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gs850 shafty gear ratio.... Can it be changed?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anonymous
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Anonymous

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'82 gs850l, I have everything perfect on her but only thing I dont really like is the gear ratio, when I cruise down the road its spinnin 4500-5500 rpms. She has power no matter the rpms above 1500 so in my mind for gas milage and life of the engine, itd be much better cruising at maybe 2500. I was wondering since its a shaftie, can the ratio be changed without changing the rear tire? Thanks-darren
 
The only way I know of is to replace the rear drive unit with one from a 'GK (82-83). There is one on EBAY right now.
 
Are you positive this will just bolt right in w/o modifications? How much do you suppose it would change? Thanks-darren
 
Yes, teh "GK rear end will bolt right it. It will drop your RPMs down about 800-1000rpms. Mine runs 70MPH @4200
 
Be aware not all GK's have the different gear ratio. the common one is 3.09 the one you are looking for is 2.90 It will bolt up no problem. I have considerd that for my 850 but I thing you will end up with a dog preformance wise tooth count 11/32 vs 11/34
 
the 850 has more than enough power to make the gearing a bit taller and lower the cruising rpms.

trust me, it won't become a dog if you raise the gearing.

i recommend you get yourself a 17-in rear wheel from a standard 850g or 1100g.

these will fit perfectly.

the old style 17-in rear wheel from the early model 850g and 1000g also will fit your 82 gl, with some shimming modifications.

the rear drive units are interchangeable on all 850, 1000, and 1100 shaft gs bikes, regardless of whether they have the taller gearing or the more common lower gearing.
 
are you guys talking about changing out the whole rear end diff. or just the shaft? Thanks a lot guys.-darren

yeah with my slight mods on my 850 it has PLENTY of power throughout the powerband.
 
I sympathize - I find myself wanting to shift up one more time at freeway speeds. What the GS850L really needs is a 6th gear, not overall taller gearing.

I would think starting out in first gear with a 15-20% higher ratio would require a lot of throttle and make life difficult around town. Maybe the greater low-end torque of the 1100 negates this for that bike.

I'm not trying to talk anyone out of doing this, but the trade-off may not be as desirable as it seems on the surface.
 
For what it's worth, I'm running a 17/43 sprocket set on my 750. Off the line it does require a bit of extra clutch slip, especially pointing up hill with a passenger. However, other than that you can just compensate by changing your shifts (i.e. shift by RPM and not speed). It does make things a lot more relaxed on the highway, but I think the next time I have to change I'll probably add another tooth on the back.
 
The whole dif would need to be changed. I constatntly run mine around 6K out on the highway runs just fine
They changed the gearing on the GS1000G & later GS1100G with a gear change in the secondary gear assembly & no they are not interchangeable The 1100 was a touring bike & was geared higher
 
I agree. I really don't think running 5K at 70MPH is so bad. You are in a very nice part of the powerband.

Does anyone know (or care) if lowering the overal gearing will actually decrease the top speed potential?
 
Another thing that kinda itched me to think about it is I will be making my gearing change is I have a real good friend down in Nebraska that I will be taking my 1st long venture down there to meet her sometime soon by myself. Man thats gunna be a long trip.. at age 17 and only 140lbs I dont have too much extra cushion for myself, my best friend will be my sheep skin seat. ANYWHO I also have straight through big core megaphone style glass packs with only about 2-3 inches of packing at the end. Man does it make harley riders jelous of the beautiful music my bike makes, but right at cruising speed on the highway is its echo spot. Sounds kinda like "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" haha, you get the idea. Anyways if it was just dropped below 4300 it's a nice perfect purr. After reading up your posts though sounds like I'll just say happy with what I got and add another best friend for my list on the way down.. Earplugs-darren


ps- sorry for rambling on
 
speedy400 said:
After reading up your posts though sounds like I'll just say happy with what I got and add another best friend for my list on the way down.. Earplugs-darren
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You beat me to it. I really wanted a 6th gear for the 850, but I decided ear plugs would have to do.
 
flyingace said:
I would think starting out in first gear with a 15-20% higher ratio would require a lot of throttle and make life difficult around town. Maybe the greater low-end torque of the 1100 negates this for that bike.
Click to expand...

believe me, it does negate this for the 1100...

that's why i prefer the 1100 to the 850, even though they're actually quite similar machines, almost identical.

at 85 mph the 850 sounds like it's self-destructing (even though it really isn't).

at 85 mph the 1100 just purrs along with plenty of power to spare, and it doesn't sound frantic...

earplugs help no matter what you're riding.
 
flyingace said:
I agree. I really don't think running 5K at 70MPH is so bad. You are in a very nice part of the powerband

I totally agree with that. 850 does have great power at lower rpms but not so great as at the 4000-6000.You can accelerate or lower your speed more effectively when you are at that "very nice part of the powerband"
i mean it's better to cruise at 4000 when for example, a car infront of you change line and you need to slow down.It's always much safer, you have better control of the bike.If you are in 2500 at a time like this you 'l have to go a gear down and use the brakes, while at the 4000 you will only have to turn your wrist and maube touch the brake lever a little bit

I would also like a 6th gear in my gs850 for sure! I realized that from the first open road ride right after I bought it
Click to expand...
 
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