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[brassspike]

I've been following the 30 tooth conversions that many have done. How about letting us know what you think after living with it for awhile?
Mine is a '12 and I'm getting ready to make the swap. I see that the 30T works great on the '07-'09 models but I am particularly interested in how the 30T has worked out on the newer bikes. We have a different rear pulley so I guess our gearing will go a little tighter. Do you still have good interstate cruising? I'd like to still be able comfortably run the interstate a 75 or so without turning the engine out of the frame. I do some riding fully loaded two up in the mountains on occasion so I'll bet the change will do great there. She's going in the shop next week for a new compensator and might as well put the pulley in then if I'm going to do it!
Thanks!

[GMR-PERFORMANCE]

primo game changer is also another option in gearing change .  I would suggest that you look up a gear calc program but here is the info you asked about , it is a PDF so I had to prnt screen and then save it so , you may have to click on it and expand it it further , but you can see the changes the 30 will make from stock

[Dan_Lockwood]

I think in '09 they went to a 66 rear sprocket from a 68 in '08.  I believe they have not changed from the 66 sprocket through '16.

I remember my '08 SERK rode quite well two up, but always had a bit of a lack of power at the stoplight etc with two up.

When I bought my '09 SERG it seemed a bit worse, although I thought it was the extra weight.  I later heard the rear sprocket changed from the 68 down to the 66.  This would explain part of my new concerns.

This past spring I did the 30t swap on my '09 SERG and love it.  I did the stock belt and modified my own rear swingarm with gussets, welding and then grinding out the axle slot .200".  By grinding out the axle slot, you get to keep the stock belt.  This makes the swap a lot easier.  Also the only belt that seems to be available, if you choose to NOT grind out the axle slot, is a Falcon 139t belt.  If anyone is interested, I have a brand new Falcon that I decided not to use, just throwing it out there if someone "has" to have one cheap...

I'm very happy with the lower end performance increase and the highway speed has not been that bad either.

At 60 mph I'm at 2400 rpms.  At 70 mph I'm at 2800 rpms.  I did not have a chance last weekend to go up to 80 mph, but if I remember from last year, it was around 3200 rpm.

I believe the 30t gives about an 8% lowering of all the gears.

I would highly recommend this mod to anyone that rides two up a lot or is running a heavier touring HD.

Some have had issues with the 6th gear at moderate speeds, but I've always been able to run 6th at 60 mph without lugging the motor.  If it gets to be lugging, I shifted down.  The 30t helps this quite a bit so now 6th is more useable, even accelerates from 60 mph in 6th quite nicely.

Go for it and you'll be happy you did.

[grofcvo]

with this mode are you getting any faster from the hole, everyone is talking about 6th gear I am not worried about that just twist the throttle and go... or just buy a 124'' ( I'm saving $$...)

[mr_magoo]

I change mine because we pulled a legend trailer and it just makes it easier to pull away from a light.  That said it does help spin the rear tire on dry pavement if you want.

[MrSurly]

>copy/pasted from my post on another site>

Primo game changer or 30t trans sprocket?
Although it wouldn't address the comp in any way, you can achieve about the same gearing advantage by changing the transmission output (the front belt sprocket) to the 30 tooth that is used on the trikes. I did this on my 2010 and it was a very noticeable improvement, around 10% overall.
You can modify the swing arm a bit (not major) and still run the stock belt. I would highly recommend it.
NOTE: on my 2010, after the 30T trans pulley, the 6th gear light and cruise worked just fine. The only thing askew was the speedo calibration and since I run a Power Vision it was a simple entry to fix.

The math:
Stock ([34/46 pri & 32/68 sec] and in 6th gear 1:1)
................................Overall.........................Approx
--------------------Final Drive ratio------------RPM@ 80mph
Stock     sprockets      2.875...........................3062
30T trans sprocket      3.066.......................... 3310
32T comp sprocket      3.055................ ......... 3280
BOTH     sprockets      3.258.......................... 3500

EDIT: since this discussion I have decided to go back with the "new SE" compensator 42200064A kit.
Since I already have the 30T pulley, that seemed to be the way to go.

To answer today's question, heck yes, I would highly recommend the 30tooth trans sprocket conversion.
The difference both greatly noticeable at low speeds and at the same time... it's seemingly insignificant at highway speeds. It's like magic.

I would also recommend the small mod to retain the stock belt.

[Badger Mike]

I have a S&S 124 with Barnett Clutch, tuned by Fuel Moto.  I did the 30T switch and then had Fuel Moto retune.  I am running higher RPM's on the motor, and it is noticeable at cruising speed (70-80 MPH), but not terrible.  That motor is running around 3400 rpm at 80mph, which it seems to be comfortable with.  It is a rocket on the low end, getting 141 hp and 139 tq out of the bike, but still very rideable on long trips.

A good tune is as important as anything IMHO when doing this.

[resqdoc]

No regrets. No issues.

[ltank]

I went from a 32 to a 30 and added a 6 speed Rivera O.D. .86 ratio gear set. I am happy. Over 55k miles on it without any issues.

[Desertwndrr]

I had the 30t on my 2012 and ran it for a year or so.  When I built my motor I removed it and went back to stock.  Much happier now.  The bike just feels more relaxed to ride.  I loved the performance of the bike with it in, but I didn't like how spun up it felt all the time.  If you are a short trip person then I'd say run it.  If not and you prefer longer distances, keep it stock.

[timo482]

eventually ill have some reason to take the primary apart.. so far "knock on wood" no reason to take it apart.

when i do ill do a 30 tooth sprocket - i have not run in 6th gear for many years, tried to the first year and gave up on 6th. .. once in a while ill accidentally get it in 6th full throttle slowing down, back to 5th.

geared just too tall.

to

[Rooster]

I can understand the 30t change if you have an 07 or 08 but the 09's and newer have two teeth different rear belt sprocket so is already stock lower geared than the 7 and 8's.

[MLCRISIS]

My 01 road glide has been converted to a six speed. My only complaint is that first is just a little tall for parking lots, low speed stuff. How much will a 30 tooth effect this? Bike has long legs in 6th now. I'm not sure what the gear ratios are as the bike had been converted before I bought it.

[MrSurly]

You'll need to find out the number of teeth on the sprockets you have right now.