Falco gearing .......

[cornish mafia]

Hi All

As i have started to tart the bike this winter and wheels are off i was wondering if any one had any ideas for the gearing .............been hearing 15T front but what about the rear ? Shall i just leave it as is or go up / down one ? .........any ideas ....

[GregD-UK]

Hi all,

Depends on your riding or commuting or if you do alot of track days. Most people have gone for 15T front to ease the lower speed riding around town, and a smidge more responsive lower down. This will sacrifice top-end speed though...

I have a 15T front and 43T rear. If you want a more technical answer, wait for D-Rider to come along. Or you could try this site for an exact view of gearing options. www.gearingcommander.com

Also, the condition and tightness of your chain is critical as well fella

My half penny's worth

[cornish mafia]

nice one GregD much appreciated .........the link was a laugh as well , i'll be playing with that for sure ........

Like the idea of a little more fun , grunt wise , but not that keen on losing top speed ..........

Will let you know what happens ............

[GregD-UK]

Hi all,

No probs fella, TBH I am thinking of going back to standard Top end on current setup is 144mph! But it is the getting there that is important. Original 16T + 41T gives some 162mph.

That is like 18mph difference, hell of alot of difference Seriously thinking of going back to standard, not that much difference around town with 16 or 15 TBH...

Anyone else have views either way?

[D-Rider]

I have heard that there is really no difference in actual top speed with the 15t or 16t front sprocket as it can't really pull max revs with standard gearing and has a bit of an easier time with the 15t sprocket.
Never had it flat out in top so can't comment from actual experience. Even those that have been there will not have done so often so in my book it's an irrelevance.
The best thing about the 15:41 gearing (or 16:44 which is virtually identical) is the improved rideability round town - slow speed corners in particular.
A side effect is better acceleration - but it's not exactly lacking in that department anyway.
The advantage of going 15:41 is that you can use the same chain - if you go 16:44 you need a longer one.

Some people will tell you that the 16t sprocket gives the chain an easier life but the difference is so minimal it can frankly be ignored. Good chain maintenance (and scottoiler) will make a far greater difference.

I've previously posted this comparison I made but I'll post it here as well:

Falco Gearing – Comparison of 15/41 and 16/44 final ratios


Standard Gearing is 16/41

Max Chain Bend Radius and Angle Between Links

Standard 16t sprocket:
Bend radius (at chain pins) = 40.4mm
Angle between chain segments while on sprocket = 22.5 degrees
15t sprocket:
Bend radius (at chain pins) = 37.9mm
Angle between chain segments while on sprocket = 24 degrees

Comparison of Ratios:
16/41 gearing = 0.3902 (standard)
16/44 gearing = 0.3636
15/41 gearing = 0.3658

Compared to standard gearing:
16/44 gearing is a reduction of 6.82%
15/41 gearing is a reduction of 6.25%

Relative difference in Reduced Gearing Options:

The relative difference between 16/44 and 15/41 ratios is only:
1-(0.3636/0.3658) = 1- 0.9939
= 0.0060
or 0.6% different - so engine characteristics at any speed will essentially be identical.

[cornish mafia]

I knew if i posted it i would have the answer ASAP ..........certainly food for thought for sure , the way it looks it diesn't really make any difference what so ever ... ........Maybe , like said , a little bit more grunt low down but nothing that's going to get noticed ...

Nice dry day today .....so far...... .....so out to the garage to start playing .......

[joecrx]

just gear it up to get to 100 mph as fast as you can anyfaster you wont have a licence to ride anyway

[cornish mafia]

Now where's the fun in that .........obviously any speeding is done on a track .....private road ...etc etc etc ...

[D-Rider]

I knew if i posted it i would have the answer ASAP ..........certainly food for thought for sure , the way it looks it diesn't really make any difference what so ever ... ........Maybe , like said , a little bit more grunt low down but nothing that's going to get noticed ...

Nice dry day today .....so far...... .....so out to the garage to start playing .......

No, it really does make a difference. If you ride in town the 15:41 ratio makes it much easier to ride. It's not the extra grunt, it's more about putting the engine at a point in the rev range where you can use 2nd gear for the slow corners.

Unless you spend a lot of your time on motorways, I'd certainly recommend the change. The other thing is it's quick and cheap to do - so it's one of those things that's easy to try and if you really don't like it, you don't feel that you've wasted a whole load of money.
I think it's something like £15 or so for the 15t sprocket - maybe a little more.

[ReggieGasket]

Yes, I'm putting a new chain on shortly and will go for the 15/41 combo.

[joecrx]

i might be wrong but do tou have to take a link out he chan or do you have enough play on the ajusters ?

[D-Rider]

There is enough play on the adjusters

[roosterNI]

my speedo must be out, 15t front standard rear and have 157 max speed on dash.

[cornish mafia]

Right going to keep every one happy ......and my self ......so have ordered a 16T AND 15 T with a new gold chain and 41 T rear sprocket .........going to have a play with both and see what i think ......... As D- RIDER said earlier it only cost £15 so no bank breaking just yet ........I'll leave that one for the misses with Christmas coming up ...