6th gear

[ztsmith064]

Hello all! Has anyone ever worked with a machine shop to fabricate and add more gears to their Vmax? I have the dream of one day adding a 6th and even 7th gear. I want 6th gear to turn over roughly 4,000rpm at 80mph and 7th gear to be a true highway gear and turn over roughly 2,500rpm at 80mph. I recognize that this will be a costly venture, but this would be for a bike I will never sell and probably place into a family trust. Please don't come in and recommend moving to a different bike, I'm curious what this community has done in only this reguard!

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

Not to say it cant be done, anything can be done with enough money and imagination......that being said.....the space in which the current transmission sits it would have to sacrifice strength in order to fit the other gears in. If a single gear is 1 inch wide and you wish to add a gear, you must make the other gears thinner to fit the gear set in the same space. I frankly dont see the gearset lasting the long haul especially on a muscle bike.

 

[Traumahawk]

Anything can be done with enough time and money, but I don't think it's ever been done.

Are you talking gen 1 or gen 2 will be the first question.

 

[ztsmith064]

Not to say it cant be done, anything can be done with enough money and imagination......that being said.....the space in which the current transmission sits it would have to sacrifice strength in order to fit the other gears in. If a single gear is 1 inch wide and you wish to add a gear, you must make the other gears thinner to fit the gear set in the same space. I frankly dont see the gearset lasting the long haul especially on a muscle bike.

I thinkI would more than likely cut and expand the case in order to add more gears

Anything can be done with enough time and money, but I don't think it's ever been done.

Are you talking gen 1 or gen 2 will be the first question.

This is a 1200! I apologize for leaving that out!

 

[Fire-medic]

Not practical. The shift drum would need to be changed besides the gears added. Contact Sean Morley [email protected] to get Venture 5th gear ratio changes and a Venture rear (final) drive which is a 'longer' ratio (lower numerically) which is a much less $$$ way to get lower rpm's if that's what you're after.

 

[88bradb]

Hello all! Has anyone ever worked with a machine shop to fabricate and add more gears to their Vmax? I have the dream of one day adding a 6th and even 7th gear. I want 6th gear to turn over roughly 4,000rpm at 80mph and 7th gear to be a true highway gear and turn over roughly 2,500rpm at 80mph. I recognize that this will be a costly venture, but this would be for a bike I will never sell and probably place into a family trust. Please don't come in and recommend moving to a different bike, I'm curious what this community has done in only this reguard!

First of all if you have original wheels try the upsize rear tire. I did that and it made a noticeable improvement on the interstate.

 

[Tom Determan]

To make room for another we'd REALLY have 2nd gear issues if we shaved 1/8" off that one. If 2nd is left alone, what's next, 3rd gear problems? Leaving all those gears alone and adding length might create shaft load problems or harmonics. The objective of lowering the RPM at the same load of 80 MPH probably doesn't change the BSFC (fuel consumption) all that much anyway. Yamaha may have designed and tuned it for best BSFC @ the current cruise RPM. The noise and vibration might change noticeably.

But as Pighuntingpuppy mentioned nothing is impossible, it's just costs more.

 

[Redrum]

A 2 speed rear end or additional overdrive type transmission might be a little more doable.

 

[AndrewT]

First of all if you have original wheels try the upsize rear tire. I did that and it made a noticeable improvement on the interstate.

What tyre did you fit to the standard rim?

 

[88bradb]

What tyre did you fit to the standard rim?

Metzler ME 888 Marathon 170/80/B15

 

[gentsvmax]

I have the set-up described by FM and the MadMax offset which will easily propel you along
faster than you'll want to go on a Max.
I mean tucked in behind my little windshield, with my feet on the passenger pegs, 135-140 with more throttle left than I dare to use and never enough open road anyway.
I have all solid mounts along with a fork slab and welded in frame braces for ZERO flex, but still wouldn't consider my Max practical for high speed cruising if it did have a 6th gear.
But I will say the run up to triple digits is one hell of a blast!

 

[88bradb]

I have the set-up described by FM and the MadMax offset which will easily propel you along
faster than you'll want to go on a Max.
I mean tucked in behind my little windshield, with my feet on the passenger pegs, 135-140 with more throttle left than I dare to use and never enough open road anyway.
I have all solid mounts along with a fork slab and welded in frame braces for ZERO flex, but still wouldn't consider my Max practical for high speed cruising if it did have a 6th gear.
But I will say the run up to triple digits is one hell of a blast!

I did take my gen 1 up to 135 once. It had more left but I didn't.

 

[Skycopper]

I have had two memorable trips into the triple digits that will stick with me for a long time. First was on my Gen1 shortly after curing my 115mph headshake. I decided to peg the throttle and leave it there as long as I dared. Right about 135 was my limit as that seemed freaky fast on a VMAX, scary too, Second was when a friend let me try out his Honda 1100XX. I rolled the throttle out gently in each gear in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, when I shifted into fourth gear and still twisting the grip I saw my targeted turn around point approach so I looked down at the speedo and it read 160!!! I **** my pants, closed the throttle, and blew right past my designated turn around in that order in the blink of an eye. Both bikes are scary. The VMAX is very busy at speed and not so reassuring. The 1100XX was so composed at speed it ran like a precision made sewing machine, smooth.