Rimini 5 speed box

[soulsurfer]

No, they become boring when you always seem to drag a thread down to your level off p155 taking and insulting those that try to contribute in an intelligent manner. It really does get tiresome

[nelson pk]

Here we go

Just thought i'd add a post as i'm humourless too

[jonnyb]

Engine power unchanged, 1 more gear, still need to be able to pull top, similar range, more overlap, more gear changes, more beard scratching, more time in the garage, family suggesting less time in the garage, new exhaust, change of sprocket, garage extension, winter project? Love one

[warts]

Why more time in the garage? Reading between the lines MBD's version was likely made by Nova. Their stuff is world class, as in championship winning class.
Wasn't the story that DRT were doing the Rimini stuff? Aren't good people using their stuff?
I would expect once fitted there would be less garage time, greater durability and reliability of the gears themselves and, clutch would need less hammer. If the ratios were sensibly chosen, less strain on the engine too. Change up at torque peak, rather than have to thrash the tits off it so it can pull the next gear, and a nice "overdrive" top.
If they were knocking 'em out at £100, would we even think about it?

[jonnyb]

I ment what I said - I'd love one

[Adam_Winstone]

One good reason (IMO) for a decent 5-speed with good ratios is that I've previously found it pretty difficult to ride a tuned revvy motor or high geared big cc cruiser with a group of smaller cc standard'ish bikes without spending much of my time sitting in 3rd, with 4th being out of the revs/powerband at those travelling speeds. Sure, no such issue if you ride with groups that all have similar cruising speeds but rubbish if not.

The above simply highlights that a 4-speed cannot suit all applications, at it is also true to say that not all tunes will suit a 4-speed. If you look at the sort to tunes and port timings that top end scooter kits are ported to you'll note that they are very nearly direct copies of bike barrels.... from bikes that are normally 6 gear machines! Quite simply, tuning is normally a trade off as you can't have more of something without giving up more of something else. The most normal trade off for gaining BHP (for the same cc) is to trade low rev torque for high rev range BHP over a narrower rev range. As the rev range gets narrower bike manufacturers add more gears to allow you to keep the motor in the powerband. This has the benefits of stopping the motor from labouring when it is out of the power and also gives a more comfortable ride with the motor being kept in the power. What someone said earlier is 100% correct, try driving your car using only 1,2,3,5 or 2,3,4,5... indeed any combination that misses out a gear would suck, e.g. 1,3,4,5.

Yes, a decent 4-speed is fine but there are many applications where less of a ratio jump between gear changes will return a better motor response. Why do people LOVE LI150 gearboxes (and strong Pacemaker)… because they have small ratio jumps between gears, making them a pleasure to ride and with much improved performance. Another example of a 4-speed limitation would be deciding to go 2-up with luggage on a bike that is normally used 1 up and geared correctly for that application, resulting in a horrible ride and spending your time going up and down through the box.

Many of the features that have been written about tuning scoots have identified the limitations imposed by a 5-speed box and they are right to do so. In the past, people have tried to resolve this by manufacturing a solution but the reality has never been able to match the benefits of the concept. Let's hope that Rimini can manufacture a box (and selector) that removes this limitation and allows people to have the option of a decent 5-speed, whether the owner buys it for the performance and engine flexibility it offers... or just to pose at IOW!

Adam

[jonashford]

I think it wud suit my revvy rb. 4.9 gearing. Going to Whitby I spent a lot of the hilly windy part of the journey in third gear. However on straights with less wind my rb revs it's goolies off which is nice! I'm considering going to 4.8 with a sprocket change, but with I 5 speed box I cud have both ratios, cud be very workable, IMO

[RobD]

I had one of Tinos 5 speed boxes in my scoot for a short time before the kickstart teeth started to chip and I removed it. I kept the sprockets the same so that it wasn't any higher geared. It obviously had no real performance improvement but it did make it lovely to ride. Difficult to describe why but it made it feel more modern, you didn't have to ride round ratio jumps and so it felt more relaxed.

[rbgaz]

yeah jonashford i changed my rb 230 from a 5.2 to a 4.8 as it was a rev monster but it has never liked it same as yours on a flat not bad but into any wind or hill not good even changed pipe from nk race to a franspeed road which made it bit better problem is rb225 are made to go with 5.2 as they need to rev to hit the power , now a 5 speed box mmm i d like that 5.2 would b put back in just think 80mph at about 9000 revs then pop in into 5th mmm b very nice i recon

[Adam_Winstone]

I think it wud suit my revvy rb. 4.9 gearing. Going to Whitby I spent a lot of the hilly windy part of the journey in third gear. However on straights with less wind my rb revs it's goolies off which is nice! I'm considering going to 4.8 with a sprocket change, but with I 5 speed box I cud have both ratios, cud be very workable, IMO

... and from what I understand, Rimini have not simply copied the 60s box, along with its crap SX150 1-4 + SX200 4th (as 5th) but have actually designed it (taking expert advice) to use a ratio progression that delivers appropriately spaced gear changes. As such, if you like the decent ratio jumps of an LI150 compared to a Spanish LI150 or SX/GP150 box then this should be even more to your liking! If you need any proof that the % rise between gears does make a difference to performance, have a look and see how much you'll pay for an Innocenti LI150 box compared to an Innocenti SX150 box, which are exactly the same strength and quality and can deliver similar 4th ratios by changing sprockets.... chalk and cheesse... and a whole load of cash!

Basically, the 60s gearbox feels good on the road just because it offers the chance to shorten the steps up to the 5th ratio, subject to you getting the sprocket choice right to end up with a 5th that suits your motor and riding style, but it never addressed getting the ratio between the gears right.

We'll have to wait to see whether this product lives up to expectations but the idea is sound.

Adam

PS - I've ridden 3 speed and 4 speed J-Range models of the same cc and they are both crap (sorry, only kidding'ish) but riding them illustrates the benefits that a decent 5-speed would offer our humble 4-speeds.