highway speeds, gearing

[brandon]

I just bought a o1 katana 600 to use for commuting its geared at 15/45. Ive never owned one of these high revving bikes before but at highway speeds in 6th gear im between 5000 and 6000 rpm. are these motors made to be ridden like that or do I need to gear it further for highway use?

[Fat Jack]

5-6 grand is no problem That rpm is good for smooth acceleration when power is needed with out giant power surge Your just starting to wind it up

[maniac1886]

My 97 kat sits close to 7 grand at 70 mph. These "high revving" bikes love it!

[Fat Jack]

Yupers After V twins it took a bit to get use to it

[shpielers]

I went down 2 teeth on the rear cause I do looooots of highway. Didn't honestly really notice a difference. -3 or -4 you might start to, but I don't think I'll go any lower than I'm already at. Since the bike redlines around 11k, you're just past the middle of the RPM range. Same general ballpark as most other engines (at least in my own experience ) highway cruising usually is between 50-66% of redline.

[Fat Jack]

I dropped 4 teeth on my 600 wanted top end power It was there !!!!! Even after KN scorpion exhaust and jet kit it wouldn't redline only hit 130 mph but after dropping 4 .power all the way up changed speedo by about 15mph in 6th but gained it back with the extra rpm speedo showed 150 with steady power !! No reason to change any thing on this 750 Hope this helps somebody

[Fat Jack]

I dropped 4 teeth on my 600 wanted top end power It was there !!!!! Even after KN scorpion exhaust and jet kit it wouldn't redline only hit 130 mph but after dropping 4 .power all the way up changed speedo by about 15mph in 6th but gained it back with the extra rpm speedo showed 150 with steady power !! No reason to change any thing on this 750 Hope this helps somebody

On my FRONT SPROCKET oops

I dropped 4 teeth on my 600 wanted top end power It was there !!!!! Even after KN scorpion exhaust and jet kit it wouldn't redline only hit 130 mph but after dropping 4 .power all the way up changed speedo by about 15mph in 6th but gained it back with the extra rpm speedo showed 150 with steady power !! No reason to change any thing on this 750 Hope this helps somebody

On my FRONT SPROCKET oops

[KAT TOY]

I dropped 4 teeth on my 600 wanted top end power It was there !!!!! Even after KN scorpion exhaust and jet kit it wouldn't redline only hit 130 mph but after dropping 4 .power all the way up changed speedo by about 15mph in 6th but gained it back with the extra rpm speedo showed 150 with steady power !! No reason to change any thing on this 750 Hope this helps somebody

the speed signal generates from the front sprocket sensor. check with GPS for accurate speed info.

[rschlegel]

At 5-6k as said before you are just getting where the power starts. It can be a bit buzzy at highway speeds but that range seems to be a good torque rpm. The peak horse power is still higher up in the rpm range. These bikes think 5-6k rpm is easy cruising. The 600 hardly gets out of its own way below 5k so if you gear it to drop rpm be even more ready to shift down if you need to get around someone.

[freakngroovn]

I recently got an '04 750 and also had the same impression as brandon. I do try to keep in mind that the thing redlines above 11k, but am still pondering upping the drive cog a few teeth and/or dropping the rear chainring a few, mostly to try get more miles out of a tank of gas - the guys I ride with have miserly twins - and maybe drop a few revs at the same time. I'm thinking if it drops me a little farther away from torque/hp peaks I can quickly get the revs up with a tap or two of my left foot. Any guidance on max/front and min/rear sprocket sizes? As a starting point?
Thanks!

[GSXFJim]

I recently got an '04 750 and also had the same impression as brandon. I do try to keep in mind that the thing redlines above 11k, but am still pondering upping the drive cog a few teeth and/or dropping the rear chainring a few, mostly to try get more miles out of a tank of gas - the guys I ride with have miserly twins - and maybe drop a few revs at the same time. I'm thinking if it drops me a little farther away from torque/hp peaks I can quickly get the revs up with a tap or two of my left foot. Any guidance on max/front and min/rear sprocket sizes? As a starting point?
Thanks!

Stay with a 15 counter shaft up front any thing larger that that will require sprocket cover modification, any smaller will put too much pressure on the rollers of the chain.
You can drop 1-2 teeth in the back and lower the rev's at freeway speeds without loosing too much off the line speed.
With that said, do keep in mind these engines are made to rev high, that's where these engines make HP, so running near red line isn't really going to hurt them.

[KAT TOY]

my bike had 15/48 when got it. went to 16 on front. did require a little grinding to clear. with Shinko Raven 160/60 rear I'm taching 5K@62mph. next chain I'm going with 16/47. now speedo is about 5mph fast and about 2% off on odo.

[freakngroovn]

Thanks for the replies!

[chris38]

I am new to the katriders
I have just got a 06 600 and it has the stock sprockets. I am in love with the bike, but I would love to get some more off the line punch. I dont care about top end but dont want to rev to high at highway speed and tear up stuff. Its 5k at 65 now with a 15 tooth on front. My question is how much is 1 tooth going to change rpm. I would love to at least be able to leave my buddy on his fzo7 from stoplight to stoplight.

[rschlegel]

If I remember correctly one tooth on the front is about the same as three on the rear. I would go with a larger rear as it is easier on the sprocket in my opinion. I do not know what your rpms would be but probably still only several hundred rpm. The biggest problem is that your chain might not he long enough for a bigger rear sprocket. If any part has significant miles though, the chain and both sprockets will need changed.