Kawasaki Concours Forum
The C10, aka Kawasaki Concours - The Original => Accessories and Modifications - C10 => Topic started by: Centex on May 14, 2011, 01:58:19 PM
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Well, I logged some miles on the '7th Gear' mod today and wow, SISF comes through again big-time :thumbs:
For those that don't know, Steve in Sunny Florida,aka Shoodaben Engineering (http://sites.google.com/site/shoodabenengineering/) sells a re-geared front final drive that is 12% +/- taller than stock. Known as the '7th gear' because supposedly it stops the urge to shift again when you're sailing along in 6th.
Just as when I installed Steve's 2-min carb mod+exhaust cam, everything performs exactly as promised with the '7th Gear'. With these mods, the Connie is transformed from a good bike to a great bike. Pulling strong from idle to ton+ without any flat spots or hesitation and really comfy lazy cruising at 70+. My left toe never once felt like lifting when in 6th and that's a first on the Connie.
I'm retired so I usually leave the roads to the cages on weekends but I had to go out this morning after my brief initial test ride yesterday. The grin got bigger the farther I rode ... subtle stuff like the feel of the hands on the bars and the image in the mirrors just so much more relaxed than before. Boy we're gonna have some fun this coming week, re-riding favorite Central Texas twisties on the new 2004 Connie.
Thanks, Steve, can't say enough how impressed I am with Shoodaben Engineering products and your service :chugbeer:
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For those that don't know, Steve in Sunny Florida,aka Shoodaben Engineering (http://sites.google.com/site/shoodabenengineering/)
Steve needs to add that link to his posts like it was before!
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thanks Guys - message recieved and action taken :) Steve
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I have wonderd about tha 7th gear thing. I nearly bought a 6th gear option on my sporty for the same reason. This may be something I look into after coming up with my daughter's fall semester college money.
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Surely a personal preference thing, but I too am a (fairly recent) satisfied 7th gear customer. I just don't really see a down side to this mod, other than the cost and trouble of doing the switch (worth it to me) and you will get to know your Connie better after taking all that stuff off to make the change. I think it makes the "T" in the ST designation much more relevant on these great machines, with plenty of "Sport" left over. As many have previously said, the more you ride it, the more you like it. If they originally came geared geared this way, I can't imagine anyone declaring "I wish these things were geared a bit lower." IMHO this is a great mod. :thumbs:
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I,ve only said this about a dozen times but this is probably the best aftermarket mod that can be done to a C-10. I'm proud
to have been the guinea pig on this mod. I have one of the first units to be installed on the Connie. I guess I should have my golden wings by now, I've been the test pilot for Steve's 7th gear, and 2 min mod, a test pilot for the Bergmen oil filter adaptor,
the first to install Pilot GT's on a Connie. Has anyone got a new product they want to test, I'm available for a small phenominal
fee.
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This looks interesting.
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... for a small phenominal
fee.
:rotflmao:
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Yep, yep, this is a great mod. I don't do a whole lot of long distance highway droning, but I really like the way the bike is so much more "settled" at 70 +/- MPH or so. What I really like is how it runs with the 7th gear mod and the cam reset mods. The extra torque down low combined with the gearing change lets me run the backroads around here in 4th gear all day long without shifting if I want to. (Not that I object to shifting, I'm just saying.) So far I have not found a downside to this mod. Plus, while doing the mod, you get to put in the new-style leak-proof metal bevel drive case gasket, change your coolant, service all your swing arm and shock linkage joints, lube your final drive splines, and finally scrape off that 15 extra pounds of road crud that have been hitching a ride down on the bottom of your bike. ;)
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:rotflmao:
I figured you'd get a good laugh out of that one.
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I too have this wonderful 7th gear mod and it makes all of the difference when ridding long distance or short.
Best investment on the bike, plus Steves exhaust cam mod make the bike run smoother at low rpms and still be able to pull a stump when you roll on the throttle.
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Its the bomb. Period.
6500 rpm is now a steady 110mph. Yeah - that's cool, but even if you dont live in a place where that's relavent - the other great thing this does is to spread out the first few cogs and make the ratio's far more useful than the originals which were frankly too low.
I love it around town, and I love it on the European highway - it simply rocks.