I was getting the feeling my sportster was really revved up high at highway speeds. The top gear ratio was 4.07 and that did put the speed well over 3500 rpm.

I got a 30 tooth harley front pulley 40380-04 for 60 bucks at chicago HD.
I got a Tenzo 1 1/8 wide 65 tooth rear pulley from Demons Cycles for $109. I didn't include the shipping cost. I got a shop manual too to remove all the guesswork on torques that can cause something to come apart on the road. Tried to put it together, and the offset was not the same. So I ordered a 3/8 inch thich 2.208 inch pilot spacer from Vulcan Engineering off Ebay. Now the centerline of the pulley would be the same as the original pulley.

This worked fine. My ratio dropped from about 4.07 to about 3.63 in 5th gear. The slowest speed goes up too, so it won't poke along quite as slow as it would before without making the engine lope. My top speed checks right at 77mph when the speedo says 70. If I run 55, I am really going 60. This is fine for me.

I haven't checked top speed yet, but I expect it to be nearly the same. Before it would run just over 100 MPH stock. It might be a touch faster but it won't be much unless I modify the engine. My feet start blowing off the pegs at about 85 - If I cared about the over 100 stuff I woulda bought a different bike. The only difference in pickup will be right when you are slipping the clutch in first gear. I find myself using 4th gear in town at 45 MPH, and then hitting 5th leaving town. The bike appears to like 70 MPH better now and my engine is running 10% slower at a given speed.

This will increase the miles I can go on a tank, but I have not checked it yet. I had the front cylinder head replaced under warranty from the valve guides wearing out so bad it was ready to drop a valve. I get the feeling the bike isn't straining its guts out at 70 mph now. I know HD chose that ratio to make the bike quick off the line, but it's not much good at highway speeds. So that's what I did. I don't expect it will cause any problem. Changing the pulleys from stock 28/68 to the new 30/65 looks like a good mod for highway use to me. The engine is plenty powerful - the ratio just wasn't ideal for that kinda riding.

If you do this work make sure you have the right tools. The 48mm (1 7/8) nut doesn't like coming off much. HD must have had some extra loctite to use that day because that nut was tight all the way off. The whole job should take a reasonably good mechanic with the right equipment about 2 hours as a guess. Good luck.

 

Good Advise. I changed to a 30 Toothed Pulley on both my 1999 XL883 Sportster and my 2007 XL883 Sportster and it helped to make highway riding a more comfortable experience plus I did get a tad better gas mileage too!

 

I plan to change to a 30 tooth front sprocket eventually, after doing the 1250 conversion. Have to get all of the other repairs done that I seem to be having lately. Not to mention, I'm kinda enjoying the neck jerking torque I have with the current engine and gear setup.

 

It seems the ONE bike that really needs the 6th gear true overdrive, is the one bike Harley didn't address. It stinks to have to take the trade-off from the low ratios for sport riding to the high ratios for travelling. But, as I said in another thread, my riding styles have changed a lot in the past few years.

 

would be cool if you could just press a button and switch these things on the fly.

 

A 6-speed transmission on a Sportster would be KILLER! Come on Harley, give it to us NOW! I want to be doing 80 MPH and have the engine doing about 3,000 RPM. Putt Putt Putt!

 

What about the belt? If I go from 28 tooth on the front to a 30 tooth...can I use my same 136 tooth belt?
Thanks, Pete

 

Yes, there is a ton of room for adjustment in the belt. No problem there.

 

You got that right! I know that some day, my bike is going to shift into 6th gear. I try and do it on a daily basis. One of these days, I know it will go into 6th. At least that's what I keep telling myself. LOL

 

Baker does make a 6 speed conversion for pre04 bikes, but its $$$