I have an '87 4 speed sporty and it seems at highway speeds (65 and above) that 4th gear just aint enough. I need another gear. Or, a way to change the gearing so the 4th is not so low. Is there anyway to accomplish this without breaking the bank?

Thanks in advance.

new front and/or rear sprocket. and chain

i went to a 22 / 47 and gained some top end . but remember that what you gain on top you lose on bottom because you change the entire gear ratio.

My '80 XLH1000 IronHead currently has 21 tooth front sprocket, 51 tooth rear. I am planning on 23 tooth front for certain. Am considering 49 for the rear. These changes to get better hiway performance [lower RPMs at 80 to 90 MPH], probably losing a bit getting away from stoplights. What do ya think?

mick , when ya go to the 23 tooth you will need to hog out the kicker cover for clearance . I put a 23 in my iron and the wheel would not turn the chain was locked up

its not a hard thing to do , I just used a dremel and a cutoff wheel and ground down the lug around the bolt boss and that did it

bama , the front sprocket ccosts around $35 , is that cheap enuff?

One of my sporty buddies says you have to grind a bit out if you use an o-ring chain but a regular chain will fit. I intend to go with an o-ring. He has a '75.

well from my experiance (doing my bike) the reg. style chain fit but it still ripped metal off the cover so I took it back off and did some clearancing and now it runs without any clearance problems

the chain seams to climb the sprocket on the bottom an that was what was hitting

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Flathead, $35 is definitely cheap enough. Where can I find it? Can I change only the front or do I have to change the rear too?

I'll try to check mine tonight to see what it currently has and then of course I'll ask you guys for suggestions on what size sprocket to try.

if your stock you got 21t front 48t rear (883and 1100)

my 72 is 21- 51 so your ratio is better for highway than mine stock (I'm runnin a 23 right now

I bought mine from the dealer but you can eather find an indy or mail order from like J&P or something like thatlink here to J&P sprockets (http://www.j-pcycles.com/productgroup.aspx?GID=9B5DFC6A-82FE-4735-9D18-C3A6B89C5C3E)

I see the price is less than I thought , give it a look

Thanks flathead. I'll check mine tonight.