Q: My bike is a 2010 Yamaha R1. I use it on the road and attend the occasional track day or two. But I’m not a ‘super fast’ guy because I’ve just moved up from the ‘C’ group into the ‘B’ group.
What I would like to know is, should I change the gearing on my bike for the track or just leave it alone? I’ve heard good and bad points for both sides of the question. I know you build BMW race bikes so I thought I’d ask you first. Some people said I’d find it ‘easier’ on the track using stock gearing because I’m not that quick to appreciate the sprocket changes, what do you guys say?
And if I went to Kyalami for example, what gearing changes would you suggest?
Thanks for your time…
Allan Freightman
A: If I were you I’d leave the gearing alone (standard), and just go out and enjoy yourself. Changing the gearing could make you go faster, but things will become more hectic as you up the pace.
But at our altitude (1,450m from sea level), you could drop the gearing by one tooth on the front to compensate for the loss in power (around 17% due to ‘thinner’ air). Many people do this for road use anyway, and if you do, your bike still won’t pull to the redline in top gear so don’t worry about that.
As for Kyalami, I’d drop two teeth on the front sprocket to get close to the ideal gearing for that particular circuit. I believe the stock front sprocket on your R1 is 17-teeth, so fit a 15-tooth version if you want to go that way?
