[Bobo413]

I'm running a 15/50 & am very pleased with its performance.
Great all around combo in. My opinion. 90 percent of my riding is on pavement & it'll cruise highway speeds no problem.

 

[Tw200quebec]

My TW has the original OEM set up 14 front and 50 rear. I am going to finish the season with this set up, but in fall will have to change chain sprockets and do not want to keep the OEM gearing. Hesitating between 15 front with a 50 rear or a 15 front with a 47 rear. I mostly do gravel roads and pavement and little off road trail riding, but do appreciate the low end torque of 1st gear when needed. With a 15 front and 47 rear I believe I can keep the OEM 122 links chain, but with a 15 and 50 combo will a need a longer chain? What chain is recommended. I want to up grade because the OEM chain is just a elastic and cheap. Thinking on a DID x ring, but find it expensive at 3x the price then OEM. JT has a X-ring series (X1R) at a more affordable price.

Thanks in advance for the feed back and advice!

 

[Winski357]

after being dissatisfied with my stock gearing on both offroad and onroad, ive read this entire thread and have just ordered a 47 tooth sunstar rear sprocket for my 2017! will update when i get it installed. can't wait! from what i've read it will make the bike do exactly what i want.

thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread!

 

[Winski357]

how many teeth do you usually have to take out of the stock chain when going to 14/47?

 

[Donzo]

how many teeth do you usually have to take out of the stock chain when going to 14/47?

I think you will be fine with the stock 122 link chain with 14/47. My 122 link has a lot of snail adjustment available with the stock gearing - you may want to consider getting a 122 O ring or X ring chain - it will not stretch out nearly as much as the OEM chain.

 

[Winski357]

I think you will be fine with the stock 122 link chain with 14/47. My 122 link has a lot of snail adjustment available with the stock gearing - you may want to consider getting a 122 O ring or X ring chain - it will not stretch out nearly as much as the OEM chain.

that would be awesome haha. its only got 200 miles on it so its not stretched much yet and im at the very beginning of the snail adjusters. sprocket should be in tomorrow, guess i'll wait and see! haha if not i have a chain break tool

 

[stagewex]

14 (stock), 47, X-ring chain.
Impressed me when on the highway but won't turn this little bike fully into a road bike. Like to swerve off the road on dirt when I see a primitive road.

 

[DougDotyTW200]

Such a great old thread, I read it from beginning to end as I am doing most of this site, and enjoying doing it. It was worth kicking it again. I bought my bike, 2016, used with 400 miles and the PO had installed a 15 front at 200 miles. So I got 15/50 for a 3.33:1 ratio and it seem a bit deep still for road riding. After reading the whole thread I want a 45 rear and I will have 3.00, 3.21, 3.33, and 3.57 covered and I bet with me being heavy at 265 I will end up at the 15/45 3.00:1 ratio. A little time will tell and I will test chain length with my stocker which can not be too stretched yet and get a new x or o ring chain and be done happy. Thanks everyone in this thread for pre-hashing this all out for us new guys. Great evening of reading...

 

[koolhandlinc]

I had a TW about 15 years ago. I changed to a 15/50 set up. I had 1 tank full I got 105mpg. I got over 90 most all the time on the street. I just purchased a new 2018 and have a sprocket in the truck already.

 

[plumbstraight]

Just for the sake of 14/47 as ti 15/50 I would go with the later. Much easier on the chain. The smaller the rear the more strain on the chain to turn the tire. the leverage stays the same on the 50 when you put the 15 on the front and with the one extra tooth the chain doesn't have to bend as far.

 

[ZacoWacko]

Just for the sake of 14/47 as ti 15/50 I would go with the later. Much easier on the chain. The smaller the rear the more strain on the chain to turn the tire. the leverage stays the same on the 50 when you put the 15 on the front and with the one extra tooth the chain doesn't have to bend as far.

Makes sense... Guess you just created more work for me, putting a 15 up front, instead of 47 out back.

 

[nihil]

I have about 3 tanks on my recent 15/50 swap, and it's a lot more streetable now. Mileage is up, and it still has plenty of low end grunt for trails (even lugging my 5'14" 240lb carcass around). I did a new 15t front, new 50t rear, and new 0-ring chain all at the same time, results were great.

Just a heads up, if you get a new 50t rear from procycle, pick up some extra (or thicker) washers as there is a dish in the center of the sprocket and the original bolts are just a few mm too long on the unthreaded shoulder for it to mount securely with only the stock washers. I had some that matched the OEM washers laying around so I doubled up.

 

[My ridge]

I am pleased to report I swapped my 50T rear for a 42T so now I am running a 14/42 and it's fantastic. I can easilly cruise at 60-65MPH in 5th and it will run up into the 70s WOT but that's kinda sketchy on this thing.

Granted I am a big guy bigger than probably should be riding a TW 6' 330lbs but I just love this thing to ride the backroads in the country and to put on the back of my camper for exploring campgrounds and rural towns.

It's so much better than my stock 14/50 configuration. It does bog down a little on hills and I do have to downshift to 4th sometimes but still love it. Even 1st gear is better its like everything shifted up one gear, 99% of my riding is backroads and logging trails.


A

 

[PlacerLode]

I run pretty much the same ratio using a PBI 16 tooth front and I use the stock chain length. I can also swap to 15, 14, 13 and not have to change the chain length, the 16-50 is perfect for desert dirt roads

 

[Peterb]

"I am pleased to report I swapped my 50T rear for a 42T so now I am running a 14/42 and it's fantastic. I can easilly cruise at 60-65MPH in 5th and it will run up into the 70s WOT but that's kinda sketchy on this thing."

Wow thats high gearing. I run 15/ 47 on my 99 and 14/45 on my 15 and they both top out at 118-120 km/hr but I feel like it could do more if geared higher. Not sure if I am hitting the 9000 rpm rev limiter built into the CDI.

 

[christddel]

Wow thats high gearing. I run 15/ 47 on my 99 and 14/45 on my 15 and they both top out at 118-120 km/hr but I feel like it could do more if geared higher. Not sure if I am hitting the 9000 rpm rev limiter built into the CDI.

Hello,
Exactly 118-120km/hr
Just the (little) difference 3 km/hr at 9000 rpm, between 15-47 and 14-45
Sorry my graphic is in french

 

[Maxpower]

Been on the road a lot lately with my TW. Just installed a 45 rear sprocket. I totally love it. So much I am installing 15/42. Not many hills on the roads in my.part of NJ. I need speed to keep from being eaten up. I think a 14/45 is a good street/dirt compromise where I ride.
I sure hate the drum front brake. I wish I had a newer disc

 

[Cornelis]

Great stuff Maxpower, I've been running 15/42 for more than 30 000 miles now and I'm enjoying every moment, I also live in the city and being able to go over 70 mph on the free way makes a huge difference, I don't have to worry about the big trucks chasing me down any more!

 

[Donzo]

Great stuff Maxpower, I've been running 15/42 for more than 30 000 miles now and I'm enjoying every moment, I also live in the city and being able to go over 70 mph on the free way makes a huge difference, I don't have to worry about the big trucks chasing me down any more!

30,000 miles....for real?!

 

[Cornelis]

30,000 miles....for real?!

Yes sir, I ride my bike daily commuting to work and back and then over the weekends I take longer trips, the climate in South Africa allows me to ride my bike right through the year and then at the end of the year when its in the middle of our summer I usually take a 2000 mile month long road trip

Click Here to read up on my latest trip 2 weeks ago