Mark,

Thank you! Super helpful. Definitely some things to think about.

Lowering final drive and skipping first might make the most sense. I know Im turning this bike into something its not, and there will be some compromises but its still a blast!

Will PM you my email address shortly.

You could also just try starting in second gear the way it is now and see how it works... might work good...

Or think about gearing the bike up and using first through fourth... with 5th as a "cruising" gear.

And by the way, that concept is not new or uncommon. Husqvarna was one company that geared their race bikes in such a way that they recommended using 2nd through top gear or using 1st and not using top gear... you'd change the final drive sprockets to use one option or the other depending on the course.

Seems somehow "wrong" to not use all the gears but it's actually a decent strategy and works well in practice... especially if you're happy with the gaps between the gears.

Last idea reminds me of my 97 XT350, with the 6th gear on top. You could use it in town, but much better to save it for the highway, where, when you needed a bit extra, it then goes all the way to eleven.

Gearing it up might not be a bad idea actually, and that reminds me I do have a 16t front sprocket on the shelf so I should definitely give that a go. Currently kind of riding it as a 3 speed bike anyway so even if it makes 5th too tall, if first is more usable that might give me a better 1-4.

This post has some good stuff. I actually have considered doing the exact same thing (switching a DT250a to an MX250 transmission) for my vintage motocross bike which as a Dt250 bottom end. As mentioned the gap between 3rd and 4th is big and I don’t have the torque to pull some hills in 4th and when I drop to 3rd the RPM is high. Have messed with gearing to master the hole shot in 2nd and rarely use 1st. Thanks for the posts.

this is a great post and awesome info MarkT!!

I've been thinking of a similar idea seeing as the last purchase i made came with a bunch of gear-sets and a few extra motors and this has some very helpful information!