My 'new to me' TTR 350 arrived with a 14/48 sprocket combination. I am wondering if this is the best set up for me: mostly riding off the tarmac, but an annual trip abroad requires the bike to be able to do reasonable speeds on the tarmac. Any advice would be gratefully received.
It depends on how technical your off-tarmac riding is. I use 14/47 on 350 #1, and the same on my 325. Perfectly fine for anything most uk green lanes can throw at us. 60mph is achievable, but more than that speed feels a bit cruel. The 350 pulls a 15/47 (3.133:1 ratio) fine on the road, would be fine on trails, and is close to the stock 14/44 ratio 3.14:1. Changing the front sprocket for your road trip would probably not require a different length chain, whereas putting a smaller rear sprocket on might use up all the snail cam adjustment. Above 60mph on knobbly tyres always feels a bit sketchy to me, especially with luggage.
-- Edited by mossproof on Thursday 19th of September 2024 05:06:10 PM
Thanks for your reply. Nothing too technical off tarmac for me! And also not keen on riding fast on the road with knobbly tires; but always being urged to keep up when doing longer distances either getting to, or returning from, trail rides on the Continent, with others. I like the idea of just swapping out the front sprocket for longer trips; thanks for your helpful advice.
A few things about front sprocket swaps: The nut is usually v tight, not easy to swap in the field, and the lock tab is only useable twice (tabs break after 1st use, and there are 2 tabs) Also, with a 15 tooth sprocket the chain will be tight against the case saver unless it is already worn down (mine is!) Might need some "finessing". Certainly using a 15 front is likely to be the cheapest way to experiment with the ratio. Have you done much road work since the purchase? I know Cornwall is not ideal for fast highway testing!
After the DRZ I think you will find the gear spread much nicer and might even end up using the same gearing home and away.
Finally, I believe group rides should travel at the speed of the slowest rider. No one should feel under pressure to ride faster than they want (for whatever reason)
