speed displayed. It looks like the gen 2 hub would bolt straight on (unless someone knows different)and as its the reason why the gen 2 is a little more relaxed it should give you what you want. Its something I'm actively considering at the moment but haven't tried yet.

edit; been doing a fair bit of reading and despite what I first thought it would appear that the ratios in the two hubs are the same so no gain there. Can anyone confirm this ?