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Some mx tracks may be watered heavily prior to the first race,
then lightly or not at all during the day. This results in a track that is slippery during the first few races, changes from
good to great then back to good traction for part of the day, then may end the day with a slick, rock-hard consistency. Ideally,
your gearing should be adjusted to suit all these conditions.
Wet and slippery or sandy conditions- Use less teeth
than the std sprocket setup setting to keep the engine rpm down, and avoid unwanted wheelspin. The engine may bog in
certain corners so youll need to slip the clutch to compensate, downshifting may be too drastic a change in speed.
Average conditions-Use Std Sprocket setup
Hard (But not slippery) track conditions: Use more teeth than the std
sprocket setting to keep the engine rpm high where the engine produces the most power. This may require an extra upshift on
certain sections or perhaps you can just rev it out a bit longer.
Another example of the benefits of proper gearing
for soil conditions is experienced when riding on a sand track. Of course, you want to keep the front end light so the front
wheel virtually floats from the peak of one whoop to another. Generally speaking, with higher than stk overall gearing it
is easier to maintain that perfect attitude of maximum rear wheel traction and a light front end because you maintain in the
powerband longer in each gear.
If youve ever run too low gearing in the sand, youve noticed that you are tapped
out very quickly and the front end feels heavy. You dont want to be steering the bike with the front wheel much in sand. The
taller gearing allows you to steer more effeciently with throttle control and body english.
Sometimes alternate
gearing can help even if track conditions are consistent throughout the day. If there are sections of the track on which you
much consistently over rev the engine (rather than losing time by upshifting), perhaps "Taller" gearing will help.
Whenever you change gearing, have someone check your lap times (before and after) to get a honest test of opinion.
Use a stopwatch for consistency! Seat of the pants testing cant be trusted since eliminating wheelspin can make you feel like
your going slower, but in reality youve decreased your lap time by increasing your speed a little bit in each section of the
track.
But everything is a compromise, so sometimes youll have to sacrifice performance on one section of the track
to gain a better overall time. You should shoot for the lowest lap times and not worry about some sections where gearing feels
wrong. Of course these recommendations must be tempered against your ability, the actual layout of the track (long, short,
hilly, etc), and your riding style. But generally, these recommendations will suit most conditions and most riders.
Whether or not its worth the effort and time it takes to swap gearing that might help you pick off a position or two at
the finish of your next moto is up to you.
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