Tenere 700: JT Sprockets JTF1591 - 16RB 16 Tooth Rubber Cushioned Front Sprocket - Chain Adjustment & Establishing Baselines - BPA Chain Slack Setter - Casoman 1/2" Drive 30mm Deep 6pt Impact CR-MO Socket - Tenere 700 Gearing Chart - Outlaw Racing Chain Roller Guides - Yamaha Chain Guide BW3-F21G0-00 - D.I.D. 525VX3 130 Link Chain

 JT Sprockets JTF 1591 - 16RB 16 Tooth Rubber Cushioned Front Sprocket provides 6.3% higher gearing from the oem 15/46 = 3.067 gear ratio to 16/46 = 2.875% gear ratio (MT-07 uses 16/43 = 2.688 overall ratio), which reduces rpm by approximately 283 rpm @ 100kph in 6th gear according to this gearing calculator.  Many other T7 owners have made the change, mostly to improve highway droning & mileage, with little penalty for most off-road riding except technical & steep terrain....easily switched back to the oem 15 tooth when needed, or for those harder core, super sized dual sport fans some have opted for a 14/46 = 3.286 gear ratio.  The slightly taller gearing will be welcome, particularly in city stop-n-go riding where I currently start in 2nd most of the time because of the low 1st gear & strong, linear low down torque that can see you short shifting to 3rd gear before you have crossed the intersection + stretch out each gear slightly for more relaxed riding. 

Once the fitment issue noted below was resolved, a 30 mm impact socket obtained (see post below) & the oem front countershaft sprocket nut loosened (use of an impact gun with the transmission in neutral & the rear brake fully on made removal of the countershaft nut easy), installation was relatively easy, but will require chain slack to be reset (see post below). The oem 122 link chain length & 25 mm of  adjustment range accommodated the 1 tooth larger sprocket & should allow 1 tooth smaller than oem at the front, but not sure how many teeth difference if can accommodate at the rear before requiring additional links. The service manual recommends a new nut (#90179-22018) & conical spring washer  (#90208-22002), although some will reuse them if in good condition & within spec tolerances..   

Initial Ride Review May 06, 2022

The 6.3% taller gearing change (2.875 vs oem 3.067) seems a very good fit for the T7 & my mostly 70/30 road/dirt biased, solo, minimal technical terrain riding with the lower gears, in particular, now being more usable & stretched out giving the bike a more relaxed demeanor, resulting in smoother throttle response (the Camel ADV 1 finger clutch mod produces lighter lever pull & a wider engagement point that also improves shifting smoothness). 1st gear is now more usable in the city while the ample low down torque, linear powerband & good fueling of the CP2 motor still easily starts in 2nd gear without increased susceptibility to stalling & idles effortlessly in 1st at an indicated 12 kph & in 2nd at 15 kph (my T7 speedo reads about 8-9 kph higher than my gps at 100 kph). 3rd, 4th & 5th become more usable across the board & still provide ample roll on acceleration from 2-3k rpm depending on gear, while 6th now feels more like a hwy gear but still pulls without bucking from as low as 70 kph.  

This gearing, imho, better compliments the T7 CP2 powerband for average pavement/adventure/FSR non-technical use than the 3.067 oem gearing, which tends to encourages short shifting in everyday riding. An ancillary benefit should be improved fuel mileage/range. Overall, I really prefer the feel of the bike now & have not noticed any increased vibration/resonance that a few others have cited (perhaps because I'm using the rubber cushioned version similar to the oem front sprocket)...but can easily revert to oem & shorter gearing if desired. 

Aug 2022 Updated Ride Review after 10 day 3,800 km Trip Including 20% Off-Road

This trip just reinforced my preference for this gearing over the oem for all but perhaps steep technical riding & even then with a little clutch proficiency it would be a rare occurrence that you would miss the 15 tooth or need to worry about any increased propensity to stall. The 16/46 ratio is still lower overall gearing than most of the T7s competition keeping lower gear low rpm speeds in check for most technical & steep terrain. I saw 18% grades on this trip & never felt like the gearing could not control my speed or I needed a lower gear. 

The amazingly linear & torquey CP2 motor still handles 2nd gear starts with ease & 3rd with some clutch feathering, pulls smoothly from between 2 & 3k rpm in any gear & chugs up dirt grades in a higher gear at lower rpm than many other mid-sized ADV bikes, aiding traction & confidence.  It eats up hwy miles in the 100-130 kph (62-81mph) range more relaxed & still has plenty of reserve to roll on past slower traffic beyond 160 kph (99 mph) without dancing on the shifter....I had no problem keeping up with my friend's KTM 990.  The slightly stretched out nature of the gears with the 16 tooth makes for smoother & fun surfing of the mid rpm torque, particularly in twisty, hilly terrain. I just prefer the T's overall demeanor better!

JT Sprockets Gearing Chart (Note: uses 15/45 vs 15/46 as the reference ratio)

Finer tuning of gearing can be obtained via rear sprocket substitution, whereby 1 tooth at the front = 3 to 4 teeth at the  rear....see gearing chart below.  A 2 tooth drop at the rear to 15/44 teeth = 2.933 overall gearing or a 4.4% drop from the oem 3.067 which will drop rpm by approximately 197 rpm @ 100kph in 6th gear as per the above mentioned gearing calculator.

Fitment Issue

Update Jan 2022: This particular sprocket purchased from FortNine, despite confirming with JT Sprockets Catalogue that it is the correct part # for the Tenere 700 & MT-07, will not fit on my Canadian T7 oem output shaft with only 7k km (the oem easily slides on regardless of which way it is rotated)..it is a very snug initial fit once the splines are aligned & must be rocked back & forth but stalls out only 3-4 mm onto the shaft with just the sprocket (no chain)...I emailed with Richard @ JT Sprockets & sent pics, but have not had any further response. I'm speculating a quality control issue with manufacturing tolerances of the sprocket spline side surfaces...see pics below that show the friction point on the output shaft. Most have reported no such issue with their JT sprockets, but a few others have recently.  Another observation is that the JT sprocket teeth are thinner at the top.  FortNine refunded my money & told me to keep the sprocket.  The oem sprocket nut required an impact gun to break it loose. After some very light dremel work on the splines it now fits like the oem.

The JT Sprocket JTF1591-16RB will fit onto the oem output shaft splines only about 3-4 mm

 

The friction point can be seen on the 1st 3-4 mm of the output shaft spline sides 

Yamaha oem 15 tooth sprockets slides easily on output shaft regardless of which way rotated

JT Sprockets JTF1591-16RB on left vs oem 15 tooth on right, note difference in thickness of the top of the sprocket teeth.

 

JTF1591-16RB placed on top of oem 15 tooth sprocket

OEM 15 tooth sprocket on top of JTF1591-16RB

Update Feb 2022:  It now fits on easily like the oem 15 tooth after some very light dremel work on the splines 😀

Chain Adjustment Procedure & Establishing Baselines Including Tightest Point of Wheel Travel

Adjust chain slack (7k kms on oem chain) as per service manual (see pic below), (43 - 48 mm adjustment range with a slack limit of 55mm), which required loosening the optional oem rear chain guide to allow for full chain sag (it restricts chain movement by approx 2 mm)...then went on to establish baselines for future adjustments by placing the swingarm inline with the drive sprocket, swingarm pivot & axle which produces the tightest chain tension that resulted in a 5 mm tighter measurement than with the bike on the side or center stand & the wheel fully extended (there appears to be no difference in measurements when using the side or center stand). 

 The Owners Manual specifies: 1) Place the motorcycle on the side stand; 2) Shift the transmission into the neutral position; 3) Push down on the drive chain under the end of the drive chain guard; 4) Measure distance between the drive chain guard & the center of the chain. I set slack at 43 mm w/rear chain guard fully installed, which equates to approx 45 mm without the chain guard which resulted in 40 mm at the tightest arc of the swingarm. This produced chain range of movement up/dn of 29 mm or 1 5/32" from lowest to highest range of motion. I then measured each side from the axle to the swing arm pivot to confirm alignment...the alignment marks on the adjuster blocks are reasonably accurate for establishing rear wheel alignment. 

 

 

BPA Chain Slack Setter

 

BPA Chain Slack Setter Video

CASOMAN 1/2" Drive x 30 mm Deep 6 PT Impact CR-MO Socket

• Manufactured from premium impact grade chrome molybdenum steel construction with corrosion-resistant black phosphate finish for durability.
• High-torque, 6-point opening grips flat sides of fasteners, not corners, preventing round-off
• Engineered for use with impact drivers, This axle nut socket can be used for the removal or installation of axle nuts.
• Large, high-contrast size marking is permanently laser etched and easy to read, even in low light
• Meets or exceeds ANSI performance standards. It comes with 1 year quality warranty.

Outlaw Racing Products OR3074BK Chain Roller Guide have sealed bearings & are quieter than the oem units, which are noisy, BUT with not as durable rubber.

 

Yamaha Chain Guide BW3-F21G0-00

D.I.D. 525VX3 130 Link Chain

The oem chain (2021 Canadian model - Japan Factory) is a DID V11 525 & is already starting to have sticky links @ 7k km of light duty use, very little off-road & proper maintenance so ordered a D.I.D X link chain for when it needs replacement.