14 tooth sprocket YES or NO

[Duc L'Smart]

YES to 15 and up 2 in the rear.  I changed both sprockets with no problem.  Very easy to do.  Why waste the $$$ letting someone else do it.

Going up in the back requires a longer chain. You can also swap to a 520 sprocket/chain setup, instead of the 525, & save a lot of weight

[Gramps]

 
  Thank's to all of you who responded to this post!! I'm going to stick with my original plan and have it installed at the 600 mile check-up. Also will write a report on the gear indicator, and the peg lowering kit after I get them installed. My Can-Am Spyder has the gear indicator built in and I like having it. So decided to get one for the Ducati.     Everyone Ride Safe
                 Gramps 

[junior varsity]

I have a M900 - I definitely suggest having a 14T front.

I also have a 520 chain, when it is time to replace yours, that is what you want.

I kind of think the gear indicator would be neat, but I have never 'needed one', I judge relative to the RPM I'm at now, how many gears to go down for an upcoming turn.  I don't think "This is a 2nd gear turn", I think, two gears down from where I'm at will be right for this one.  As I get faster, or choose to maybe sloth through a turn, the gear # down would change, so that's my view on that.

And get the comfort right. Many people enjoy raising their bars about an inch also, which requires little to nothing other than the bar risers to do. That's my take on your footpeg kit.

[c_rex]

absolutely, unless you ride WOT frequently.  Do it asap for chain/sprocket wear's sake

[Hedgehog]

Going up in the back requires a longer chain. You can also swap to a 520 sprocket/chain setup, instead of the 525, & save a lot of weight

If you switch to a 520 chain, be sure you install a case saver.  It's not pretty when the chain snaps.

[junior varsity]

And the chain saver is dirt cheap - got mine at CA-Cycleworks

[Pancake81]

Why even ask... Just get er done. If you dont like it your only out a few bucks. But you wont regret it 

[stopintime]

Gramps - just a word on the MFW Vario pegs:

There has been some confusion on which part # to use for the adapter. Even the manufacturer website still has it wrong. I spoke to them on the phone half a year ago, they promised to correct it, but haven't. The US distributor, EuroTechMotorsports is still somewhat unclear, but basically right. Don't remember if WHA is correct, but the right adapter is 051 03 03 00. Part # 051 03 01 30 will not fit.

Good luck on the sprocket project. It will be interesting to hear what you think.

[CougarSlayer]

Do it just got my back from having both sprockets and chain replaced.  The thing is definitely a little more peppy in the lower gears.  This after riding around with the factory front for 18,000 miles.  The thing is awesome whether its going down in the front or up in the rear do it its a world of difference you do loose some top end but does not matter still managed to have fun.  Besides after 120 whats left 130 and 140.  But I did notice the hypomotard s model with the termi under pipes and man if I had  the money that would be in my garage in a heart beat.

lata,

-panthro

[uclabiker06]

theres one thing nobody have mentioned i ride a lot of country roads and twisties and i found the 14 made the bike harder to ride hard through tight stuff, allways going through the gears on the 15 you just roll on and of the throttle    

+1.  I really think your results with 14T depend on the number of teeth in the rear.  Different bikes come with different numbers of teeth in the rear.  I tried the 14T sprocket in my S2R800 and I HATED it.  I think slipping the clutch and learning how to manipulate bike is half the fun.  When I put on my 14T it reminded me of my 250;  just had to shift too often.   Good luck.

[TobyDanger]

Doesn't seem too - remember that although you rev higher in the same gear at the same speed, you'll need less throttle to do so, and you'll also spend some of your time in the next gear up revving slower at the same speed.

I don't know engines like I know electrons, and I'll give you that the mpg wouldn't change much (~7%) or less with changes in riding style associated with a 14T sprocket, but revving higher in the same gear at the same speed with the same drag, you're going to have to explain a lot better for me to believe that you don't need more throttle/gas to move the engine faster...

-TobyDanger

[CromoMann]

I thought there'd be a poll...

Yes

No...

Boobies!

Actually - really YES absolutely.  I'd say for average non-racer and just about any motorsport, having more low-end fun = greater enjoyment than the benefit of keeping high-end max speeds. 

[bigiain]

I don't know engines like I know electrons, and I'll give you that the mpg wouldn't change much (~7%) or less with changes in riding style associated with a 14T sprocket, but revving higher in the same gear at the same speed with the same drag, you're going to have to explain a lot better for me to believe that you don't need more throttle/gas to move the engine faster...

You're _close_ to understanding (well, at least to what _I_ think is the correct understanding).

There's two separate bits of drag to think about - the drag inside the engine, which as you point out _does_ go up with engine speed, and the aerodynamic drag of the bike/rider, which under the "at the same speed" assumption will _not_ increase. My theory says the increase in fuel consumption will be some function of a 7% increase in the internal engine drag only, and that the aerodynamic drag is a _much_ more significant contributor to total drag, so the overall increase in fuel use will be very small. Assuming 80% of the total drag is aerodynamic (which I think is close to a worst case assumption), that implies a 7% increase[1] in the remaining 20% of the total drag, or around a 1.5% total increase - which in my opinion is far enough down in the measurement noise of fuel consumption to ignore. And that assumes none of my proposed fuel _savings_ from sometimes running a higher gear with a lower engine speed that with stock gearing, which would reduce that figure further.

big

[1] Note, oversimplification in use here - it's more likely that the drag goes up with some increasing function of rpm, probably delta rpm squared since a lot of it will be aerodynamic drag of the crank, rods, and pistons inside the motor - that only changes my numbers a little tho due to the smallness of 7%... My guestimate would still come in under 3% with that taken into account...

[Scottish]

How much does the 520 chain really gain you? I ask because it's time for me to replace my set-up and I wanted to go up three on the back. I was comtemplating the 520 but I really need something pretty rugged. It would have to offer significant improvement to be worth it for me. How much more fragile are they?

[junior varsity]

If you aren't rocking an S4RS, than a 520 is more than enough chain. The 695 will give a 520 no problems.

Its fairly lighter than a 525, and is what is on my M900.