6 Speed Transmission on a Gen 2

Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum

Help Support Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

TwistedGrip

Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2018
Messages
11
Reaction score
3
Location
Courtenay, BC
Hello FJR World,

Just wondering if anyone has ever mated the newer 6 speed transmission to a Gen 2 (2011). After a few long cruise days, I really think the bike would benefit from having that additional gear. If this has been done, is it a Frankenstein scenario, or are there commercially available adapters that allow it to bolt right up.

Thanks

 
I don't think anyone has done it

Not sure if it is possible

Yamaha doesn't sell complete transmissions as far as I know

At the very least, you would no longer have a gear indicator on the dash

The RPM improvement won't be all that much

Why do you think it is needed? At any reasonable speed, the FJR engine does not run at excessively high RPM.

Edit: For RPM info, have a look at post #654

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/165978-2016-is-official-6-spd-slipper-leds-analog-tach-price/page-33?hl=calculator&do=findComment&comment=1281744

 
Last edited by a moderator:
While it theoretically might be possible I can't imagine it being cost effective. Splitting the cases to remove and reinstall all the new parts would be a serious undertaking. A complete engine swap from a donor bike would make more sense but even doing that I don't think the gains would outweigh the time and energy involved. I'd say just trade your older bike on a new one.There are more improvements beyond just the transmission anyway.

 
There were some that swapped out their final drive from another model I believe to achieve what you're looking for. (Google skilz aren't functioning yet this morning.)

*Edit a couple of hours later: It was bugging me so after some more coffee I found what I was thinking of. Have a read on this.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I spend a lot of time riding two-up on twisty roads,

mostly in 4th gear.

With the 190/55 rear tire my bike wont even pull

5th gear below 55 mph.

Dont see a need for 6th.

 
My '13 does 3500 rpm @ 75 ALL DAMN DAY !!!!

I don't need no stinkin' 6th gear!
punk.gif


(Maybe plug and play the slipper clutch tho)

 
When the '16 came out, I looked up the engine case half part numbers between the early Gen 3 (5 spd) and later Gen 3 (6 spd) and they are different. That leads me to believe there are some machining differences between the two, likely to accommodate the newer gear sets, as nothing else has changed drastically with the engine.

So in short, probably not swappable without a considerable amount of creativity.

 
I did the Venture FD gear swap. Since I don't try to go fast in the twisties anymore, and a lot of my miles are on the open road, I love the fact that at 75 my RPMs are below 4000 and my hands get numb less. Just google Final Drive swap, FJR1300 and there are a bunch of posts on there. If your interested and can't find Johns number let me know, he is on Facebook. Do the research first, of course.

 
There were some that swapped out their final drive from another model I believe to achieve what you're looking for. (Google skilz aren't functioning yet this morning.)

*Edit a couple of hours later: It was bugging me so after some more coffee I found what I was thinking of. Have a read on this.
^^^

This is your answer to gaining a 6th gear advantage without buying a new or late model FJR with six gears. I am running the Star Venture final drive and 190/55 rear tire. My RPM reduction is 400 in 5th gear (. If you are a one-up rider as I, this will give you exactly what you want. I believe the guy in PA charges $300 to chang out the final drive gearing.

 
I seem to remember that when the 6 speed transmission first came out some folks did the ciphering to calculate how much taller 6th was than 5th on a 5 speed, and it wasn’t that tremendously increased. I think you may actually get taller top gear gearing by swapping the FD and installing a larger rear tire. Of course you could buy a 6 speed model and still do the FD and larger tire if you wanted really low rpm.

 
I did the FD change on my '05 many years ago. It was 'ok' while doing a lot of freeway riding but when 2-up and with lots of stop n go stuff it was a PIA. Since the FD ratio changed all the gear ratios in effect it made it more difficult especially when starting to take off on a hill with 2-up. I switched back to the original FD and am glad I did.

 
I did the Venture FD gear swap. Since I don't try to go fast in the twisties anymore, and a lot of my miles are on the open road, I love the fact that at 75 my RPMs are below 4000 and my hands get numb less. Just google Final Drive swap, FJR1300 and there are a bunch of posts on there. If your interested and can't find Johns number let me know, he is on Facebook. Do the research first, of course.

 
I did the FD change on my '05 many years ago. It was 'ok' while doing a lot of freeway riding but when 2-up and with lots of stop n go stuff it was a PIA. Since the FD ratio changed all the gear ratios in effect it made it more difficult especially when starting to take off on a hill with 2-up. I switched back to the original FD and am glad I did.
If you are inclined to ride 2-up often this is not for you. Those of us old guys who desire less buzz, more mileage per gallon, and ease of getting the brute up on the center stand, we spend a few bucks for the final drive conversion and a 190/55 rear tire. This is not high science!!

 
Top