Rear spockets, whats available for a xj550 maxim

the title said it all. The smallest I have seen is a 44t I remember. Are there any sprockets that are sold for other bikes that will fit on a xj550? I think they are geared way to low. mine has a 16t and 45t.

 

covered in the xj4ever catalog
XJ PARTS CATALOG, SECTION H: CLUTCH, TRANNY, DRIVETRAIN

front 15,16, 17 tooth
Additionally, 15- and 17-tooth gears are also available. A 17-tooth front gear will give you slightly less acceleration (about 5% less), but will, in theory, allow for an increase in your top speed, and also decrease your engine rpm's at any given cruising speed. However, if most of your riding is on the highway, or if top-speed is a great concern of yours, then changing your drive sprocket to a 17-tooth version may be a worthy upgrade for you. Conversely, a 15-tooth front gear is a great way to increase the kick of your engine, although it will turn your ride into a buzz-box at freeway speeds! Please also see the longer discussion of gear ratios under the "rear sprocket" section further below.

rear 44,45,46 tooth
15 front and 46 rear = 3.0667-to-1 ratio (fastest acceleration)
15 front and 45 rear = 3.0000-to-1 ratio
15 front and 44 rear = 2.9333-to-1 ratio
16 front and 46 rear = 2.8750-to-1 ratio (stock 1981 XJ550 Seca)
16 front and 45 rear = 2.8125-to-1 ratio (stock 1982-3 XJ550 Seca and all XJ550 Maxims)
16 front and 44 rear = 2.7500-to-1 ratio
17 front and 46 rear = 2.7059-to-1 ratio
17 front and 45 rear = 2.6471-to-1 ratio
17 front and 44 rear = 2.5822-to-1 ratio (highest top speed)

so what are you looking to get from sprocket change?

 

this is also a thing you can do to a Seca, and you could put a Seca rear rim on the maxim and do the tire size change
Also, XJ550 Seca owners can reduce their RPM's by about 300 rpm's (at highway speed) if you use a 4.00 x 18 rear tire (Dunlop and Avon still offer this size) instead of the stock 110/90 - 18 tire.

you may be able to go with a taller tire on maxim or you could put a Seca rear rim on the maxim as well as do the tire size change.

just keep wheel travel in mind as well as swing arm clearances.
also if you want more out of the motor go to Seca cam and jet carbs to seca specs

 

this link has a link you may like
Change Sprocket Ratio?

 

Im looking to get more than 5 mph out of 1st! years ago I had Andrews gears put in my 58 panhead and I could come out of 2nd at 45mph. I checked out my xs rear sprocket and the bolt pattern is no where near the same. Some day I may try to make a rear sprocket with teeth of my choosing. I bet there is info for getting it heat treated for hardness. But I dont have a clue what would be involved. And I have not even had it out on the road for much over a mile or so. So Im not going to jump to assumptions. I do tink a 17t up front is in the future. I need new chain now. Ill be pulling the motor out again this winter to finish the bike and do chain and sprockets at that time. I bet from the chart above one could find the gear ratio for say a 42t or even smaller.

 

you can red line in every gear it is allowed, around 5k rpm is where the power band kicks in

did you check this out

your 17/44 combo would do what you want, then a taller tire would add to that careful of the width . if you go with a Seca rear tire you will also get to where you want to go.

and combining that with the 17/44 even more so. cost a lot less than having a custom sprocket cut for you.

both Seca and Maxim have 3.94" of rear wheel travel. Maxim has a lot of air above the rear tire

just going with the Seca rim would be a big change . if you buy one from Europe you can get the swirl style.
you are looking to go faster at a lower rpm.

 

Thats a good read.

 

+1 You aren't riding a torque-machine. An XJ is a rev-happy wonder. Let her rip to redline, then shift.

 

You either don't currently have stock sprockets/gear ratio, or are not revving high enough....

As mentioned, the fun begins around 5K.

 

I don’t have a spedo and I could exaggerate a bit.

 

You exaggerate more than a bit.
60 MPH comes up in just a few ticks over 5 seconds, and most of that happens in first gear.

Any sprocket change is going to be a tradeoff, particularly when you're only working with 50 HP (though having a sixth gear helps out a bit if you're gearing for acceleration; the crusing RPM's won't be horribly high).

 

I have a 16 on front and 45 on the back. I just put around not a racer or ride fast. And I dont have spedo or tach. I never luck out and get a bike that has all the parts.

 

That's the stock setup.

 

yup

 

So if you're finding that first gear is too slow, then you probably have an issue that's unrelated to gearing, or you're expecting more from the engine than it can give. It's a quick bike, but it's no rocket.

 

I put some new jets in today and took it for a short spin up the road. No plates so I dont go far. It is quick and you can run it pretty fast in 1st. This winter Ill probably get a 17 and 44 and new chain.

 

Be cautious of gearing up too much. You don't want to bog in 6th at highway speeds.. Yamaha seemed to know what they were doing.

 

Aside from a couple of hundred thousand bikes on the road, what proof do you have of that?

 

SHHh this guy comes in the night to those in doubt