Update on the 6 speed and first impressions. Installed on an 05 CVO Glide, stock motor, no stage 1, Progressive shocks, 13,500 miles so far.
Swapped the total gear box instead of the gear set. 06 CVO Ultra mufflers I bought from a member here, which though quiet, sound pretty decent when adding some right hand.
Snow all over, but the roads, though covered in salt. were dry. Temps in the mid 20s. Bike was sitting in storage waiting to be cleaned up after all the work was done and it had not been test driven yet.
WOW!!!!! with the 3:37 gears, what a difference.
I didnt go far but there is a noticeble difference in the first 5 gears with the 3:37 swap. I was a bit concerned about a short first gear but that did not seem to be a problem.
Jumped on the interstate, ran it up to 70 then shifted into 6th, looked like the rpms were about 2650 or so. Hard to tell as it was cloudy and I had on dark glasses, but thats a close enough figure for me anyway.
Shifts were crisp and smooth, neutral easy to hit, and I didn't notice any undue or different gear noise. Take into consideration the 20 degree temps and my chattering teeth and it is possible I missed something in the noise department. Acceleration in 6th seemed fine at 70. Just for giggles, I dropped it down to 50 in 6th and rolled on some throttle. It took the throttle just fine and though I would not normally do that lugging, I wanted to see how it would work out. It accelerated just fine, and very smooth all the way back to 70.
Some after thoughts, If I was doing this again, I would probably just buy the gear set and save a few bucks. If I was on a limited budget, I would for sure go with the 3:37 gears first, then add the 6 speed later. Most of my riding is done two up, I am 175,,,wife is ,,,well,,,maybe 140 or so but dont tell her I said THAT. We pull a small trailer behind the bike on trips with maybe 150/200 pounds of her stuff packed solid inside. I was looking for the additional advantage of the gearing and I do believe this will be the ticket.
Headed for Daytona in March and I cannot wait to put a few miles on this set up.
Tom