Rear Tooth sprocket question. Why are some guys going up 4 teeth

Im riding a 1299 and my OEM rear sprocket was a 39T. I would up doing a 520 conversion with a 42T rear sprocket which I wasnt happy with It felt like there was no need to even have wheelie launch control If I cracked the throttle at take off like I normally did the front end would come up in first. As well as come up in other gears depending what rpm I was in and what gear I was in. Within 2 weeks I installed a 41T rear sprocket. Now if I crack the throttle I can feel the front end just feathering the road for a few feet before the front tire is back at full contact. That doesnt always happen, it just depends on how hard I am on the throttle at take off or switching gears at certain RPMS.

Here is my question to you V4 owners that have done a 520 conversion. Or kept your 525 set up but changed the gearing on your bikes. From what Ive read your rear sprocket has 41T from the factory. Some guys on the forum went up 2 teeth on their rear sprockets to a 43T rear sprocket. And wrote that going to 43T wasnt what they expected. Meaning they didnt get the take off they were hoping to get. While going up 2 teeth on my 1299 made a big difference. While other V4 owners went up 4t on teeth on their rear sprockets to 45T. While some even went up 5T to a 46T rear sprocket. Is going up 2T to a 43T rear sprocket not making much of a difference kind of like going from a 39T to a 40T rear sprocket on a 1299? Does going to a 45T or 46T rear sprocket on a V4 make low to mid range feel sort of like going 41T or 42T on the rear sprocket of a 1299?

I always assumed that going up 2T in the rear was just enough and you felt that pickup. Thats why I went up 2T on my S1000RR and S1000R. Before going up 2T on my S1000R I actually went down 2T. The bike was at lower RPMS and I felt it was smoother but the initial pickup wasnt there so I wound up going up 2T over stock. I wanted to know a little more about the V4 models and the sprocket set ups over other bikes. I know about there is a formula. But thats not telling me about the pickup and why some get a 43T and then say it wasnt what they expected. Then others go to a 45T or 46T

cycler said:

From what Ive read your rear sprocket has 41T from the factory. Some guys on the forum went up 2 teeth on their rear sprockets to a 43T rear sprocket.

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This is incorrect, the factory set up on the street models are 16 and 39 and people are going to the R gearing of 15 and 41

Gts89 said:

This is incorrect, the factory set up on the street models are 16 and 39 and people are going to the R gearing of 15 and 41

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Are you sure? I coulda sworn my 2018 V4 had 41 teeth OEM. I moved up to 43 teeth and it wasn't an insane difference, definitely didn't seem like a 4 tooth difference.

I changed my gearing because of the tracks I go to. None have particularly long straights, and I was never really seeing 6th gear at them. I recently put a 44 tooth rear on with my 520 conversion kit and am looking forward to trying it out at Auto Club Speedway. Definitely never had an issue with acceleration, even with OEM gearing. Front could always easily lift.

Maybe I am mistaken, could've swore I have seen 39 in the rear, oh well lol

gearing is not specific for everyone

you have to choose what works for you

but if you want a recomendation for a STREET V4s

i would recomend just changing front sprocket to 15

gives you just enough more bite, without making it a wheelie machine

and it is also very cheap mod

On 1x99 models, 39 rear is standard. 41 on R models. I'm on 42 rear on my base. That's as big as you can go before having some chain rubbing issues. Even on 42 rear, the front doesn't come up the way you're describing it. You must be wackin the throttle hard becase even under moderate acceleration, the front doesn't come up in first gear either....at least not til you get higher in the rev range. I haven't noticed any difference between the stock 39 and my 42, even with my 520 conversion. If there is a difference, it's certainly not an obvious one.

He isn’t asking about the twin. He’s asking about the V4. Which comes stock w 16/41

Changing the gearing with no goal in mind is like adjusting your suspension for no reason

And ya can’t just look at someone’s rear sprocket and say oh he is at X

Gotta count the front too and do the math

Gts89 said:

This is incorrect, the factory set up on the street models are 16 and 39 and people are going to the R gearing of 15 and 41

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I wasnt asking how many teeth the V4 rear sprocket has. From what I read it has 41T. What I was asking was why are some guys going up 2T to a 43T rear sprocket. While others are going up to 45T or 46T in the rear sprocket. I was reading one post from a forum member on this site and he wrote that he wished he didnt go to a 43T because it wasnt what he expected and instead should have gone to a 45T or 46T. I also read similar write ups on another Ducati forum and facebook posts. However I began my post by saying that when I went from a 39T to a 42T on my 1299 it was too much and then went down to a 41T which still feathered the road when I cracked the throttle but was manageable and it was great. However guys who went to a 40T on their 1299 models were disappointed. So I wanted to know was did a 43T rear sprocket make a difference over a 41T. And if not is that why guys went to a 45T or 46T. Kind of like going from a 39T to 40T on a 1299 really didnt a difference. But going to a 41T or 42T made a difference. Does make sense or did I over think what I wrote. And wrote something that seems like nonsense?

First off which bike are you even referring to?

V4 Panigale?
V4S Panigale?
16/41 stock

SF V4?
V4R Panigale?
15/42 stock

Yes there is only 1 rear tooth difference between all 4 bikes but do the math

Sprockets aren't big money, buy a few rear sprockets and see what suits you.

Measure your ride height before swapping, and adjust if necessary after changing sprockets. Ideally keep wheelbase the same by adding/removing links if possible.

WTF????

Nobody does 45 or 46 teeth with stock front sprocket on a 1299

Either drop a tooth in front or go up 2/3 in the rear

double0 said:

I haven't noticed any difference between the stock 39 and my 42, even with my 520 conversion. If there is a difference, it's certainly not an obvious one.

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That’s the end all be all answer.
spend the $$$ is for cosmetic upgrade and worry not about the rest

No it’s not. He obviously left the 16 on the front

Leave that 42 on the rear and throw a 15 on the front and then tell us gearing doesn’t matter

If I had a base or a S I would start with 15/43 and go from there

On which bike

1199 is 15/39. Mine is 15/42. I don't notice a difference. Simple as that.

AaronCycler said:

I wanted to know a little more about the V4 models and the sprocket set ups over other bikes. I know about there is a formula. But thats not telling me about the pickup and why some get a 43T and then say it wasnt what they expected. Then others go to a 45T or 46T

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That’s from the original post Kevin. 15/43 is same as 16/46. He is not looking at what’s on the front OF THE VFOUR

@doubleO
A) yer comparing apples to oranges the twin has more torque and spins way less rpm than the 4 and
B) your 1199 must be wounded if you went 15/42 and it’s not a beast 1-2-3rd compared to 15/39

This is the direction this board is going stretched swingarms, 60 tooth rear/20 front sprockets, lowering links and some stunting at Starbucks.

Mick1976 said:

This is the direction this board is going stretched swingarms, 60 tooth rear/20 front sprockets, lowering links and some stunting at Starbucks.

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I can't stand that guy's videos/builds, honestly. They're really convoluted, half motomillion parts catalogue and half niche drag racing bike parts. Puts a long ... swingarm but doesn't do anything special to the motor besides a Brentune.