I have an 02 EC300 that is new to me and I find the gearing a bit off for me. Its 49/13 and it seems that the ratios are too wide for the type of woods riding I do. The bike seems to do best when it just comes on the powerband, but then I shift and the rpms seem to drop too low. If I try and rev it out it is just hard to deal with and wears you out a lot faster in rocky 1 1/2 track. I hardly ever get over 40 mph when trail riding, and if I do fast fire roads or whatever I like my XR650R better anyways. I feel that first gear is too tall also. I was thinking about going all the way to a 12 front and see what happens. What do you guys think? I would like to be able to shift when it starts coming on hard, but not have the rpms drop off to just above idle. I love the way the bike handles, its amazing, and the power is great when you can keep it in the mid. Only other complaint is the dang kick-starter is so short.