Gearing question, acceleration difference between 2nd-3rd gear on a '06 YZ450F

[red7]

I'm going to try this again making it more YZ related so I can keep it in this forum as my question really pertains to how the YZ accelerates as opposed to jumping in general.

There is a jump at my SX track that is giving me troubles and I could use some advice. My question is really about getting the quickest burst of speed out of my '06YZ450F so I'm not looking for general MX technique.

I've jumped much bigger gaps but this jump is tricky for me because it's more technical. Out of a tight left hand 180 degree turn I instantly encounter a small double (maybe 10' peak to peak almost like 2 whoops) then upon landing I have about 8-10' of flat before I hit the face of what can be a double or triple. The double's a joke so I'm now working on the triple which is 60' to the top of the landing ramp.

What I've been doing it coming out of the turn in 2nd, hopping the double and then nailing the throttle to clear it. The first time I over jumped the double, had less time to gather speed and went off the lip way nose high so I hurt my thumb when my rear hit the face of the landing slamming my front down hard. A few days later (after icing the crap out of my thumb) I tried again another 10 times and had mixed results but am still coming up short more often then not. Some guys are clicking into 3rd while in the air over the double which has got me thinking.....

What I'm curious is how the gearing is layed out/how does 2nd and 3rd gear overlap on the '06YZ450s? Do you guys feel like you can get a quicker burst of speed in the higher RPMS of 2nd or mid RPMs of 3rd?

I'm thinking about going up to a 50 or 51 rear sprocket because this track is a very tight SX track and even the top riders are doing it all in 2nd and 3rd. On a track where I'm only occasionally hitting 3rd would you recommend jumping up 2 teeth or just one in the back?

Thanks!

[PAdaytonaman]

Sounds like you might want to change gearing for this track. Go up a tooth in the rear.

Don't get killed.

[kylwk1500]

ya i would suggest going up a tooth in the rear. you could go down one in the front, but in my experience this would gear it down to much. This could help out with your problem of having to hit the throttle too hard. i geared my 400 down in the front, and it made it hit hard on the bottom end

[red7]

So a 50 (1 tooth up) rear should be a noticeable enough difference rather then jumping up to a 51?

[red7]

How does 2nd and 3rd gear overlap? Does 2nd accelerate faster all the way up to the limiter or where exactly does it drop off to where 3rd would puller harder and faster (obviously it will pull longer)?

[Nitroused383]

You could even try going down 1 or 2 teeth in the rear. This would allow you to clear the jump in 2nd gear a little easier. Also, you would not have to worry about shifting into 3rd into the air. Maybe this could be an option?

[red7]

Possibly but then I might be lugging more in the corners in 2nd.