Gearing selection can affect acceleration, top speed and even handiling. By changine front and rear sprockets you can alter your bike’s final drive ratio, which in part determines when speed for a given rpm. For example, a stock Suzuki GSXR600 has a 16 tooth front sprocket, and a 45 tooth rear, for a ratio of 45/16, or 2.81. Substituting a larger front or smaller rear sprocket lowers the ratio (sometimes called “taller” gearing), resulting in more speed for a given engine rpm. Likewise, a smalle front or larger rear sprocket gives less speed for a given rpm (“shorter” gearing). Performance numbers can be enhanced by sprocket selection to a certain extent, but the overriding factor is your engine’s power and its characteristics. Choosing the correct gearing optimizes your powerband usage, maximizing power delivered to your rear wheel for the given conditions. Speed = (rpm X rear tire c rcumference X front sprocket) / (primary gear ratio X sixth gear ratio X rear sprocket X 1056)