question for the gear gurus

[tc862011]

ok so everyone knows i have a 1978 suzuki gs550e, its even in my sig. was riding the other day and most speeds around here are in between 25 and 55 so i dont even hit 5th alot of the time so hitting 6th is even rarer. i have noticed that alot of the power my bike provides is 1st through 4th anyway. how tall are the 5th and 6th gears in these bikes. i would almost assume that the 6th gear is for the highway cause it almost seems like a cruising gear if you want to do any type of good acceleration to shift down. i have had plentys of posts of the rebuild and how good its running so there isnt any issues. this is simply a gearing question

[nejeff]

ok so everyone knows i have a 1978 suzuki gs550e, its even in my sig. was riding the other day and most speeds around here are in between 25 and 55 so i dont even hit 5th alot of the time so hitting 6th is even rarer. i have noticed that alot of the power my bike provides is 1st through 4th anyway. how tall are the 5th and 6th gears in these bikes. i would almost assume that the 6th gear is for the highway cause it almost seems like a cruising gear if you want to do any type of good acceleration to shift down. i have had plentys of posts of the rebuild and how good its running so there isnt any issues. this is simply a gearing question

I was warming up my 550E last night on the four lane to diagnose some carb issues. Was doing 70 mph in 4th gear the last couple of miles. I sometimes get in 5th when I'm just cruising at hiway speeds but can't remember the last time I was in 6th. I imagine you would be just fine to have it in 6th at 70mph but then you probably won't have much go. Maybe 5th and 6th are for 85 to 100 mph

[tc862011]

yea like i said i barely ever hit 5th and i prob have hit 6th 2 times and that when i was learning to ride so i was getting used to the shifting. i havent found much applications for 5ht and none for 6th yet, figure i would throw it up here and find out what fellow gs'ers thought about it

[nejeff]

Yeah, I never understood the 6th gear. My 850 doesn't have it & I dont believe the 750's do either. I guess there is a valid reason the Suzuki did not but don't know what the thinking is. My sons little GZ250 has 5 gears but 5th does next to nothing and if you need it to go you have to shift back to 4th.

[tc862011]

yea my buddys 77 750 doesnt have it either, is there any real world application for 6th, it almost seems that the bike model itself isnt really fast enough for a 6th gear lol

[mrbill5491]

A 6th gear on our older bikes is pretty much a lost cause. I have never been able to redline my 750 in 5th as it is. In 4th gear it will pull hard right to redline, though once you shift into 5th it starts running out of breath around 6,500 rpm at 4,000 ft. A 6th gear would totally kill any power we have now.

[tc862011]

A 6th gear on our older bikes is pretty much a lost cause. I have never been able to redline my 750 in 5th as it is. In 4th gear it will pull hard right to redline, though once you shift into 5th it starts running out of breath around 6,500 rpm at 4,000 ft. A 6th gear would totally kill any power we have now.

i completley agree and thats the same feeling i get from my 550 in 5th would prob be worse in 6th lol

[hampshirehog]

If you want the maximum out of your 550 don't change up gear until the tacho is buried in the red. That engine thrives on revs - if you're letting it see 6500 rpm you're not riding it hard enough..

[tc862011]

i ride my 550 like that but hitting 5th like that i would be doing 100 and it would take forever to be buried in the red with 5th and 6th gear, plus i would be having blues behind me going that fast lol. when i want to get on the bike and get the performance out of it i dont shift until i feel it in the motor and that is like 10.5k on the rpm gauge

[1948man]

Maybe someone has changed the sprockets for lower rpms at highway speeds. Just guessing, I've never had one.

[tc862011]

well since stock posted top speed when the 550s where new was right around 105 and i can hit 100 when shifting into 5th i dont think the 6th gear does much in that area, maybe it makes highway travel better, i am not sure. i havent found a use for it. i alo have stock size sprockets

[hampshirehog]

She should be quicker than that. 115 on the flat would be more like it.

[tc862011]

i am sure it is, i havent had a chance to stretch out 5th gear, by the time i hit 5th i either need to slow down or i have ran out of road. i dont doubt i can get it to 115 its just not many places in southern maine that are long enough that i wouldnt have to worry about those cagers with those pretty blue lights lol,

i was just saying what the posted top speed was on the bike specs you find online i am sure its faster then that, oops never mind i just looked at a specs sight and it said 114.
another specs page says it does 0-60 in 5.8 secs i am positive mine does it faster then that