My 85 is a 4 speed. So I have always wondered how close my 4th gear ratio is to a newer 5 speed 5th gear. My ratios are 10.00, 7.24, 5.48, 3.97 for 4th.

 

Accoring to HD my 5th on a 2010 XL1200X Forty Eight is 3.517.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

On my 2011 883 the ratios are: 10.782, 7.702, 5.728, 4.748, 4.071. So what you can see is that the 5-speeds have squeezed an extra ratio in between first and top, otherwise are almost identical to yours.

 

Both the 4-speed and the 5-speed are 1:1 ratio in top gear through the transmission.

The numbers being thrown about here are overall ratios, which includes, primary, transmission, and final drives.

But the transmissions themselves are 1:1 in their top gears, whether the top gear is 4th or 5th. In top gear, the power never goes through the countershaft, it comes straight in the mainshaft and goes straight out the final drive gear. Both the 4-speed and the 5-speed transmissions are designed this way.