can i install a sixth gear

[NES07DEZ]

I wonder if i could install a six gear.
I feel when i am on the highway the bike is revd up to high.
for example if i am doing 60 the rps are at 4500
if i want to keep up with traffic at around 70 t0 75 or maybe 80
the rpm run high. maybe like 5500 or 6000.
maybe it is normal to run that high rpms on a bike but i feel that i am abuseing the bike.
I want to criuse at 70 to 75 with low rpms maybe in the 3500 range.
what do you guys think

 

[NES07DEZ]

sorry about that it is a 1982 gs 850 l

 

[jabberjoe87]

why not change the sprockets? even though a chain is expensive and the acceleration is lost, just an idea

 

[srsupertrap]

Where there is a will there is a way . . . but in your case isn't your 850L a shaftie?

 

[first timer]

no a sixth gear can not be added, no you can't change your shaft ratio. You are just going to have to live it it, 5500 is nothing for these bikes, these motors were designed to rev (as are most bikes harley excluded) and they love to and that is where suzuki hide the power take it up to 7000k then you will feel a completly differant motor, it really wakes up.
Don't feel bad shift her all the way up at redline it will be fine.

 

[Steve]

why not change the sprockets? even though a chain is expensive and the acceleration is lost, just an idea

Where there is a will there is a way . . . but in your case isn't your 850L a shaftie?

Alas, ALL 850s are shaft-driven.

We have two 850s here. In spite of one having a 16" rear wheel and the other having a 17" wheel, they both seem to do about 14 mph per 1000 rpm, meaning that you are about right ... you will be turning about 4,000 at 55 mph and 5,000 at 70 mph.

Don't worry about how it sounds, it will do it all day long, day after day. :dancing:

.

 

[Guest]

Yes, it is. Rest assured your bike can handle 5500 rpm all day long.....it isn't abuse. I think the shaftie guys do have a mod though, interchangin 1100G/GK drive parts that will yield lower cruising rpm, though definitely not as low as 3500 rpm @ 75mph.

Tony.

 

[NES07DEZ]

its is a shafty. but on my gear indicator it has a number six on it.
its weird

 

[earlfor]

N0, you can not.

Earl

 

[TheCafeKid]

Yes, it is. Rest assured your bike can handle 5500 rpm all day long.....it isn't abuse. I think the shaftie guys do have a mod though, using 1100G/GK drive parts that will yield lower cruising rpm on the 850, though definitely not as low as 3500 rpm @ 75mph.

Tony.

It only drops it about 300 RPM IIRC. At any rate, these guys are right. The GS loves to rev, (as long as its under load of course) and many a GS spends a good deal of its life in the 6-8K RPM range if its ridden in the twisties frequently. So quit worrying..its all good

 

[Guest]

The GS loves to rev, (as long as its under load of course) and many a GS spends a good deal of its life in the 6-8K RPM range if its ridden in the twisties frequently. So quit worrying..its all good

For whatever reason, the 850 seems (to me) to be quite a bit smoother than the 1100's.:-k

Tony.

 

[TheCafeKid]

For whatever reason, the 850 seems (to me) to be quite a bit smoother than the 1100's.:-k

Tony.

Agreed. While they are more or less the same motor aside from displacement, the 1100 is particularly touchy in the carb balancing dept. And if they fall out of balance for whatever reason, its instantly noticeable. Very "buzzy"...My only complaint about em. I wonder if it has to do with the size of the carbs vs the cylinders? Dunno why...

 

[bdalameda]

What you can do it find a secondary bevel drive gear set from a GS1000G or GS1100G. I have researched this and I believe that if you can find the entire gear set with bearing holders etc. it will directly replace the GS850 Unit. This gearset has a bit higher gear ratio that should drop a couple of hundred RPM off your cruise. I purchased a GS1100G gearset for my 850G but I am thinking about selling the bike now so I could let you try and fit it. It is important that the clearances are set properly with shims. The factory manual spells out how this is done. The transmission output shaft is identical on the 850G and 1000G/1100G. The entire bearing holders, gearsets and shafts have to be used to make the replacement work. Just the 1000G gears by themselves won't fit without the entire assemblies. I have been thinking that this would be a great mod for the GS850G. I purchased my gearset from a GS1100G of of ebay for about 25.00.

Dan

 

[TheCafeKid]

What you can do it find a secondary bevel drive gear set from a GS1000G or GS1100G. I have researched this and I believe that if you can find the entire gear set with bearing holders etc. it will directly replace the GS850 Unit. This gearset has a bit higher gear ratio that should drop a couple of hundred RPM off your cruise. I purchased a GS1100G gearset for my 850G but I am thinking about selling the bike now so I could let you try and fit it. It is important that the clearances are set properly with shims. The factory manual spells out how this is done. The transmission output shaft is identical on the 850G and 1000G/1100G. The entire bearing holders, gearsets and shafts have to be used to make the replacement work. Just the 1000G gears by themselves won't fit without the entire assemblies. I have been thinking that this would be a great mod for the GS850G. I purchased my gearset from a GS1100G of of ebay for about 25.00.

Dan

hate to burst your bubble but they arent interchangeable. They wont fit.

 

[bdalameda]

One other thing. I have owned both a GS1100G and a couple of GS850G's - I can tell you for sure that the 850 is much smoother than the 1100.

 

[bdalameda]

I am fairly sure they will fit if the entire bevel gear housings with shafts etc are used. The bevel gears by themselves will not replace the 850 gearset. The housing and shafts are cut differently to allow the different gear sizes to fit properly in the cases. If the entire assembly is used from a GS1000G I think it will fit. If you just look at the gears alone it appears that they wont interchange. If you look at the entire assembly meshed together I believe it will fit.

 

[makenzie71]

nesdez07...this may not be your kind of fix, but it worked great for me. I spent 3 years on a CX500...a bike notorious for it's short gears and rev-happy engine. 70mph was using 3/4 of it's designed operating range...according to the tach. My solution was to remove the tach and wear earplugs (under my helmet). Out of site and out of mind.

 

[TheCafeKid]

nesdez07...this may not be your kind of fix, but it worked great for me. I spent 3 years on a CX500...a bike notorious for it's short gears and rev-happy engine. 70mph was using 3/4 of it's designed operating range...according to the tach. My solution was to remove the tach and wear earplugs (under my helmet). Out of site and out of mind.

Good point there Makenzie. It took me a while to adjust myself to the rev-happiness of the GSs. I felt like sustained 5500RPM would be doing damage. Nope. They're just getting into happy-land there. In all seriousness to those who may be concerned: Run your bike up to redline a couple times in every gear. Get used to what it sounds like. That motor (especially the rollerbearing ones) can handle way more than you're likely to ever put it thru, unless you're a Cooley wanna-be on the street (which is not advisable anyway) Keep in mind that guys STILL use these motors, blocks and all, and punch them out well oversized before really having to worry about the bottom end. And as far as the top end, well, if you keep up your maintainence on it, you cant really hurt it, and if you do, its easy as "pah" to fix.

 

[TheCafeKid]

I am fairly sure they will fit if the entire bevel gear housings with shafts etc are used. The bevel gears by themselves will not replace the 850 gearset. The housing and shafts are cut differently to allow the different gear sizes to fit properly in the cases. If the entire assembly is used from a GS1000G I think it will fit. If you just look at the gears alone it appears that they wont interchange. If you look at the entire assembly meshed together I believe it will fit.

The 1000G perhaps, as it was more or less an overbore of the 850. The 1100G on the other hand has beefier components in it. For instance (aside from the bevel gears, as i am almost positive they wont even fit in the 850 housing) the stator is larger, thus the cover is different. Same bolt pattern, bigger "pot" for the stator to sit in. The final drive is a bit different from the 850 as well, but IS interchangeable. If you were to ask MY advice (and much easier than experimenting with bevel gears that may not fit, as you have to partially split the cases to get them in and out) find an 1100G or even better, an 1100GK final drive (or pumpkin) and swap it out. The ratio is different there too, especially so on the GK. You'll drop 3-500 RPM. Doesnt sound like much, but the difference between cruising at 5000RPM and 4700RPM will be suprising.

 

[SqDancerLynn1]

Good question! I don't know if it would work, the main shafts are a different length. You would have to replace the complete transmission, That requires major disassembly of the engine. The beveled gear assemblies by themselfs will not fit.. Easies way to make change with a GL is to go to the 17" rear wheel
I run my 850 5K-6K all the time