Maintenance & Technical > KX500 Original

98 KX 500 HELP NEEDED ON GEARING/ETC. FOR WOODS/TRAIL RIDING

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98kaw5oo:
kx cam you are right,i dont think i need to gear this down,i am running stock 14/47 gearing and it seems fine.finally just rode it on a small track and some tight trails for the first time,i might go up one or two teeth in the back to a 48 or 49 and nothing higher,i recently added the flywheel weight which i am glad i did.this bike has got great low end torque,i couldnt whip it around berms like my friends 05yz 250 but this was the first time riding the kx500 so i can see it will take some getting used to and is "DEFINITELY" for an experienced rider but i do like the power.i can see it being a fine woods bike.after riding this in tight woods,i think anybody would be a fool to go any higher than a 14 stock front and a 51 in the back.

BDI:
I agree, you could go to the tracktor pulls with a 14-51 and place very well. You would probably blow this guys doors off :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

hughes:
I ran 14/49 on my bike and it was great. First gear for really tight and steep hill climbs and second and third were best for all around trail rides. On faster trails I could leave it in thrid gear and just roll the throttle. 4th and 5th still provided great top end.

BDI:
The best and most rideable gear ratios tend to be one or two teeth +or-  the stock gear ratio. That's probably why most motorcycle manufacturers only recomend going up or down two teeth on the rear sprocket. If you go to far one way or the other you can cause things like, second becomes first and first becomes useless, or you can go the other way and make first gear second, again useless. I have seen a lot of people spend a ton of money on sprockets only to find out they really could not improve much on what the manufacturer had allready spent way more time and way more money dialing In. Of course there are exceptions to anything like if you want to set land speed records or do some tracktor pulling.

Albertan:
I just came back from a bunch of mountain/trail riding and ran either the stock gearing (14/47) or an 18'' rear with 14/46 gearing.  I agree with the comments that first is geared tall (I also rode a KDX 220, and first gear is incredibly low on that thing), but I think a 13 countershaft sprocket is a bit drastic.  I'd go to a 14/48 or 14/49 if I rode in the woods more.

Honestly, though, I think a KX 500 is complete overkill for woods riding; it prefers to run free in the open spaces.  I also think a skid plate and hand guards are a good investment, and a pipe guard if your pipe doesn't have any dings yet.

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