300ec gearing

[nibby]

Hello.

I think the stock gearing on the 2013 EC 300 is 13/48????

I've changed the front to a 12

From doing some searching on the forum it looks like the most common for technical/woods/slower type of riding is 13/52

Would 13/52 feel much different to my current 12/48??

I like to ride so I can chug along in the more technical areas without having to slip the clutch, almost running to 1 mph without clutching that sort of thing.

Cheers

 

[CDBiker220]

13/52 and 12/48 are the same gearing. They will feel identical

 

[Boom Boom]

Watch your chain slide, the 12 will chew it up faster.

 

[nibby]

Great thanks.

Seems like the 12/48 - 13/52 is the way to go for the type of riding I'm doing then.

 

[nknudsen]

Just divide the rear sprocket number of teeth by the front sprocket number of teeth to get the ratio. 52 divided by 13 is a 4.0 ratio. This makes it easy to compare different sprocket combos.

 

[pscook]

Also, for those of us with a touch of OCD, having a perfect ratio, like 4:1, 3:1, etc, allows the chain to hit the sprocket in the exact same place every (4th) or (3rd) time. This means that if you have a bad chain link, or something stuck in a particular link, that defect will hit the sprocket in the exact same place every (*th) revolution. I did witness this on my street bike with 15/45 gearing, the front sprocket was worn in a specific pattern that matched the inner and outer chain link plate location. Having a ratio that is not a perfect integer allows the chain and sprockets to contact in a different place each revolution, more equally distributed contact points for better wear.

Does that make sense to anyone else, or just to me?

 

[rosco]

Actually that does make good sense. I've never thought about it but that would be a good idea. I will have to change my way of thinking when it comes to gear selection.

 

[AZRickD]

Using a bigger rear sprocket is easier on the chain but is closer to hitting rocks and my 52 dug into my LTR/XR chain guide more than I liked. The smaller front is said to cause faster chain wear and will ride the slider a bit more.

I'm going with the 12/48 this time around as we have rocks everywhere.

 

[motopsycho87]

Also, for those of us with a touch of OCD, having a perfect ratio, like 4:1, 3:1, etc, allows the chain to hit the sprocket in the exact same place every (4th) or (3rd) time. This means that if you have a bad chain link, or something stuck in a particular link, that defect will hit the sprocket in the exact same place every (*th) revolution. I did witness this on my street bike with 15/45 gearing, the front sprocket was worn in a specific pattern that matched the inner and outer chain link plate location. Having a ratio that is not a perfect integer allows the chain and sprockets to contact in a different place each revolution, more equally distributed contact points for better wear.

Does that make sense to anyone else, or just to me?

I was taught on an engineering course the simplest way to get around that is having 1 odd sprocket and 1 even.

 

[twowheels]

I was taught on an engineering course the simplest way to get around that is having 1 odd sprocket and 1 even.

Hmmm ... that would suggest that a 13:52 would satisfy the requirement, but of course that's not the case, because 52/13 = 4.0

What you want is a non-integer ratio, meaning that one value does not divide into the other evenly.

 

[Clay]

You guys think too much!

 

[STEVEV]

You guys think too much!

what he said! I actually found the stock 48 to work well everywhere.

 

[gasser]

One aspect that hasn't been mentioned is that changing form 13/52 gearing to 12/48 will change the wheel base if the chain length remains the same. Probably 3/4 inch or more difference. I suppose you could run a 52 rear with the stock chain length but it would move the wheel all the way forward and trash the rear suspension mud flap. It will do that with a 50 tooth rear sprocket if you run a trials tire at low pressure or high speeds.
For me I love the 12/48 set up on my 250. Yes the chain, sprockets, and slider may wear just a bit quicker and the mud flap slower or not at all. I find that the extra wheelbase makes the bike handle much better for my style of riding. As an added bonus I can quickly change the front sprocket to a 13 for a day of faster riding on fire roads and such.

 

[skuikka]

Doesn't the uneven wear issue have more to do with ratio between sprocket size and the amount of chain links? After all, the sprockets don't touch each other. Think about, for instance, 10/50 sprockets and 100 link chain. The front sprocket/chain contact is the same every 10 rounds, meanwhile at back, the chain and the rear sprocket meet at the same point every second round of the chain.

 

[bkwdc]

I could swear my 6 days came stock with 12/48. Tried 13/48, 13/50. Still feels like it needs 13/52 to stay away from 1st/2nd shifting. ie. Hitting neutral.