Gearing Question
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Road Master
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 811
Likes: 99
From: Hopewell Twp, PA
Gearing Question
I have the tranny out of my 73 FLH for a rebuild and figured that I would look into whether I should change the transmission sprocket. The bike has a stock motor. It has a belt primary. I'm not sure what the stock transmission and wheel sprockets are supposed to be on this bike. It currently has a 24 transmission and 49 wheel. When I bought the bike a couple of years ago, it had a 48 wheel sprocket on it. That combination had some decent top end, but not on hills on the interstate if that was where I was riding. There are a lot of decent size hills in western PA and I was downshifting too much because of loss of power. I then went to the 49, which made a decent difference, but feels like I'm hitting the limit when I get to about 75 or so. I'd like to get a few more mph out of it without sacrificing the power. If I went to a different transmission sprocket would it do that? Or would that put me back in the situation that I had with the 24/48? Thanks.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 8,852
Likes: 2,493
From: Decatur, Alabama
You can't have your cake and eat it too. When your bike was new the speed limit was 55 mph and it likes that speed. Gear it for hills and you lose top speed due to over revving. Gear it for top speed and you're downshifting into 3rd on hills all the time.
I've got the exact same bike so I feel your pain.
carl
I've got the exact same bike so I feel your pain.
carl
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,945
Likes: 938
From: Up a tree making meth coolaid
yah, what carl said. ive got a 73 too with no real go fast parts that I have seen and its a fun ride but it ain't much for top gear hill climbing. enjoy it for what it is.
Club Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 66,115
Likes: 51,404
From: Niles Canyon Ca.
Go to a close ratio 2nd- 3rd gear set while its opened up you won't regret it. When I was running the hill country & colorado 2 up on a stock 74 I settled on a 23-49 combination on the sprockets while running a belt primary. You will have to count teeth on the belt system to find out what ratio it is as a belt drive bumps it up a bit over the stock chain primary, why you seem to be losing power on hills so bad. Between the two your geared up fairly high for a stock 74" engine.
You'll still be shifting but it'll have a better power band to play with.
You'll still be shifting but it'll have a better power band to play with.
Last edited by TwiZted Biker; Mar 16, 2017 at 09:22 PM.
Club Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 66,115
Likes: 51,404
From: Niles Canyon Ca.
Unless you do a full boat balance & blue print and get real **** about installing, leveling a truing the whole drive train and there is an involved procedure for this 75mph on a stock shovel pushing the envelope a bit. You've been doing well and didn't know it. Most bikes are tossing parts by then 
Thread Starter
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Road Master
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 811
Likes: 99
From: Hopewell Twp, PA
Unless you do a full boat balance & blue print and get real **** about installing, leveling a truing the whole drive train and there is an involved procedure for this 75mph on a stock shovel pushing the envelope a bit. You've been doing well and didn't know it. Most bikes are tossing parts by then
Yes, thinking about it you're right. I'm content to be happy with what I got. I get a lot of enjoyment out of riding my shovel.
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