Install a 6-speed trans on a 2013?

[tommymck_imp]

As noted above unless you are racking up lots of highway miles having that 6th gear is not really a factor.

Max tq on this bike is at 5000 rpm so steady cruise at 4000 rpm or so keeps you right under the tq peak which means downshifting is not required in the event you need to quickly accelerate. I’d advise against running around town at 2500 rpm in 6th. If you get in a tight spot and need to accelerate quickly you are gonna need a downshift. Just because the bike will run 6th down low like that does not mean it’s ideal.

All my riding is city in the Dallas metroplex, many times I’ve had to quickly roll on the throttle to avoid distracted drivers. Regardless of speed if the revs fall below 3500 I’m looking for a lower gear.

A lot of bikes won’t tolerate lugging, my Monster 1100 was a 3 speed unless you were doing 50+ Mph

This bike isn’t ..that…

These bikes- even stock will run at 2500 all day long.

There is no such thing as lugging a modern CB 1100 unless you are a complete bonehead.




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This bike isn’t ..that…

These bikes- even stock will run at 2500 all day long.

There is no such thing as lugging a modern CB 1100 unless you are a complete bonehead.




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Any machine can be lugged, technically if you cannot quickly accelerate away in gear you are lugging the motor. The CB does not protest as it’s in a very mild state of tune.

What happens when you quickly open the throttle from 2500rpm in 6th gear? Nothing as you have the acceleration capability of a Nissan Sentra for the first few seconds until the motor spools up.

Now do that again in 4th at 4000 rpm…huge difference in response

"I would however trade any pre17 for one of the rare EX. Simply the more fine-tuned model."


Only true improvement in my mind is the front forks, while the gas tank looks goofy. And has a slipper clutch if you care about such things... I own a bike with one and haven't noticed a benefit.

You only notice the benefit of a slipper clutch if you downshift too early like an inexperienced rider. Those who have the natural feel and mechanical sympathy for their bike, which comes from experience, shouldn't notice the benefit.

You only notice the benefit of a slipper clutch if you downshift too early like an inexperienced rider. Those who have the natural feel and mechanical sympathy for their bike, which comes from experience, shouldn't notice the benefit.
So slipper clutches are for inexperienced riders….now I’ve heard it all.

Slipper clutches are designed to release clutch back pressure when doing high rpm downshifts, this prevents the back wheel from locking up. Why do you think every ultra high performing machine today has one?

I realize this is a grandpa bike and most are ridden as such but regardless that’s just a silly uninformed statement
Bottom line is if you ride the bike hard enough you will notice the benefits

Not sure that's how everyone defines lugging. To me, lugging means operating the engine in a state where if done regularly, it would generate heat to the point that it has a detrimental effect on engine life. I think that's why you are getting pushback. You'd have to try pretty hard to operate the CB1100 in 6th gear such that you damage the engine.

If you are just saying that you aren't getting the performance in 6th gear at 2500 rpm that you would at 3500rpm, then sure...

[PowerDubs_imp]

I can definitely see where a slipper clutch would be a great advantage on a dirtbike. I ride those much more aggressively and start stop as you accelerate out of a turn and then downshift quickly for the next turn.

I have definitely locked up in the back tire on the CB a time or 2 but only because I was riding in a manner that I did not need to be.


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[the Ferret]

Wouldn’t bother /= prefer.

Given both options, same exact bike in every way- AND having rode both to feel the difference- would you still choose the 5?


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It’s a good question, Dubs. Given when I ride distances I like winding roads, I’ve no real need for 6 gears. When I do have to take a freeway, I’d probably appreciate the extra gear. But, if I had a chance to trade mine for a 6-gear model (unlikely, as I don’t think there are any in Australia) I wouldn’t take it unless the deal was just too good to pass up.

It’s a good question, Dubs. Given when I ride distances I like winding roads, I’ve no real need for 6 gears. When I do have to take a freeway, I’d probably appreciate the extra gear. But, if I had a chance to trade mine for a 6-gear model (unlikely, as I don’t think there are any in Australia) I wouldn’t take it unless the deal was just too good to pass up.
To put Dubs question another way .... 2 identical bikes sitting on the sales floor, same price, except one is a 6 speed and one is a 5 speed. Bikes are identical except for the transmissions. Which would you choose?

Like m in sc says you don't have to shift into 6th if you don't want to, you can ride around all day in 5th.

We've had guys on this forum advocating keeping our bikes between 4000 and 6000 rpms. 4000 rpms would be speeding even in 3rd gear on the 45-55 mph roads around here. I'm not riding around all day in 3rd gear.

I also know a guy on another forum that says the best/most efficient rpm for running a bike is at 85% of the available revs. On a CB that would be 7250 rpms.

And lugging TO ME is when the bike is chugging and bucking and will not pull cleanly, requiring a downshift to pull cleanly.

Have you ever tried shifting into the next higher gear only to find out you were already in top gear?

On my ST 1300 with no gear indicator, I once rode about 25 miles on the freeway before finding out I had another gear to shift in to. I had been running in 4th lol.

I've had 3 speed, 4 speed, 5 speed and 6 speed motorcycles. All were able to do the speed limit and more So that begs the question are more than 3 speeds really necessary?

[PowerDubs_imp]

I need to remember to find an online speed calculator to figure out my possible top speed. Not that I’ll ever go that fast anymore.


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[peterbaron]

I currently own 3 4 speed bikes, none of them would benefit from an extra gear, but they are all also under 10 HP and run out of HP before rpm in 4th, so, they are at the limit. On the CB where you will -never- hit the rev limiter in 6th, but -can- maintain an ideal rpm in 6th on the highway, it makes sense to have it. And, i do 'skip' gears upshifting pretty regular.

I speed all the time. I mean, every time i ride. Heck, the cb will hit the speed limiter on my CB at the top of 3rd, and that's with 1 tooth down on the front sprocket. Just depends how you ride.

....so with this setup you have about 300 higher rpm vs stock??

[The Gecko_imp]

Surely I'm not the only one who prefers 5 speed.
I think with 6 speed your changing gear way to much for very little gain if any.

I'm fairly certain you are, actually.

I'm fairly certain you are, actually.
There's lots of us especially Ford transit van owners with 6 gears, to many gear changes. A lot of 6 speeders miss gears out to save pointless changes, eg go from 4th to 6th, 3rd to 5th you get the drift.
The problem with bikes is you can't do this so unless your just sitting on a highway in sixth for hours and hours you have to keep going up and down the box and it gets tiresome. Also if you need overtaking power quickly you have to go down two gears at times instead of one.
I don't like sitting on motorways so the journeys I make in the UK are best suited to 5 speeds.

Would be interesting to look at the detailed gear diagrams. My feeling is that the first 5 of the 6 are .equal. (or very close to the) the 5-speed gears. This means you can ride the 6-speed exactly like a 5-speed by just never go to the 6. But I may be wrong.

Wouldn’t bother /= prefer.

Given both options, same exact bike in every way- AND having rode both to feel the difference- would you still choose the 5?


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It’s a good question, Dubs. Given when I ride distances I like winding roads, I’ve no real need for 6 gears. When I do have to take a freeway, I’d probably appreciate the extra gear. But, if I had a chance to trade mine for a 6-gear model (unlikely, as I don’t think there are any in Australia) I wouldn’t take it unless the deal was just too good to pass up.

Of course, but this is because another bike brings other problems, and you know the problems (or lake of them) of your bike. The question was different : what if you could - ceteris paribus - switch to 6-speed. A theoretical question of course

[the Ferret]

On today's ride I tried some things and made some interesting observations on my 6 speed

at 4000 rpms
2nd is 45 mph
3rd is 55 mph
4th is 65 mph
5th is 75 mph
6th is 85 mph

in 6th gear:
45 mph is 2000 rpms
55 mph is 2500 rpms
60 mph is 2750 rpms
65 mph is 3000 rpms

and it will pull and accelerate cleanly at 35 mph on flat ground at 1500 rpms

I was running 62 mph down a 55 mph state highway in 6th gear and came to a small village with a posted speed of 35 mph. I stayed in 6th and dropped down to 35 mph (@ 1500 rpms), rode thru town and accelerated back to 62 mph at the other end without changing gears (normally I would have dropped to 5th or 4th for the town) but I wanted to see what the CB would do.

[GoldOxide_imp]

... sounds good Ferret.

If one doesn't need [extra] acceleration, it ought to be a ride in the park.

[1985CB450_imp]

the comment about the slipper clutch is laughable, truly. the 1st time i experienced one was on an aprilia SL1000 my ex wife had that had been tuned, and just flat out ripped. it did, absolutely, keep the back wheel from locking up. same on my ktm, ducati, and i added one to my grom when i went bonkers on the 4 stroke motor build and would absolutely lock up the rear wheel on an abrupt decel. It allows you to match rpm coming out of a corner much better. there is no down side to slipper clutch and is absolutely beneficial on certain bikes and riding styles..

as far as the 5 vs 6 speed. I can ride the CB at 2500 in 6th, have done it, and it will accelerate from there 'ok'. . its much easier to do with the power commander than it was, but i never really lug the motor riding. To me, 'lugging' a motor is, if you are at 'x' rpm, and try to accelerate and it just falls on its face.. you are lugging it.

But if you don't like 6th gear.. then just dont use it.

Glad somebody else gets it

What I don’t understand is why would anyone ride in a gear where their 1140cc bike accelerates only “ok”…..

Too many years riding in city traffic for me to put myself in that position when a simple gear change improves your chances to get out of the way quickly

[the Ferret]

the comment about the slipper clutch is laughable, truly. the 1st time i experienced one was on an aprilia SL1000 my ex wife had that had been tuned, and just flat out ripped. it did, absolutely, keep the back wheel from locking up. same on my ktm, ducati, and i added one to my grom when i went bonkers on the 4 stroke motor build and would absolutely lock up the rear wheel on an abrupt decel. It allows you to match rpm coming out of a corner much better. there is no down side to slipper clutch and is absolutely beneficial on certain bikes and riding styles..

as far as the 5 vs 6 speed. I can ride the CB at 2500 in 6th, have done it, and it will accelerate from there 'ok'. . its much easier to do with the power commander than it was, but i never really lug the motor riding. To me, 'lugging' a motor is, if you are at 'x' rpm, and try to accelerate and it just falls on its face.. you are lugging it.

But if you don't like 6th gear.. then just dont use it.

Glad somebody else gets it

What I don’t understand is why would anyone ride in a gear where their 1140cc bike accelerates only “ok”…..

Too many years riding in city traffic for me to put myself in that position when a simple gear change improves your chances to get out of the way quickly

I for one, don't put myself into situations where I have to get out of the way quickly. Also if necessary I could quickly downshift to enhance acceleration if needed. Takes but a fraction of a second.

The CB 1100 suits me and my riding style, even if it's not your riding style. My (2) FZ1s had 125 hp, my ST 1300 125 hp and my FJR 150 hp. I rode them on the same roads at the same speeds in the exact same way as I ride my CB 1100. Never once in 220,000 miles on those 4 bikes combined, did I ever have to get out of the way quickly, nor in the 78,000 miles I have put on my (2) CB 1100s, nor the 24,000 miles I have put on my lowly 58 hp NC 750, which btw accelerates like a turtle on downers lol. ( it has other attributes I like)

On the other hand I dont understand why someone seemingly dependent on instant acceleration would choose an 1140 cc bike that weighs 550 pounds and only has 84 hp, which can be out accelerated by any number of 600 cc bikes out there that weigh 100 pounds less and have more horsepower, not to mention the myriad of 1000 cc bikes currently on the market with less weight and more than 100 horsepower, sometimes way more. Heck, a 40 year old 1983 Honda CB 1100 with 109 hp would be a better choice for someone where instant acceleration was a priority.

Its all a matter of perspective