Bike accessories: Changing the sprockets for accelleration

MCN expert Chris Dabbs is here to answer any questions you have on anything bike related.

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Q. I have been told going one tooth down on the front sprocket (to16) is a good idea on my Yamaha XJR1300SP. Is it?

D Farnley, e-mail

A. That all depends on what you want to achieve. You will knock the top speed by about 7 per cent, but you will improve the acceleration at real world speeds by the same amount which will make the bike feel a lot stronger. So it is a very cheap “tuning” mod.

A lot of bikes take the speedo reading from the gearbox these days which means the speedo over-reads by the same amount. At least it helps keep your “real” speed down, but it does mean the bike will clock up a higher mileage.

Fortunately for you, the XJR1300’s speedo drive is taken from the front wheel so you won’t have the problem.