2014 vs. 2013 Gear Ratios (Especially 6th)

[Tortuga_imp]

No need to apologize. I'm a pre-Millennial, so I don't have a completely puny attention span.

I know those people. They Summer here in North Coastal San Diego County. The nicer hotels fill up with them, and our local campgrounds fill up with the Saharizonans with all their Confederate/Nascar flags, cigarette butts, burning garbage in their campfires, and 6-gpm (it's gpm, not mpg) RV's.

An MSF safety course instructor said two things that have stuck with me over the years. (Jeebus--over 21 years now! That was in '93.):

~"Due to their superior acceleration, braking, and handling capabilities, motorcycles are the safest vehicles on the road." [Pause while incredulity builds in the classroom...] "UP TO, the point of impact."

~"Riding a motorcycle in traffic is like being the only Saxon on the field without any armor on. Sure, you can duck, weave, and dodge all those other guys in their clunky armor, but once they even nick you, thy game is over."

I like it!

This is a little rough cause I don't quite get the primary ratio.

the 13 5th gear is 30/29= 1.0345 which is taller than the 14 5th gear (1.074) and tha 13 has a taller sprocket ratio.

at 70mph in 5th, the 14 turns about 200+ rpm more than the 13.

at 70, the 14 in 6th turns about 200 rpm less than the 13 in 5th.

Unless I'm wrong, which is entirely possible.

200 rpm? Hardly seems worth the effort. I don't feel bad at all having a 5 speed.

200 rpm? Hardly seems worth the effort. I don't feel bad at all having a 5 speed.
Agreed, what a big fuss about nothing.

I'd wager that with less shifting to do, the 13 rider can get up to cruising speed quicker and smoother, and his boot leather will last longer!

[calamarichris_imp]

Boots are a lot cheaper to replace than engines. And I'd rather be the guy with the overdrive who never uses it, but still has it, than the guy without. It's not about top speed, it's about engine preservation and prolongation. More rpm equals more piston speed equals more cylinder wear. 200 additional RPM is quite minor for that one minute you're measuring it to determine the gearing. But if you spent just 6 hours riding that day, that would be an additional (unnecessary) 72,000 rpm spun in one day.
I understand why there is a large incentive among many in our midst not to let the resale value of our existing overdriveless bikes slip, and I sympathize, but I'd probably buy a Vespa or even another Harley before I'd buy a 5-speed. But that's just my opinion, which is based pretty heavily on my riding conditions in the wide-open American West where I live.


Okay, it's a little bit about top-speed. Star Trek would have been pretty boring if Zefram Cochran had never invented warp drive.

[Guth_imp]

If that is where I was going to be riding, then ultimately I'd be more worried about my access to coffee than how many RPMs my engine was turning.


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[calamarichris_imp]

But drinking coffee only intensifies your awareness of the rpms and the scraping-scraping-scraping of the piston rings against the cylinder walls. It's not obsession... it's just intense awareness.

Also, going faster equals adrenaline equals awakeness.

[Guth_imp]

Perhaps the coffee wouldn't be enough.

Boots are a lot cheaper to replace than engines. And I'd rather be the guy with the overdrive who never uses it, but still has it, than the guy without. It's not about top speed, it's about engine preservation and prolongation. More rpm equals more piston speed equals more cylinder wear. 200 additional RPM is quite minor for that one minute you're measuring it to determine the gearing. But if you spent just 6 hours riding that day, that would be an additional (unnecessary) 72,000 rpm spun in one day.
I understand why there is a large incentive among many in our midst not to let the resale value of our existing overdriveless bikes slip, and I sympathize, but I'd probably buy a Vespa or even another Harley before I'd buy a 5-speed. But that's just my opinion, which is based pretty heavily on my riding conditions in the wide-open American West where I live.


Okay, it's a little bit about top-speed. Star Trek would have been pretty boring if Zefram Cochran had never invented warp drive.

Whoa. Just a minute now. Earlier you stated this:

Hey, Cormanus, thus far it's either CB11 or Bonneville T100 with a few mods. So far we're leaning pretty heavily toward the prettier Bonneville, but an honest OVERdrive might be enough to lure me. (But both Triumph and Big-H are lucky that Kawasaki ain't bringing the W800 to my puny, small-minded Isle, because it's a superior bike in every respect.)

So as part of those "few mods" are you going to be cramming a sixth gear into the Bonnie? As far as I'm aware, the W800 is also a 5-speed. That scraping-scraping-scraping that you're so keenly aware of might not be piston rings against the cylinder walls.

[calamarichris_imp]

Kudos on your research, however, I still stand by my lack of contradiction.
If Honda had never produced a 6th speed on the CB11, I wouldn't even return to this forum, because I'd already be riding a T100 with the peashooter pipes and Thruxton bars.
But the CB11's 6th speed (and the 39 or 38-tooth sprocket) are enough to give me pause. (I'd probably make one or two tweaks to the CB11 too.)

So blame Honda for my annoying presence here.

If it's not the piston rings against the cylinder walls, what is it then? (Now it's your turn to expose your neurotic dysfunction...)

[davidsargee_imp]

Boots are a lot cheaper to replace than engines. And I'd rather be the guy with the overdrive who never uses it, but still has it, than the guy without. It's not about top speed, it's about engine preservation and prolongation. More rpm equals more piston speed equals more cylinder wear. 200 additional RPM is quite minor for that one minute you're measuring it to determine the gearing. But if you spent just 6 hours riding that day, that would be an additional (unnecessary) 72,000 rpm spun in one day.
I understand why there is a large incentive among many in our midst not to let the resale value of our existing overdriveless bikes slip, and I sympathize, but I'd probably buy a Vespa or even another Harley before I'd buy a 5-speed. But that's just my opinion, which is based pretty heavily on my riding conditions in the wide-open American West where I live.


Okay, it's a little bit about top-speed. Star Trek would have been pretty boring if Zefram Cochran had never invented warp drive.

I am one that does not care about the 6-speed. Unless the lion's share of your riding occurs at highway/freeway speeds, you will not use it that much. I had a CB900 Custom, with a dual range transmission, you could say that it was a 10-speed. Then, like now, my riding habits really didn't justify a need for 6 gears.

ALL bikes, and cars, for that matter, slip in value. Except for a few rare cases, a new bike or car is worth the most it will ever be worth, before you drive it away from the dealership. Resale value is not a big priority for me, no way of knowing what it will be worth when I, (or my kids, after they inherit it), finally sell it. I doubt the resale is suffering all that much over "only" having a 5-speed tranny. There are a lot of bikes out there with 5-speed transmissions, people buy them.

I have no quarrel with anyone that likes Triumph Bonnevilles, or the Kawasaki version, they are pretty bikes, but they don't compare to the CB1100. I researched the Bonny, the only thing the triumph twin offers is aesthetics,(and that is a matter of perspective). Functionally, the CB1100 is hands down superior in every way, (even with just 5 speeds). The Honda is smoother, has more power, better suspension, a much better finish, it is undoubtedly more reliable, etc. The Honda is simply a more capable bike, and when I was shopping, it cost less than the Bonny. For me, there was no comparison.

[Tortuga_imp]

If that is where I was going to be riding, then ultimately I'd be more worried about my access to coffee than how many RPMs my engine was turning.


Sent from my iPhone using [url=http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1]Tapatalk

Boots are a lot cheaper to replace than engines. And I'd rather be the guy with the overdrive who never uses it, but still has it, than the guy without. It's not about top speed, it's about engine preservation and prolongation. More rpm equals more piston speed equals more cylinder wear. 200 additional RPM is quite minor for that one minute you're measuring it to determine the gearing. But if you spent just 6 hours riding that day, that would be an additional (unnecessary) 72,000 rpm spun in one day.
I understand why there is a large incentive among many in our midst not to let the resale value of our existing overdriveless bikes slip, and I sympathize, but I'd probably buy a Vespa or even another Harley before I'd buy a 5-speed. But that's just my opinion, which is based pretty heavily on my riding conditions in the wide-open American West where I live.


Okay, it's a little bit about top-speed. Star Trek would have been pretty boring if Zefram Cochran had never invented warp drive.

Mate, resale value worries me far less than your propensity to use unsavoury sized pictures to make your null point.

200 rpm is going to save your engine, your life, your sanity? Get a grip my friend. You're here to push buttons. I'm English and I wouldn't buy a Triumph Bonneville (bought my last brand new Triumph in 2004) because they're made in Thailand, and are pretty crap. The three cylinder bikes are truly epic machines, but what you're into is a cheap knock off repro.

Kawasaki W800...really? I looked at one and the salesman said "seriously mate, I'd refuse to sell that to you, you've got too much life left in you, that's a "last bike" for old codgers who want to pretend they're still bikers"

Boots are a lot cheaper to replace than engines. And I'd rather be the guy with the overdrive who never uses it, but still has it, than the guy without. It's not about top speed, it's about engine preservation and prolongation. More rpm equals more piston speed equals more cylinder wear. 200 additional RPM is quite minor for that one minute you're measuring it to determine the gearing. But if you spent just 6 hours riding that day, that would be an additional (unnecessary) 72,000 rpm spun in one day.
I understand why there is a large incentive among many in our midst not to let the resale value of our existing overdriveless bikes slip, and I sympathize, but I'd probably buy a Vespa or even another Harley before I'd buy a 5-speed. But that's just my opinion, which is based pretty heavily on my riding conditions in the wide-open American West where I live.


Okay, it's a little bit about top-speed. Star Trek would have been pretty boring if Zefram Cochran had never invented warp drive.

I am one that does not care about the 6-speed. Unless the lion's share of your riding occurs at highway/freeway speeds, you will not use it that much. I had a CB900 Custom, with a dual range transmission, you could say that it was a 10-speed. Then, like now, my riding habits really didn't justify a need for 6 gears.

ALL bikes, and cars, for that matter, slip in value. Except for a few rare cases, a new bike or car is worth the most it will ever be worth, before you drive it away from the dealership. Resale value is not a big priority for me, no way of knowing what it will be worth when I, (or my kids, after they inherit it), finally sell it. I doubt the resale is suffering all that much over "only" having a 5-speed tranny. There are a lot of bikes out there with 5-speed transmissions, people buy them.

I have no quarrel with anyone that likes Triumph Bonnevilles, or the Kawasaki version, they are pretty bikes, but they don't compare to the CB1100. I researched the Bonny, the only thing the triumph twin offers is aesthetics,(and that is a matter of perspective). Functionally, the CB1100 is hands down superior in every way, (even with just 5 speeds). The Honda is smoother, has more power, better suspension, a much better finish, it is undoubtedly more reliable, etc. The Honda is simply a more capable bike, and when I was shopping, it cost less than the Bonny. For me, there was no comparison.

I am one that does not care about the 6-speed. Unless the lion's share of your riding occurs at highway/freeway speeds, you will not use it that much. I had a CB900 Custom, with a dual range transmission, you could say that it was a 10-speed. Then, like now, my riding habits really didn't justify a need for 6 gears.

ALL bikes, and cars, for that matter, slip in value. Except for a few rare cases, a new bike or car is worth the most it will ever be worth, before you drive it away from the dealership. Resale value is not a big priority for me, no way of knowing what it will be worth when I, (or my kids, after they inherit it), finally sell it. I doubt the resale is suffering all that much over "only" having a 5-speed tranny. There are a lot of bikes out there with 5-speed transmissions, people buy them.

I have no quarrel with anyone that likes Triumph Bonnevilles, or the Kawasaki version, they are pretty bikes, but they don't compare to the CB1100. I researched the Bonny, the only thing the triumph twin offers is aesthetics,(and that is a matter of perspective). Functionally, the CB1100 is hands down superior in every way, (even with just 5 speeds). The Honda is smoother, has more power, better suspension, a much better finish, it is undoubtedly more reliable, etc. The Honda is simply a more capable bike, and when I was shopping, it cost less than the Bonny. For me, there was no comparison.
Well said! I find on Britain's twisty country roads I ride between third, fourth and fifth gear. Having been a former instructor I tend to try to ride in the power band ( low gear ) for engine braking mid corner, and thus haven't been able to do so yet on my 300 odd mile CB (breaking in).

I knew a man who rode a T100 (R.I.P Pete) and he got rid quickly and bought a Victory.

I know the DP of a Triumph dealership and he was all over my bike when I showed it to him and they have a Honda franchise too. He was exasperated that I'd had to buy from elsewhere because they'd had no stock.

I think this guy should go and buy his dream bike, because he seems to live in a dream.

Honda CB1100 - the bike for the guy who doesn't Over Analyse things, and just loves to ride a great bike.

If people don't want to join our club, it makes me enjoy my bike even more.

We are the Yoda riders of motorcycling.

[Guth_imp]

Kudos on your research, however, I still stand by my lack of contradiction.
If Honda had never produced a 6th speed on the CB11, I wouldn't even return to this forum, because I'd already be riding a T100 with the peashooter pipes and Thruxton bars.
But the CB11's 6th speed (and the 39 or 38-tooth sprocket) are enough to give me pause. (I'd probably make one or two tweaks to the CB11 too.)

So blame Honda for my annoying presence here.

If it's not the piston rings against the cylinder walls, what is it then? (Now it's your turn to expose your neurotic dysfunction...)

That would be the sound of your brain wrestling with common sense.

I honestly don't know what it is that that you're really after in order to justify a bike purchase, but hopefully you'll figure it out. If that is truly your intention.

Just try to remember that the things which matter to you might not matter nearly as much to the next guy. We all have different priorities. In your case, you seemingly have different priorities from one post to the next. Trolling perhaps?



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[Tortuga_imp]

I think this guy is here to push some buttons, from his terminology, praise of inferior bikes, and general argumentative nature,

I would brand him a nut sack, if not exclusively for the posting of a screensaver sized picture on a 'bound to be' inflammatory and lively thread.

Just my tuppence worth.