@nd Gen Final Drive issue

[Papa Fred]

Good evening, gang..

I'm looking for some advice and/or thoughts on an issue with my 2000 RSV. I just swapped out the OEM Final Drive for a VMax pumpkin from John Furbur. After installation, with the rear wheel raised and bike in Neutral, rotating the wheel creates some noises in possibly the drive case, or inside the Drive Shaft tube. Sounds like a really dry diff or tight gear meshing. While on the jack, I tried running the bike in first gear. Wheel rotates about 3 inches and locks up. I can free the wheel up with some effort, after which it rotates in Neutral again but with the noise.

 

I didn't have a lot of trouble with the swap-out, other than it being the first time I've pulled a back wheel, so the "Hey, look at that" moments stretched the time a bit. As noted in the Tech Page for Rear Drive removal the Drive Shaft required a good hard pull to get it out of the Drive Case. I cleaned both ends of the Drive Shaft, pulled that little spring from the old case and installed it on the new one before pushing in the Drive Shaft, cleaned and greased the Drive pins in the hub, cleaned and greased the drive splines, and slid the Drive Shaft into the tube. I had to rotate the wheel a bit til I felt the Shaft slide into the Trans end and proceeded with re-assembly.

 

The only "glitch" I ran into was after I had the Final Drive bolted in place...loosely...and now full of gear oil, I realized I couldn't get the wheel back under the bike. ( I had removed it to do the Splines). I pulled the Drive case out again, and I remember it sliding out really easy, and after the tire was in place, the case went right back into place...maybe??... with no moving the wheel. The 4 bolts holding the case to the Shaft tube lined up with no effort, so I carried on with the re-assembly.

 

I had a slight rubbing noise with the OEM case in, but that was brake pads on the disc. THIS symphony is a different animal.

 

Is there, or was there, a step or trick I missed during re-assembly? Could the Final drive case bolt up to the Shaft tube without the Drive Shaft actually being in place properly? Any guidance, suggestions or pointers would be well-received. I'll be tearing it all apart in the morning to see if I missed something obvious, and I'll check back here before going out to the garage to practice my skills of using Colorful and Creative Language.

 

G'nite Gents and Ladies.

 

Cheers...

Papa Fred

[videoarizona]

Hmmm,

 

1: I would pull the drive out, pull the drive shaft and re-insert the shaft into the ujoint...taking care to make sure the shaft goes into the ujoint. That's my guess as to why it locked up.

 

2: if there is any way to lift the bike higher, do so. You really should align the drive with the rear end...which is done by putting the rear axle back into place with the drive assembly loose. making sure you can slide the axle in/out easily. If not, loosen the 4 nuts and move the rear end a touch until the drive shaft moves freely...then tighten down those 4 acorn nuts. Now put the rear wheel back in place. You may have to deflate the tire so you can squeeze the thing in there. If you have to take off the brace around the rear fender and the pipes, do so. The idea being is the drive assembly needs to be aligned and I'm not sure you can do so properly with the tired in the way.

 

Other wise it sounds like you did everything right....

 

Oh...make sure the washer on the right side is placed properly so the rear brake is aligned as well.

 

Let us know how it goes and what you find...

[Papa Fred]

Thanks for the response....

 

Yep...that washer on the brake side is in place. You're right about the axle alignment method. I had tried the "correct" alignment procedure last night without the wheel in place, but didn't have enough room under the fender to get the wheel back in. I'll try that again this morning.

 

I'm also going to try just inserting the Drive Shaft by itself....not attached to the pumpkin. I thought it might give me some idea of the correct "feel" when it goes into the Trans. Don't know if it's long enough to make that possible, but I'm taking it all apart anyway...I'll give it a shot. My gut feeling last night was the Drive Shaft didn't hook up, but it was close to midnight and I wasn't in ANY frame of mind to rip it all apart right then.

 

Thanks for the idea of taking that rear brace off for tire removal. It'll be one of those last resort things as my trailer hitch is tied into the braces..more 20 year old bolts to break free.

 

As they say....stay tuned.

[Patch]

So from here, it sounds to me to be, the pinion!

 

That unit may be defective, if it is, consider yourself fortunate that you noticed it on the stand and not on the road

 

Having said this I agree with with Arizona but when I do it I first install it loose like he said then spin the wheel by hand, then engage 1st gear and spin it again by hand, now if the shaft is engaged it won't rotate but you will be able to feel the lash! If the lash is great the pumpkin is bad.

[saddlebum]

There is no reason why should not be able to install the rear drive as one piece but it may be easier to slide shaft in first then the pumpkin Don.t forget the spring which sits in the pumpkin and pushes the shaft forward. Finger tighten the four bolts. You don,t want it to fit too loose were it is sloppy, but just loose enough that the tube can rotate slightly as you tighten the axle nut. Install the back wheel make sure the washer is to the outside of the caliper bracket. Install and tighten the axle good and snug but don,t try to fully tighten it. Then tighten the four axle housing nuts/bolts. Finally finishing torquing the axle nut to its final torque spec. This should ensure that everything lines up nicely.

[Papa Fred]

Just finished up the Final Drive install. Turns out all the noise was due to the Drive Shaft not sitting in the Tranny U-joint. Shining a lite down the tube showed the U-joint facing down. I found the little inspection hole at the forward end of the shaft tube cleverly hidden with a rubber plug the same color as the tube....and dusty. That hole is right above the U-joint, so I slipped a looped zip-tie thru the hole and worked it over the U-joint to hold it up while I slid in the Drive Shaft. Cut the ziptie, pulled it out, put the plug back in. Lined up the axle, snugged everything down and ran it up thru the gears on the jack....everything that was supposed to move did.

 

Just heading out the door for a test scoot. I did a not-quite accurate check yesterday of the gear ratio in the OEM set compared to the replacement. Put a cpl of chalk marks on the Input and on the Drive. I wanted to confirm that the previous owner hadn't already swapped gears. It looked like the OEM Drive went a bit further around than the replacement, so I'm cautiously certain that what I removed was indeed the OEM gearset. The RPM vs Speed check I did with the OEM gear seems to be about in line with the Venture Virtual Tach sheet I found somewhere. My test ride should confirm the change.

 

Thanks for the ideas, people. If you look at the sky over Central Canada this afternoon (Winnipeg is nearly dead-centre East to West in Canada) and see a mushroom cloud, it'll be my head exploding during the check ride. There were no leftover bits when I finished putting it all back together, but.....

 

Cheers...

[Poppa Phill]

Just finished up the Final Drive install. Turns out all the noise was due to the Drive Shaft not sitting in the Tranny U-joint. Shining a lite down the tube showed the U-joint facing down. I found the little inspection hole at the forward end of the shaft tube cleverly hidden with a rubber plug the same color as the tube....and dusty. That hole is right above the U-joint, so I slipped a looped zip-tie thru the hole and worked it over the U-joint to hold it up while I slid in the Drive Shaft. Cut the ziptie, pulled it out, put the plug back in. Lined up the axle, snugged everything down and ran it up thru the gears on the jack....everything that was supposed to move did.

 

Just heading out the door for a test scoot. I did a not-quite accurate check yesterday of the gear ratio in the OEM set compared to the replacement. Put a cpl of chalk marks on the Input and on the Drive. I wanted to confirm that the previous owner hadn't already swapped gears. It looked like the OEM Drive went a bit further around than the replacement, so I'm cautiously certain that what I removed was indeed the OEM gearset. The RPM vs Speed check I did with the OEM gear seems to be about in line with the Venture Virtual Tach sheet I found somewhere. My test ride should confirm the change.

 

Thanks for the ideas, people. If you look at the sky over Central Canada this afternoon (Winnipeg is nearly dead-centre East to West in Canada) and see a mushroom cloud, it'll be my head exploding during the check ride. There were no leftover bits when I finished putting it all back together, but.....

 

Cheers...

 

The mUSHROOM CLOUD DID INDEED STRIKE ME, iM STILL LAUGHING AND NOW IT HURTS LIKE hELL!!

[Papa Fred]

Sorry, Poppa....guess I'll have to send you a jar of face cream or something to help with the aches.

 

Finished the check ride...nothing fell off or leaked or made noises it wasn't supposed to. And it appears that the previous owner left the OEM gears in place. The replacement does indeed raise the RPM..anywhere from 400-600 depending on the gear/speed. Much less drama leaving a full stop and naturally it gets up the tach quicker. I haven't had the courage to hit the rev limiter yet...things start sounding REALLY busy beyond 4500.

 

All in all, it seems to be a good step for 2-up and/or trailer hauling. I was so busy looking at the tach and my GPS to check the differences that I didn't pay any attention to the bike Speedo for any changes there. Mine,with the OEM gearing... like everyone else's... reads a pretty solid 10% high at any speed. The Odo is close to spot-on...1 or 2 % high. I've been told that the VMax gear won't change the Speedo due to the loaction of the sensor. Next ride I'll try to look at the dash.

 

We're really looking forward to putting the trailer to a bit more use as soon as the powers that be (you pick your own power) make things a bit easier/safer to travel. For now, we'll continue to explore our own backyard.

 

That's it for now from the Great White North.

[Patch]

Be careful on that T-Can it is a notorious for left turns off the highway don't lockup that rear wheel;)

[saddlebum]

We're really looking forward to putting the trailer to a bit more use as soon as the powers that be (you pick your own power) make things a bit easier/safer to travel. For now, we'll continue to explore our own backyard.

You may notice a slight increase in fuel consumption with the gear ratio change and yet ironically You may notice a slight improvement in fuel consumption while pulling a trailer. This is because with the lower gear ratio you won't need to roll on the throttle as much while pulling the trailer as before the gear change. You may want to upgrade your clutch as well. The cheapest way is to remove the innermost partial friction disc with its two thin washers with a full friction disc and replace the compression spring disc with a beefer one. Sky Doc sells a kit for this. The other option is to replace the clutch with one of the barnett clutches. I replaced mine with the barnett carbon fiber clutch kit and love it.

 

https://www.barnettclutches.com/1321/yamaha/0/0/2000-yamaha-xvz13-royal%20star%20venture-midnight%20venture.html

[Papa Fred]

Funny you should mention the fuel use thing, Saddlebum. I was out for a run yesterday afternoon (hiway / city mix) and it seemed like I was using more fuel. I had planned to do a straight highway mile test today to check the new figures against the old...same route, same speed, etc. Mother Nature decided I needed to stay in the house and watch the thunderstorm. BIG ugly weather system moved in from the West and looks like it plans to visit for a bit.

 

I'm hoping the MPG drop won't be huge..I just have to learn different shift points. It'll take a few rides to figure out what works best, but I'm working on the theory that with the engine running a bit quicker and possibly closer to it's power point, I can use less throttle input to gain speed. I had installed a vacuum guage a few weeks back to test what I had already proven on an RV towing car. More vacuum= better economy. With a balanced /blueprinted 455ci Olds under the hood of an Olds 98 land yacht, it was a lot of fun to play with the right foot. That vacuum guage told me visually where to get a good balance of gas pedal pressure and economy.

For the bike, I rigged up a tubing manifold of sorts to work off the vacuum ports on the carbs and connected it to the guage. It showed quite clearly what we all know...twist the right wrist-you go faster. It also showed me that there was a bit of wiggle room in how much throttle is needed vs how much was being used. (this is where all the engineers get a chance to start typing).

Long story shortened..sorta. Too high a gear too slow needs a lot of throttle to alter speed, therefore more gas thru carbs for no big benefit. Drop a gear and the pressure on the throttle can be eased off slightly. Since I don't spend a lot of time above 65 mph ( as in next to zero), I don't need a gearing that allows me to cruiseat 70 or beyond. Time will tell if I have made the right choice in the VMax gear to suit my riding.

 

Regarding the clutch....I put in a Barnett Pressure Plate and complete set of discs last year to address a weak original clutch that was starting to go away. It would slip under near-full throttle in nearly any gear at any speed. I have nothing but good things to say about the Barnett rig. It was easy to put in, and it will handle anything I've thrown at it this far.

 

For now, I remain:rain2:

Cheers..

[Patch]

Funny you should mention the fuel use thing, Saddlebum.

Oh my GOD MAN Ben pointed to the swamp and you didn't just peek in you DOVE right into it

 

I had planned to do a straight highway mile test today to check the new figures against the old...same route, same speed, etc. Mother Nature decided I needed to stay in the house and watch the thunderstorm. BIG ugly weather system moved in from the West and looks like it plans to visit for a bit.

Now why is it that each time a little rain falls on that territory between here and there NEITHER WEST NOR EAST Y'ALL POINT TO THE WEST:no-no-no:

 

I had installed a vacuum guage a few weeks back to test what I had already proven on an RV towing car. More vacuum= better economy. With a balanced /blueprinted 455ci Olds under the hood of an Olds 98 land yacht,

What you talking bout Willis? Why would anyone running a 455 for towing, likely spinning a .433 or .501 fed by at least 850 cfm or worser yet 2, 650's

want to embarrass himself by trying to run at a 1/4 plate to seek a vacuum lowered by lift & duration in order to maintain economy with, a likely curb weight of 5200 lbs whats next a Dana rear end:sick:

it was a lot of fun to play with the right foot. That vacuum guage told me visually where to get a good balance of gas pedal pressure and economy.

 

Long story shortened..sorta. Too high a gear too slow needs a lot of throttle to alter speed, therefore more gas thru carbs for no big benefit. Drop a gear and the pressure on the throttle can be eased off slightly. Since I don't spend a lot of time above 65 mph ( as in next to zero), I don't need a gearing that allows me to cruiseat 70 or beyond. Time will tell if I have made the right choice in the VMax gear to suit my riding.

And if not it will be turned into a trike with another Dana

 

Regarding the clutch....I put in a Barnett Pressure Plate and complete set of discs last year to address a weak original clutch that was starting to go away. It would slip under near-full throttle in nearly any gear at any speed. I have nothing but good things to say about the Barnett rig. It was easy to put in, and it will handle anything I've thrown at it this far.

Yup next posting will read added a turbo Barnett still holding

 

For now, I remain:rain2: its here

Cheers..

 

Long Long ago I worked in that swamp off of 351 a touch past Brandon, they use to spray each morning round 5ish to kill the mosquitoes before we waited thru, think maybe you got bit by the same ones as I did lol

[Papa Fred]

I'm a bit curious here...what was it about my reply to a comment made by a well-intentioned member regarding a change in fuel economy that prompted that previous post? I was simply pointing out what I expected to find during a weather-delayed check ride. I made the mistake...by the looks of it...of including an observation of what I experienced with an older car some 35 years ago while pulling an RV. This apparently was an invitation for an "expert" to jump all over the information, despite not knowing me or the circumstances surrounding that time-frame. I was relating what I saw, first hand, and made a comparison to what I was expecting out of another old carb fueled engine.

 

To be polite here, I don't care what kind of carb was on the engine, or the lift and duration numbers of a camshaft, or the rear-end it was all working thru. Fuel in=power out. More fuel in than needed=wasted fuel.

With regards to the Clutch snark...If the "expert" had doen even a bit of research on the various postings, the much-mentioned OEM clutch weakness would have been obvious, along with the various solutions and fixes posted by well-intentioned members of this organization. I was passing along my observations of what I experienced after installing an aftermarket clutch rig....the same brand name suggested by a member in this very thread. Apparently, instead of offering anything in the way of useful ideas other than I had bought a bad Final Drive, the "expert" proceeded throughout the "reply" to ridicule every personal observation.

 

I've learned a few things in nearly 70 years of breathing. One of those is that I learn more things by reading and listening than I do talking. The reason I joined the Venture Riders org a few years ago was that it appeared to be an excellent source of information about my new-to-me RSV. The help I received directly from members and thru the various libraries has been much more than I can repay.

 

If the goal of the "expert" was humor, he failed. If the goal was to show his vast knowledge about things that I experienced at my expense, well I guess that goal was achieved.

 

Going forward, I will certainly think twice before posting something that might be of use to someone.

[vzuden]

Not sure either Papa Fred - Please keep on posting as you have. I enjoy your posts and the corrections/progress you have made

[Papa Fred]

I appreciate that Gary. By the way, in my previous life as a Professional Driver, I had many occasions to drive thru your part of Illinois. It's certainly not as visually stunning as some of your neighboring states to the Southeast, but on the other hand it's also not Chicago on the I-90/94/55 interchange at 4 o'clock on a Friday!

It's a very nice area and far or close enough to The Windy City to be useful.

 

For the record, I just got back from that initial MPG checkride. Same route, similar wind conditions, same highway speed (65 mph) as a couple of months ago with the OEM gear. On today's run I got slightly better numbers with the VMax gearing than with the OEM. A promising start.

[RDawson]

I finally got around to dropping my FJR pumpkin off today to get the speedo sensor hole milled out. Got the new Nexen mounted and have an Edset’s Bluestreak being delivered Wednesday. Gotta start riding again soon, mods are more expensive than gas.

[Patch]

Funny you should mention the fuel use thing, Saddlebum. I was out for a run yesterday afternoon (hiway / city mix) and it seemed like I was using more fuel. I had planned to do a straight highway mile test today to check the new figures against the old...same route, same speed, etc. Mother Nature decided I needed to stay in the house and watch the thunderstorm. BIG ugly weather system moved in from the West and looks like it plans to visit for a bit.

 

I'm hoping the MPG drop won't be huge..I just have to learn different shift points. It'll take a few rides to figure out what works best, but I'm working on the theory that with the engine running a bit quicker and possibly closer to it's power point, I can use less throttle input to gain speed. I had installed a vacuum guage a few weeks back to test what I had already proven on an RV towing car. More vacuum= better economy. With a balanced /blueprinted 455ci Olds under the hood of an Olds 98 land yacht, it was a lot of fun to play with the right foot. That vacuum guage told me visually where to get a good balance of gas pedal pressure and economy.

For the bike, I rigged up a tubing manifold of sorts to work off the vacuum ports on the carbs and connected it to the guage. It showed quite clearly what we all know...twist the right wrist-you go faster. It also showed me that there was a bit of wiggle room in how much throttle is needed vs how much was being used. (this is where all the engineers get a chance to start typing).

Long story shortened..sorta. Too high a gear too slow needs a lot of throttle to alter speed, therefore more gas thru carbs for no big benefit. Drop a gear and the pressure on the throttle can be eased off slightly. Since I don't spend a lot of time above 65 mph ( as in next to zero), I don't need a gearing that allows me to cruiseat 70 or beyond. Time will tell if I have made the right choice in the VMax gear to suit my riding.

 

Regarding the clutch....I put in a Barnett Pressure Plate and complete set of discs last year to address a weak original clutch that was starting to go away. It would slip under near-full throttle in nearly any gear at any speed. I have nothing but good things to say about the Barnett rig. It was easy to put in, and it will handle anything I've thrown at it this far.

 

For now, I remain:rain2:

Cheers..

 

 

The final drive post you haven't my experience with. Take a look at the picture below, consider the causes of such a failure, then consider the potential outcomes

As you see by the pictures the threaded shank fractured some 90% before the remaining materials twist action. Now picture your drive shaft, now picture the angle after the wheel jammed, to where was that defection stress transferred? So in the name of shared experience: if the lash increases or you hear a groaning noise down low park your ego and take a peek.

 

You mentioned the 455 being balanced and blueprinted used for towing, can you not see the contradiction as it relates to fuel economy?

Assuming you understand why we use the term balance & blueprinted, have you ever known a balance and blueprinting not match to the cam, intake and carbs targeting a high rpm range?

Vacuum is a sliding scale its higher or lower readings are based at throttle position angles scale wise, yes, can it teach a somebody with a heavy foot to back off, yes and was the marketing behind the economy gauges in the 70's, agreed.

Does it apply to the 455 balanced and printed in a land yacht pulling and RV, well that is humorous in this so called "expert" opinion!

I had no idea you had no idea what that implies when you used the term "balanced and blueprinted" and for that I apologize for embarrassing you!

You mentioned your kind of tubing manifold and, you notice the invite to engineering comments?

I with purpose avoided comment but for someone mindful of economy I might add you have once again confused the principles that apply..

 

As for "If the "expert" had doen even a bit of research "very good advice now stand in the mirror and repeat it to yourself

 

You've shown yourself to be a bit of and ass, not by accident but with purpose that says plenty!

 

Mind those left turns

[Freebird]

I will remind all parties that personal attacks are not welcome in our forum. People won's always agree. If that's the case, just ignore what you don't agree with and let it go.

[Papa Fred]

Good afternoon, Don, and you are correct. I could, and should, have handled this thing differently. After the first couple of replies to my VMax Final Drive swap thread, I should have hit the "Pause" button to take a breath and consider the source. My mistake was in taking my Lizard Brain out for a walk, and letting it respond to what it saw as a self-serving teardown...not by accident, but with purpose...of a non-threatening fuel economy discussion.

 

I apologize to you, Don, and to any VR members who, directly or otherwise, got involved in what turned into a measuring contest.

 

Fred Barnett

Winnipeg, MB

Canada

[Freebird]

Don't give it another thought. We all do it at one time or another. It was just a friendly reminder.

[saddlebum]

Funny you should mention the fuel use thing, Saddlebum. I was out for a run yesterday afternoon (hiway / city mix) and it seemed like I was using more fuel. I had planned to do a straight highway mile test today to check the new figures against the old...same route, same speed, etc. Mother Nature decided I needed to stay in the house and watch the thunderstorm. BIG ugly weather system moved in from the West and looks like it plans to visit for a bit.

 

I'm hoping the MPG drop won't be huge..I just have to learn different shift points. It'll take a few rides to figure out what works best, but I'm working on the theory that with the engine running a bit quicker and possibly closer to it's power point, I can use less throttle input to gain speed. I had installed a vacuum guage a few weeks back to test what I had already proven on an RV towing car. More vacuum= better economy. With a balanced /blueprinted 455ci Olds under the hood of an Olds 98 land yacht, it was a lot of fun to play with the right foot. That vacuum guage told me visually where to get a good balance of gas pedal pressure and economy.

For the bike, I rigged up a tubing manifold of sorts to work off the vacuum ports on the carbs and connected it to the guage. It showed quite clearly what we all know...twist the right wrist-you go faster. It also showed me that there was a bit of wiggle room in how much throttle is needed vs how much was being used. (this is where all the engineers get a chance to start typing).

Long story shortened..sorta. Too high a gear too slow needs a lot of throttle to alter speed, therefore more gas thru carbs for no big benefit. Drop a gear and the pressure on the throttle can be eased off slightly. Since I don't spend a lot of time above 65 mph ( as in next to zero), I don't need a gearing that allows me to cruiseat 70 or beyond. Time will tell if I have made the right choice in the VMax gear to suit my riding.

 

Regarding the clutch....I put in a Barnett Pressure Plate and complete set of discs last year to address a weak original clutch that was starting to go away. It would slip under near-full throttle in nearly any gear at any speed. I have nothing but good things to say about the Barnett rig. It was easy to put in, and it will handle anything I've thrown at it this far.

 

For now, I remain:rain2:

Cheers..

Point of interest back in the late 60's early 70's ford would install a gauge called a motor minder. The idea being that by driving with the guidance of this gauge, a driver could conserve fuel. Guess what, this motor minder is just a vacuum gauge, dressed up with different colour bands at different vacuum readings. Green being your most fuel efficient range to drive in to save on gas.

I still have a couple of these gauges which these days I use as shop tools when I need a vacuum gauge for trouble shooting

[RDawson]

So @Papa Fred have you gotten enough miles in to form an opinion on the new gear? I went to install mine today and realized I need a spacer that was not included with the FJR pumpkin I bought. I ordered it but won’t have it for a week. Now either the bike stays on the lift another week or I install the OEM and swap it out again. :doh:

[Papa Fred]

Yep...I recall seeing those. Don't quote me here, but it seems to me a couple of car makers tried out different versions of that. Watching what your foot did to that guage got your mind off the Double Nickel, I guess.

 

I got it to work on the bike for a short test ride. There was a lot of needle jumping in the initial setup, then I remembered that my Morgan Carb Tune used restrictor pipes in all 4 tubes. These have a small, and I mean tiny, hole. Not having a spare set of those around, I made one by crimping an in-line wire connector till it was nearly blocked, and put that in the single vacuum line up to the guage. Once I included that restrictor in the line, the needle jump went away. That project is on hold till I work out a better way to connect all 4 carb ports into a single line to the guage.

[Papa Fred]

So Papa Fred have you gotten enough miles in to form an opinion on the new gear? I went to install mine today and realized I need a spacer that was not included with the FJR pumpkin I bought. I ordered it but won’t have it for a week. Now either the bike stays on the lift another week or I install the OEM and swap it out again. :doh:

 

 

Well that......what's the word I'm looking for??

 

I've done a couple of short-ish runs..one all hiway, the other a hiway/city split. It certainly gets off the line quicker. I did a road speed vs RPM comparison of the OEM and VMax setup. If you like, I can send you the numbers I observed. I compared 4th and 5th at 50,60 & 70 mph. Overall the numbers are 400 -600 rpm higher with the VMax. It's not quite like downshifting a gear....more like about half a gear.

 

As for fuel use...using a fuel tracking app (it does the hard work of converting litres to Imperial gallons and rendering Imperial MPG numbers. It can be setup for US MPG or l/100 km.) the VMax gears are returning slightly better economy than the OEM...same route, same speed, similar weather conditions. Too early for a Hallelujah chorus, and I'll be doing a couple of longer trips in the near future to get a more complete picture, but promising to this point.

 

Regarding that spacer...was it FJR specific, or did something off your bike go missing? I don't know what the FJR setup is supposed to have and I'm just curious, since when I took mine apart, there was only a thin (1/8 inch??) washer and the brake caliper mount on the right side when I pulled the axle. Nothing on the left other than the axle nut and it's washer.

 

Let me know if you want to look at those tach numbers.

[RDawson]

Well that......what's the word I'm looking for??

 

I've done a couple of short-ish runs..one all hiway, the other a hiway/city split. It certainly gets off the line quicker. I did a road speed vs RPM comparison of the OEM and VMax setup. If you like, I can send you the numbers I observed. I compared 4th and 5th at 50,60 & 70 mph. Overall the numbers are 400 -600 rpm higher with the VMax. It's not quite like downshifting a gear....more like about half a gear.

 

As for fuel use...using a fuel tracking app (it does the hard work of converting litres to Imperial gallons and rendering Imperial MPG numbers. It can be setup for US MPG or l/100 km.) the VMax gears are returning slightly better economy than the OEM...same route, same speed, similar weather conditions. Too early for a Hallelujah chorus, and I'll be doing a couple of longer trips in the near future to get a more complete picture, but promising to this point.

 

 

 

Regarding that spacer...was it FJR specific, or did something off your bike go missing? I don't know what the FJR setup is supposed to have and I'm just curious, since when I took mine apart, there was only a thin (1/8 inch??) washer and the brake caliper mount on the right side when I pulled the axle. Nothing on the left other than the axle nut and it's washer.

 

Let me know if you want to look at those tach numbers.

 

Its a VMax/FJR specific part inside the pumpkin. Ours are a little different. I was just curious about your take on it, I’ve talked to several with it and unanimously love it. I have no doubt I’ll be happy with it as we pull a trailer on long trips. Sorta anxious to get it done now that I have a little time to mess with it.