I had the dealer swap out my front pulley with the Baron's the other day. Installation was only $36, so that was good (shop charges $60 an hour for labor).
When I first got the bike back, the gears seemed really tall, but this feeling disappeared quickly and I think some of it was mental. After about 15 miles, I adjusted. I found that 2nd and 3rd gear seemed the most affected in that I was able to stay in both for a few more mph without feeling the need to shift. Fourth gear also felt a little different, I could cruise at 52 mph without feeling the need to shift. However, I could still shift at my old points without lugging the engine provided I wasn't on a hill or something. Going WOT off the line, yes, I can tell a difference in the low end. It's not huge, but it's there.
My speedometer was pretty darned accurate before (I got lucky, it seems) in that it was only about 1-2 mph fast. With the new pulley, it is dead on up to 60 mph. When the bike's speedo reads 60, the GPS reads 61 now. At an indicated 70, I'm doing 72 on the GPS, and at an indicated 75, the GPS reads 77-78 mph.
Cruising at 72 actual feels fine, like I can do it all day. I can feel a little buzz through the floorboards at 77-78 mph. The bike still revs high which is to be expected considering the minor change, but it doesn't buzz as much. So far I feel this was a worthwhile swap. I have about 40 miles on the new pulley so far. And if I don't like it, $36 to swap again is cheap enough.
Also, there's no squealing, if anyone was wondering.
You cruise at 50 in 4th? I'm all stock, but if I'm cruising at 35 I'm in 5th.
The manual says you can do that, but I wouldn't want to. I like being able to roll on the throttle if I need to get out of a sticky situation, and running in 5th at 35 mph sacrifices acceleration. Whatever floats your boat.
The manual says you can do that, but I wouldn't want to. I like being able to roll on the throttle if I need to get out of a sticky situation, and running in 5th at 35 mph sacrifices acceleration. Whatever floats your boat.
It might sacrifice acceleration, but it does save gas. I do it all the time, and just downshift if I need a little more pull.
Different strokes for different folks. I'd want to downshift twice to get reasonable acceleration if I was at 35mph in 5th gear, and that would have been before the pulley swap.
Different strokes for different folks. I'd want to downshift twice to get reasonable acceleration if I was at 35mph in 5th gear, and that would have been before the pulley swap.
I am with you. I don't even think about 5th until I am over 50
My Baron Pulley Thoughts
Discord
Linear Mode
