first gear problem?

[jab0400]

Is the 450r's tall first gear really a problem? In about 3 months i might be purchasing one and i ride at deepwater missouri which has an open track, tight trails, and some not so tight trails, and i was just curious if the tall first gear is really a problem, and if so, which sprocket do you recommend i change? Thanks. Jeff

[RobRacing]

for slow trail riding it may be a problem. Just go down a tooth on the front sprocket and it should solve the problem.

[Jason Lowery]

Riding in tight woods IS a problem!! If your smart you will go ahead and order a sprocket today, trust me.

[MIA450R]

Hmm...
depends on what you think "a problem" is.

Riding in tight woods, you have to feather the clutch in first...not all the time, but when you are really going slow thru trees.

I haven't stalled my TRX once, BUT, that may be due to the fact that I am used to tall gearing. My 416EX had enough grunt to pull a 16T front sproket, and thus I may be used to feathering the clutch at low speeds in gear 1.

Its not a problem for me. But if this seems like a problem to you, then yes, as these guys say, go down a tooth in the front, or gain a tooth or 2 in back...but top speed will drop a few MPH.

[2004TRX450R]

ya it is pretty tall geared but I haven't had a problem in the tight stuff with it. I got a smaller sprocket for it to help it out some though. We'll see how it goes once I get it on.

[lukester720]

Originally posted by 2004TRX450R
ya it is pretty tall geared but I haven't had a problem in the tight stuff with it. I got a smaller sprocket for it to help it out some though. We'll see how it goes once I get it on.

Keep us posted. Thanks!

Is the front sprocket the same as something else? No one around here has a listing. Thanks

[jgfarmsracer]

looks the same as a 250r or maybe it the smae as the dirt bike

[jgfarmsracer]

i can't type, uh

[jetek1]

I rode it on sunday, out at a sand pit with a lot of big jumps. The gearing really sucks bad. We had another 450r there with 18's on the back and it was a little better with the stock gearing. I really think if your running stock tires or 18's, it need to go 2 teeth down on the front. The whole day riding I only hit 3rd gear for a second. I also hit netrual a few time racing around the track, because of the gearing. You are always in just first or second gear the whole time riding the track.

[schmitthead]

a real easy way to get around buying a new gear is very simple. all you need to do is feather the clutch a little bit. that is a very basic way to solve the problem. no money spent and you might learn how to ride a little better.

[2004TRX450R]

Originally posted by schmitthead
a real easy way to get around buying a new gear is very simple. all you need to do is feather the clutch a little bit. that is a very basic way to solve the problem. no money spent and you might learn how to ride a little better.

You might have to replace several clutches too!:huh

[Jason Lowery]

Hey guys, I finally got my 13 tooth front sporcket in the mail and it solved all my gearing problems. It worked great in the tight woods but the top end suffered when I hit the open cow pasture and let it rip. Oh well, it was worth losing a couple of mph on the top though, trust me!:D

[ml450r]

I wasn't going to reply to this post because most of you will probably not even understand the real problem here. But I will throw my opinion out here for you guys.(for mx only)

The problem goes much deeper than first gear being to tall. The gear box honda has made for this quad is not really a good choice. It is a close ratio gearbox.
1st-----2.0
2nd----1.6
3rd-----1.3
4th-----1.1
5th-----.09
for comparison 400ex
1st----2.9
2nd---1.9
3rd----1.4
4th----1.1
5th----.09
If any of you have really went out and drag raced the trx on asphalt against the same bike over and over, you will find that short shifting it will give you better results. The problem is this motor is a torque motor and really isn't a high revving motor. In mx you don't want to use 1st gear too much, due to the chance of hitting neutral. The bike will not launch in 2nd gear even with 18" tires, If you gear it to be able to launch in 2nd gear then you wouldn't be able to shift fast enough to get a holeshot. Therefore your only real option (with 18" tires) is to gear the bike to a 15-38 and launch in 1st gear. This has been the same problem with CRF and YZ quads. The YFZ has taken care of this problem but honda didn't. Honda did change the ratios, they are not the same as the CRF, but I still see this as a disadvantage.
Anyone else who has built a CRF or YZ quad should know what I am talking about. oh well that's my only negative comment on the TRX. The good news is the Honda shifts through neutral better than my LSR YZ426, I was just hoping to do away with the gearbox issues by having a factory quad.
Merrill