Is the 16T sprocket really necessary?

Leeth4L

Leeth4L

Member
Visit site
Hi guys

i have a 2011 FZ1N with the following performance mods;
- Full Yoshi TRC system
- PC5
- K&N air filter and
- graves velocity stacks

i have spoken to a few people locally about dropping a tooth on the front and have had a mixed response.

some of the people ive spoken to say with the mods listed above dropping a tooth isn't really needed as the extra HP makes up for the lack of acceleration down low.

while the others were saying "just do it anyway" arguing "when are you going to go that fast anyway". (i'll find somewhere :p)

would be great to get a response from people who have done it and personally experienced the 'before and after' effects of the 16T sprocket on their bikes as the people i have spoken to dont ride FZ1's and are only making assumptions.

i look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Thanks!!
 
Is the FZ1 really necessary? If you want to maximize acceleration, do it. If your riding is more suited to medium to high speed cruising, you might appreciate leaving it the way it is and keeping the tach lower when you're cruising along the highway.
 
I guess it depends on your wants.... I couldn't care less about going 150mph+ so for me, going 15/47 on my Gen 1 was no brainer.... on a Gen 2, I'd likely do something along the lines of 16/47 also.... I'd rather have gobs of acceleration on tap than a top speed I'd never use....

That said, if you're the type of guy that really gets off on top speed... it might not be worth it for you... However, next time you go out for a top speed run, pay attention to your tach. On my Gen 1, with stock gearing, I couldn't hit redline in 6th, so was drag limited as far as top speed... changing the gearing allowed me to hit redline in 6th, effectively increasing my top speed.
 
va_rider said:
I guess it depends on your wants.... I couldn't care less about going 150mph+ so for me, going 15/47 on my Gen 1 was no brainer.... on a Gen 2, I'd likely do something along the lines of 16/47 also.... I'd rather have gobs of acceleration on tap than a top speed I'd never use....

That said, if you're the type of guy that really gets off on top speed... it might not be worth it for you... However, next time you go out for a top speed run, pay attention to your tach. On my Gen 1, with stock gearing, I couldn't hit redline in 6th, so was drag limited as far as top speed... changing the gearing allowed me to hit redline in 6th, effectively increasing my top speed.
Click to expand...

i had noticed the bike struggled a little at high rpm in top gear. i do have the 16T sprocket maybe i will just change it.

this may be a silly question but is the rear 47T standard?
 
If you like me prefer smaller twistier roads the 16T front sprocket is better giving that extra punch when accelerating. However if u use the bike as a tourer on bigger roads I would keep the 17T sprocket as it keeps the revs down.

But if u allready have the 16T sprocket just change and feel for urself.
 
With all the mods that you already have don't expect a drastic difference. One of the things that you will notice is how much better it accelerates in 6th gear. Passing on the highway rarely requires a downshift from 6th now.
 
Well if you already have a 16T,I wound give it a go,use it when riding in the twisties, traffic etc,if you are going to do a fair bit of touring,highway, etc just change back to the 17T one.I do mostly longer rides so I am sticking with the 17T sprocket.[Just noticed Herr Svamp basicially said this]
 
Last edited:
Guys, he is running a 47 on the rear and stock is 45. I feel this is a good combo for a full mod FZ1. The 17/47 puts him very close to the 16/45 ratio. I would leave it alone.

17/45 gear ratio 2.65
16/45 gear ratio 2.81
17/47 gear ratio 2.76
16/47 gear ratio 2.93
 
Leeth4L said:
Hi guys

i have a 2011 FZ1N with the following performance mods;
- Full Yoshi TRC system
- PC5
- K&N air filter and
- graves velocity stacks

i have spoken to a few people locally about dropping a tooth on the front and have had a mixed response.

some of the people ive spoken to say with the mods listed above dropping a tooth isn't really needed as the extra HP makes up for the lack of acceleration down low.

while the others were saying "just do it anyway" arguing "when are you going to go that fast anyway". (i'll find somewhere :p)

would be great to get a response from people who have done it and personally experienced the 'before and after' effects of the 16T sprocket on their bikes as the people i have spoken to dont ride FZ1's and are only making assumptions.

i look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Thanks!!
Click to expand...

I'm running a 16T front 47T rear (+1 -2) and it's prefect for an FZ1N in my opinion.
You don't need top end speed on the naked version and the extra acceleration and punch you get from this gearing really suits the nature of a naked bike.
 
I'm running a 16T and stock rear the only real downside is increased rpm on the highway. If you spend a lot of time cruising at 70 ++ mph or more.

Doubt it effects top speed much if at all. My bike would not hit the rev-limiter in 6th with stock gearing ( many bikes wont )
 
16T front sproket

Hi Guys

Sorry, not so tech savvy, but if u change front sprocket, will speedo not read incorrectly :confused:(and will u need a speedo healer?)

Will there b any benefit in just changing front sprocket form 17T to 16T and leaving rear sprocket std (45T)
 
zap said:
Hi Guys

Sorry, not so tech savvy, but if u change front sprocket, will speedo not read incorrectly :confused:(and will u need a speedo healer?)

Will there b any benefit in just changing front sprocket form 17T to 16T and leaving rear sprocket std (45T)
Click to expand...

That is correct. If you change to a 16T front sprocket your speedo will be off even more. It will indicate a speed higher than what you're actually traveling. I think most people have just replaced the front one (with a 16T one), which is roughly the equivalent of increasing the rear one by 3 teeth.
 
Fit it and see for yourself. For me, as has already been said, a 16t front change rapidly increases acceleration and is more like riding my old and aggressive zx10r. I personally love the performance increase but i have slid the back end a few times on damp roads so try too take it easy till you get used to it.
I am going to try 16t front 45t rear in the next few days so will feedback on the impact this has.

Twisties 16t - motorway/lots of cruising 17t = only takes 15 minutes to change if you have the right tools.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top