Close Ratio Gearbox

Gareth99

Full member
As my Montjuic racing efforts show up the frailty of the engines and my mechanical competence, I now own 3 frames and 5 engines, and am going to build one good race bike and two road bikes over the winter.

As I disassemble all the engines to assess which bits to put in the race bike, I thought it may be useful to show the difference between a standard, and close ratio gearbox.

You can see on the mainshaft (with the clutch basket on it) that there is a very small gear at the far end of the shaft (it has 17 teeth). This is first gear. The close ratio gearbox first gear is much bigger at 21 teeth. You can just see the difference on the lay shaft which has 41 teeth as standard and 37 on the CR version.

Second gear (closest to the Clutch) is 22 teeth on the standard and 24 on the CR, and Third gear (second from the end away from the clutch basket) is 26 teeth standard, 27 CR. All others are the same.
 

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Hi

Before you decide which one you are going to use.

My experience of racing a Formula 500 is that the very long 1st not very usefull on our type of tracks,
it only made it very slow in the start. You will run the bike on high revs and mostly on the upper gears.

Leif
 
Thanks Leif.

I used the CR gearbox in a bike I brought over from Germany and found it worked well on the smaller (slower) tracks where I could run a big rear sprocket. At places like Darley Moor and Spa it was a waste of time. I reverted back to a normal gearbox for the last two seasons and that was much better.

Decisions, decisions !
 
I agree, a bloody nuisance on short circuits when if you get a bad start no time to catch up the leaders, but Not normally a problem on the IOM TT course Gareth, so perhaps save them for the Classic TT!
 
hochkoenig said:
Yea, I allways wonder that the 500 of the same Aera was much more developed!
>:D

Being a 500 it did need a 6-speed box. All the bigger models had close ratio options. Four valve heads was the main step ahead.
 
A few weeks ago Andy J asked for information about the 500 gearbox ratio’s.
This week I dismantled my 560 engine from my Harris racer.
It has a close ratio gearbox with a very long first gear.

Andy ask for al the teeth number, so here the are:
first: 21 - 37. Original 17 - 41
second: 24 - 34. Original 22 - 36
third: 27 - 31. Original 26 - 32
fourth: 29 - 29. Original the same
fith: 31 - 27. Original the same
sixth: 32 - 26. Original the same.

On the picture the close ratio together with the original gearbox.
 

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