Different final drive ratios.

[macfly]

As a result of my bike being downed, and having to order the spare parts for the repairs I discovered that we can actually swap out our final drive ratios on the MM. Since I get to keep my original one anyway I figured that I'd try out a slightly higher final drive ratio to make the bike easier on long runs, so I ordered the RT set. The bike should now do 3600rpm at 70, as opposed to 4,000rpm. I know this may mean slightly slower 0-100 times, but I'm not a drag racer, I like canyon carving, and if it means I'm in 2 & 3 instead of 3 & 4 it won't slow me down any on the roads I love.

[Bruno Brasletti]

Does it come out an expensive transformation???.....

[macfly]

The cost of the RT final drive gears is $600, but I'm already having my entire final drive housing rebuilt because of the accident damage, so the labor is already covered by the insurance.

I think the labor to swap the gears would be around $350, so it would take the total cost to near $1000. However you could always buy the RT parts from a breakers, and have someone do it in a local shop, which might end up being about 1/3 of the full price that I'm paying.

[macfly]

The RT final drive is a very interesting upgrade, and one that suits me and my riding style very well.

On the smaller twisty lanes that snake through the canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains I am now using 1, 2 and 3 for blasting and carving, and as the roads open out into faster sweepers I'm in 2,3 and 4.

4 is just a little below where 6th was, showing 4,500rpm at 67mph, 5 now shows 4,000 rpm at 70mph, and 6 shows 4,000 rpm at around 78mph.

The lower gearing makes the bike a lot less frantic, and a lot more like a big 1200 twin should feel. You really get to use the wonderful wide powerband, and not be constantly banging up and down through the box in the twisties, and once you get out on the freeway, cruising at 70-90mph is super chill, but if you want to do a fast blast overtake from 80mph you'll want to drop to 5th as 6th is almost an overdrive gear now.

This upgrade changes the bike a lot, much more than I was prepared for to be honest, but happily I really like the spread of the gears. It changes the bike from a one hour buzz-bomb plaything to a really chill all day proposition.

This is not an upgrade for everyone, in surfer terms it changes a short board into a long board. The bike remains an incredibly nimble, intoxicating 122hp, 400lb rocketship, but just at a slightly more relaxed gait.

[macfly]

Thanks to this useful calculator on Max BMW's site I can give you the exact gearing on the bike now. As you can see seventy is easily in reach in second gear, giving the bike a wonderfully relaxed and chilled out feel that I actually finds allow me to ride faster in a less flustered manner.