[sorosc]

Now that I have put a few miles on my monster, I am moving into the mods. I have added a pair of slip ons and some other cool stuff, but a recent thread on the stock gearing piqued my interest. I am doing a lot of stop and go city driving during the week and some hills/twisties on the weekend. Is this something which is definitely worth doing?

Also, having snooped around here a little and talking to the guy at the Duc dealer, it sounds like most people increase the rear by a 2-3 notches. He also said I could decrease the front by 1 and increase the back by 1 to get pretty much the same effect. Anybody have an opinion as to what's the best way to go on a M800?

 

[ducman851]

Heres a chart from Renthatl that gives the differant ratios based on sprocket sizes.


http://www.renthal.com/site/resources/ratios.htm

 

[DTMsurf]

I dropped one in front and went up one in the rear. Start by dropping one up front cause the front are cheaper and you can still fit your stock chain. See if you like it and then you can go higher on the rear.

 

[Bloodshot]

I completely agree with DTMsurf. I also have an M800 and I went down 1 tooth in the front. I may go up in the back later, but so far I'm quite happy.

 

[zeus]

Go with the 14T in the front.
I think you'll be very happy with the results.

 

[ScottRNelson]

Adding a 14-tooth front makes a world of difference to most Ducatis. The last time I put one on, it cost me around $30 and took 20 minutes to install using simple tools and no stands. Very worth it. Just do it. It's inexpensive, easy to do, and easy to undo if for some reason you don't like it.

 

[JimGnitecki]

Sorosc: I have done a lot of regearing analysis. The Monster 800 is one of the few Ducatis that comes from the factory with fairly decent gearing.

I have calculating that even if you changed the gearing by 14% (going from 42 T to 48T in back, or 14T front and 45T back), it would only have the following effects:

0 to 60mph: -0.1 sec
0-80mph: -0.16 sec
0-100mph: -0.17 sec
1/4 mile: -0.12 sec
Max G's of acceleration (assuming you are a PERFECT rider) changes from 1.05Gs to 1.08Gs.

Your available horsepower at 60mph, without downshifting, WOULD rise noticeably: from 35 to 43 hp (up 23%), but your rpm at 60 would go from 3936 to 4487. That rpm is not a problem for the 800 (I run 4300 rpm at 60mph on my S4), but some people want to be able to run at 80 or 90mph for long distances, and at 90mph you'd be doing over 6700 rpm with that gearing.

The change to the 14 tooth is good advice because it's easy and inexpensive, but don't expect a LOT of impact on this bike because like I said above, it's one of the few Ducati's that actually comes with decent factory gearing.

Jim G

 

[pbarrow]

I just put a 14T on my M800 and can confirm Jim's theoretical analysis with my seat-of-the-pants impressions. I notice a slight difference, but nowhere near the life-altering improvement reported by owners of other Monster variants. In fact, I'm thinking of upping to a 44T rear as well. Since most of my riding is done around town (with the stock gearing I could usually get all the way to work and back without going higher than third), I'm not too worried about losing top end speed. I'd just like the ability to trickle through traffic without having to slip the clutch as much in first and second.

 

[monster_ED]

I have a Monster 800 and went one down in the front and one up in the rear. I would recomend this to anyone who rides the monster aggressively or likes wheelies. It is now much easier to clutch up wheelies in 2nd from 30-40 MPH and in 3rd at about 50 mph. Top speed for me is high 120's depending on wind etc. I also weigh about 225 so im sure that is a factor.