High/Low Top Gear?

[sproggy]

I've done a search on this without reaching a conclusion - does anyone know for sure when the standard 1150GS changed from high top gear to.......the not so high one? Was it at the same time as it changed from single to twin spark? Was it a particular year? A frame number?

I know the high top gear is shown as 'E' on the gear indicator - is the not so high one shown as '6' or still 'E'? I'll be off looking at bikes at the weekend and want one with a high top gear cos that's what I had before and I liked it - it's the only feature I don't know how to identify.

Cheers.

 

[robc]

Hi Sproggy,
My March 2002 1150 GS shows the top gear as "6" in the RID.

~4,400 RPM at 90mph if that helps. I think is shows ~3,000 at 70mph but I can't remember right now. I'm normally just passing through 70 so I don't tend to look.

Regards

Rob C

 

[Steptoe]

They all have the same top gear regardless if it reads "E" or 6th in the RID.

It's just the ADV box that could be ordered with a different 1st and 6th.

 

[sproggy]

I thought I read somewhere (yeah, I know, don't believe everything you read....) that later GSs had the same 6th gear ratio as the GSAs? Meaning that earlier ones have more relaxed motorway abilities than later ones. If that is definitely rubbish it makes my search a bit easier.

 

[biggles12]

We were all talking about this on our last trip.
Out of the 1150s the GSA and a late 1150gs had the same gearing the early 1150gs were 500 rpm higher at 80mph.

The guy with the late GS was told when he bought it that it had a "better top gear" when it was new. That was from Coopers of tunbridge wells.

Pete

 

[ELIMINATOR]

4,000 rpm is 70mph on mine.

 

[sproggy]

Out of the 1150s the GSA and a late 1150gs had the same gearing the early 1150gs were 500 rpm higher at 80mph.

Higher? You're saying that the older GS was revving higher at 80 than the GSA and late GS? That's the opposite of what I'd thought. Did it have a super-low profile rear tyre?

Now I'm even more confused.

4,000 rpm is 70mph on mine

I'm guessing that yours is a GSA then? 4k rpm @ 70mph sounds pretty revvy. By 1150 standards.

 

[billyt53]

Gearbox codes

This may be of interest


http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9295787&postcount=37

Billy

 

[sproggy]

OK, so up to 2003 the GS could be had with either long or short 6th. From 2003 onwards it came only with short 6th. So I want a GAE or GAG gearbox (single spark GS with long 6th) - all I need to do is figure out where that code is stamped

Getting there - thanks.

 

[billyt53]

Gearbox # rhs of box.

 

[ahutcheon]

My 2003 GS has the long 6th. I thought the GS was replaced by the 1200 in 2004, so any post-2003 1150 will be a GSA and have the short 6th?

 

[ELIMINATOR]

Nope mine is a 2004 GS. Just looked at the thread on the Adventure site, the so called Enduro gearing matches my 6th gear at 4k speed of 115KPH which is 72 MPH.

 

[sproggy]

My 2003 GS has the long 6th. I thought the GS was replaced by the 1200 in 2004, so any post-2003 1150 will be a GSA and have the short 6th?

They were still selling 1150s in 2004 to clear stock even thought the 1200 appeared that year - I'd guess they were 2003 models, though. The dates suggest that the long 6th ceased to be available sometime mid-2003 - maybe when they ran out of the parts needed at the factory rather than in line with any particular model year change.

Nope mine is a 2004 GS. Just looked at the thread on the Adventure site, the so called Enduro gearing matches my 6th gear at 4k speed of 115KPH which is 72 MPH.

I guess that makes sense too - a 2004 1150GS would likely be late 2003 production, after the long 6th ceased to be available.

It's all becoming clear......er.

 

[sproggy]

I bought an 1150 this morning - 2002 model with a black engine/gearbox and the gearbox code.......JAH. Which isn't listed in the AdvRider post

Anyway, it was spinning at 4000rpm @ an indicated 85mph (true 77/78, I'd guess) which seems to me like a long 6th rather than a short one but who knows? Anyway, it's pretty relaxed at motorway speeds and that's what I wanted so I'm happy

 

[fundura]

51 plate September 01 had choice when ordered between overdrive or sport gearbox.
Ordered sport box 4000 at 70 comes up 6 on RID.
Turns out to be a good choice as,Still now i feel the overdrive is far too tall for this bike,When loaded with headwind it's not fun

 

[King Rat]

My 1150 adv is also on 4000 at 70mph. It is an 03 reg.

I would like a taller 6th so as to reduce the fuel, or stretch my range a bit. Can the top gear cog be swapped, or is it an entire cluster that is needed?

I have a plan for a bike I want to build you see - the Adv will just remain as standard as it does for loaded trips well as is.

 

[John Armstrong]

Looking for something else and found this:

http://micapeak.com/bmw/gs/gs_tel1.html#history

So I make it 3900rpm for the 1100 at 70 mph in 5th, and 3500rpm for the 1150 in 6th.

 

[MikeP]

I think that you have to be a bit wary when looking at US sources for gearbox ratios. It seems that the 'E' top gear was a customer option for US market bikes, long after it was deleted elsewhere.

I think that the 'E' option could even be specified with the Adventure 'Enduro' first gear. That's never been an off the shelf option for the European market.

US markets describe the 6th gear (not the E 'overdrive' top) as a 'sport' gearbox.

 

[Steptoe]

Riding back through Spain and france with shapeshifter i was putting in 5 litres less at each fill up, thats a big saving over the 4k mile ride we did - And his rpm was 500 more than mine at the same speed.

He has an ADV and mine is a standard GS high box.

 

[Uncle Rob]

Riding back through Spain and france with shapeshifter i was putting in 5 litres less at each fill up, thats a big saving over the 4k mile ride we did - And his rpm was 500 more than mine at the same speed.

He has an ADV and mine is a standard GS high box.

yep low 6th gear no good for your fuel economy