Thinking of upgrading my compensator. I've been reading horror stories about how weak the OEM ones are and a buddy of mine at the dealership said the same. I know there are a few aftermarket ones out there, but I thought I might do the whole lot while I’m at it.
So, looking at the Baker 34 -Tooth Comp Sprocket (OEM count) or the 30 – Tooth kit with chain?
Riding style depends on if the missus is on the back or not. I still want to be able to ‘Cruise’ with her but also like to give it some on my own.

Anybody here using either one? Thoughts?

 

I think it depends. If your putting down 140hp, the yeah, it's something you should look at. Without the compensator, those power pulses go through the entire drivetrain until the cush in the back wheel. I'd expect extra impact on your transmission and primary chain. At big horsepower, these are the sacrifices we make. If you're still at stage I or stage II, just ride it. At least until the factory compensator gives you a reason, and then, I'd still put a compensator back in it. JMHO

 

A Softail is already geared higher than a Touring model. The Softail has a32/66 front pulley to rear pulley ratio, while the touring models have a 32/68 ratio. Combined with a 180/70-16 rear tire instead of a 180/65-16, and the increased gearing is substantial. I have used a 34 tooth pulley on a Road Glide with a 117” TC motor and a Baker 7 spd transmission. The 7 spd gave a lower 1st gear than stock even with the bigger pulley. The 34 tooth pulley will increase your 6th gear speed from 80 to 85 at 3000 rpm.

 

Thanks for the feedback. Just to be clear, the Baker 34 -Tooth Comp Sprocket is pretty much the same type of setup as the OEM compensator. Just a slightly altered design with a much stronger ramp. The 30-Tooth kit version is the same with the only difference in sprocket size. By being smaller this will increase the torque and somewhat reduce the top end.
I’m not really chasing top end speed, but would like a bit more pull. I’m just not sure if it will become a pain if I just want to cruise with my wife on the back?

 

not sure about baker, i went with dark horse man o war(34T i believe), It was a nice upgrade along with a chain drive. Both contributed to a more torquey and direct feel when it comes to putting power down.

 

Sorry, I read what you wrote, but it wasn’t what my brain interpreted. Ok, the sprocket part of the compensator isn’t the problem, it’s the ramp. Not saying anything negative about the Baker unit, I am sure it is a good product. You’ll save a couple hundred dollars going with one of the aftermarket ramps. Of course I’m sure you’ve already calculated that.

Going to the 30 tooth compensator sprocket will drop your speed from 81 mph at 3000 rpm to 72 mph. Pretty good gearing drop. If you want to gear down a little, there are 30 & 31 tooth transmission pulleys available or you can put a 68 tooth rear wheel pulley on, but I think you would have to use a Sportster pulley with a spacer. This little increase or decrease shouldn’t require a belt change.

 

Ok, so that's 11mph (17.7 kmh in my world) less with a 30-tooth comp sprocket. Hmm, hard to say if that would bother me. Ultimately, the question is what it would feel like to ride? Assuming, I would be shifting more often than before but have more torque. I’m quite happy with the overall gearing as it is. Might just stick with the 34 tooth and get more torque form a different cam instead. Like I said before still want to be able to cruise with the missus on the back.

 

Another option for lowering your gearing would be to change the rear tire to a 180/65-16 or for even lower gearing a 180/60-16. Shorter tires, lower gearing. This is probably the easiest to do and the easiest to undo if it doesn’t work for you.The180/65 would drop your speed about 2 mph at 3000 rpm and the 180/60 would drop it about 4.5 mph. So the 180/65 is about the same as the 68t rear pulley or the 31t front pulley and the 180/60 would be about the same as the 30t front pulley.

 

My 07 Heritage Softail had a 34 tooth comp. stock.
I installed the 32 tooth MOW sprocket and couldn't be happier with the performance!
If you want the whole story see post: https://www.hdforums.com/forum/gener...rsprocket.html
#68 is the installation with pictures.