According to the manual my Venox has 5 gears. Living in the hills northeast of Taichung I rarely bother
shifting into 4th. (I know you can wind up these things but I do plan to get a tach)
God love this internet, found some fan clubs (Spain as well the US).
There are many “true believers”, but I bet there are guys who collect Edsels too.
Anyway there is an outfit in the US that sells sprocket kits to up the tooth count from stock 39 to
43 or 46. If it’s geared too long for America and the local lads are happy with 43, then I would go for
46.
No rush making a daytime trip into the city to talk to ‘my’ mechanic, so I thought I’d broach the topic
with ‘my’ fellow (forumosan) bikers.
The debate raised whether the replacement was alum. vs steel was resolved. (alum. well engineered)
So after the first question is answered - what’s available here? - begs the next question - would you
recommend US made after market products or what’s made here?
Where/what tooth number rear sprockets are available for the Venox?.. information
Are users happy with after market products made here?.. opinion
How much will it cost you? How many more ponies will it give you? Its just a wee, heavy, overbuilt, under-engineered 250, so I can’t imagine how a few more teeth would make the difference worth the price.
I’d be interested to know, though, as it’ll probably be my next bike, unless I can get an XT or something.
[quote=“old canuck”]Does anyone understand the basic concept?[/quote]Sure. You don’t really use the top gear, and you want to lower the overall gearing to give you more oomph in the mountains. Makes sense, if you can put up with changing gears more often. I can’t recommend any particular size or brand but I would say that anything Eric suggests should be fine. I think a locally made sprocket would be OK, but if you’re worried about quality of local parts, he should be able to get you a Japanese one. He got me an decent Japanese o-ring chain before for my old FZ.
That’s what I meant by “more ponies” of course. oomph, not actual horsepower.
I’d go with Joesax’s suggestion of local or Japanese. What’s the point of having a super-nice sprocket when the rest of the bike is POS Kymco built for the local market? (This is me assuming, of course, that the export Venoxes are built to higher specs than for the local market – maybe they’re the same, but I doubt it.)
Well I feel I should apologize for not keeping up my own thread.
I had planned to get up every next morning for a run into the city to talk to Eric.
But here I sit Saturday night with a Kirin at one elbow, a Murphy’s at the other elbow and
nothing in the middle to contribute.
I toyed with the idea of having one of the girls at work write a note to take to one of the local Kymco shops,
but the note I took to a shop for “extra well done” french fries only got me curious looks and not “extra well done”
french fries.
“sticks and stones may…” … (in Arizona the price is $150 - cheaper than upping to a Honda)
My formative years, the '60’s, weren’t just LSD and Hippies but it was also the Muscle Car era.
Because of the LSD I don’t remember the extant gear ratios, except the “four - eleven” 4.11 to 1.
Well I could (if somebody told me how) give you a link to the Arizona Venox club.
Their argument is that Kymco has geared the Venox for good gas mileage, after all it is a ‘Cruiser’.
Now I’ve never been to Arizona, but they say they don’t get much chance to use 5th on a windy day.
And when they drop the gearing to a 43 tooth they get get a better “passing gear”.
One of my first Mordeth videos was him on the sub liter stopping at the line and having all the scooterists
behind him stopping progressively ahead of him and then at the green he had to weave his way through them.
So I “get” that, but what I don’t like is some short skirt scooterist taking me off the line.
Back to the muscle cars, it wasn’t long before the smart lads figured out how to re-configure the automatiic
transmission to be faster than a man(ual).
Oh Yes! I expect to be tap dancing like Bo’ Jangles.
That’s why I want to start with the 46, it’ll have to be really short to make me back off to the 43.
Synopsis: faster “off the line”
tighter “passing gear”
When I scrape the foot pegs I say to myself “Look you didn’t want a crotch rocket, you wanted a cruiser!”
But I’m old and fat, I want a machine that can dance and sing.
[quote]Anyway there is an outfit in the US that sells sprocket kits to up the tooth count from stock 39 to
43 or 46. If it’s geared too long for America and the local lads are happy with 43, then I would go for
46.
[/quote]
The sprocket kit is a 43 tooth. You would not want to have more teeth as it would ‘dig’ in to much into first gear.
I have this sprocket on my custom Venox, ‘‘OBnoXious’’ Venox.
The carburetor bike as far as I know is the same for all markets. There is a new fuel injected version - Venox AFI that some countrys have (I know its in some E.U. countrys like Spain).
Why the Sprocket change ?
To make the 5th gear a true pulling performance gear and not just a cruising ‘overdrive’.
It works great !! For the mountains or going into heavy winds.
Clubvenox has put together two different mass shipments for the sprocket from KYMCO.BIZ which I helped facilitate with through Matt.
‘‘Includes everything needed to convert from a 39 tooth rear sprocket to a 43 tooth sprocket.
If your Venox will not accelerate well in 5th gear, this kit will solve the problem.
It also provides better acceleration in 1st-4th gears.’’
[ul]
Aluminum Sprocket
New 520 O-Ring Chain
New Lug Nuts
$139.99 for complete kit.
Sprockets available separately for $45.99
[/ul]
Here is one of my two Venox.
Has the sprocket and the FITH GEAR CUSTOMS performance 2n2-1 exhaust system
[ul]
The seat is a 1939 original (never been used) INDIAN Motorcycle ‘U.S.M.C. Messenger’ seat with HUGE springs as the rear is now a ‘hard tail’.
The bike was done as a tribute to my Dad who flew the B25 MITCHELL Light Bomber in the South Pacific in WWII.
He was a command pilot in VMB-413 the first USMC squadron that was stationed there.
(thats a B25 MITCHELL in my sig.)
So we tried to make it look a little like a bike from that era.
(I’m always being told what a good ‘restoration’ job that was done )
Nice. Nice story, too.
You’re the first person outside of Taiwan I’ve spoken to who has a Venox. Can I ask why you chose it? Given the choice of bikes you guys have, why choose this one?
[quote=“sandman”]Nice. Nice story, too.
You’re the first person outside of Taiwan I’ve spoken to who has a Venox. Can I ask why you chose it? Given the choice of bikes you guys have, why choose this one?[/quote]
I’ve owned 15 different types of two wheels in the last 40 years.
(from 50cc to 1300cc’s)
When I moved here to the Outer BanX’s (200 mile stretch of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina) I was bike-less after moving from the middle of the country (St. Louis, MO.) in 2001.
Originally just wanted a small scooter to run around on, so got a Kymco Super9, then got two more and modified them just for fun.
Then on a ‘whim’ ordered the Venox as I just wanted a bike that I could shift gears again.As the top speed limit here is 50mph thought it would be great as just a ‘beach bike’.
(had never seen one in person and in 2003 there was hardly any info. on the Internet)
Was I surprised when I saw it and rode it for the first time!
With the sprocket and the exhaust switch it now performs as well as most 500cc and is always thought by others to be even larger.
Have taken long extensive trips and do not now just use them as ‘beach bikes’
Heres some photos of my other ‘touring’ Venox.
Its changed since these pics as it now has much larger saddlebags and a rear trunk.
Well as the “OP” I feel that I’m crashing a party.
I typed a lengthy post last week and when I hit the submit my dsl connection crashed.
I was ‘too much with my muse’ to sort it out, but I had written a poignant update to the tail and
a heartfelt welcome to OBX .
In a nutshell,
heartfelt welcome to OBX,
Eric called Kymco, they only sell stock 39 tooth sprockets,
he said he would call around and tell me via e-mail what was available.
…sidebar
…I had driven into one of the gates of hell and jarred loose my
…exhaust system, which roaring around as a scooterpunk was vicariously fun.
…“Hey, it wasn’t me! I didn’t do it”
…I tightened a bottom clamp but had to get Eric to go up inside.
…He and the young lad spent over a half an hour peeling access
…to the nether regions, tightening things and putting Humpty Dumpty
…back together again. NO CHARGE! gotta love’m.
So I hadn’t heard from Eric via e-mail and thought I could use OBX’s suggestion that a 46 tooth tooth was too tight as an excuse to visit
Eric ( in case he had miss written my e-mail address ).
He had understood the concept of changing ‘gear ratio’ but didn’t seem to share my enthusiasm.
Against inscrutable Asian wish to do business I got a “Hey, it’s a Venox.” mentality.
If you’ve seen what he drives you can only guess what he thinks of what I drive.
“‘Dig’ in to much into first gear” and pull a tooth, pull a link or pull a wheelie?
If you’ll go back earlier you’ll see that I’m up in the hills, what you wanted to do with 5th I want to do with 4h.
I’ve been in a lot of places in America, up down and all around, but I don’t know Arizona. My best straight, long, safe run is
on a bridge.
The upshot is OBX do you think I could get a sprocket kit shipped to Taiwan?
Fifth gear stock is like an ‘overdrive’ , its geared for maintaining a cruising speed on almost flat surfaces.There is virtually no pull with this gear with the 38 factory sprocket, go into a stiff breeze or up a hill and you have to shift down to 4th or you will lose speed. They come from the factory geared for ultimate gas economy.
What I mean by ‘dig’ into first gear is , changing the sprocket moves all the gears down. First gear with a 46 tooth sprocket would seem to me to be virtually to be no gear at all.
The 46 tooth sprocket is a new offering from KYMCO.BIZ and I do not know of anyone who has one so I am speculating based on having had the original 38 and now having the 43.
I helped CLUBVENOX (spainish venox owners)ship (language barrier) a large group of them last year (to save individual shipping cost) and they were the 43 tooth sprocket. There are a lot of mountains in Spain where they use it.They came back 6 months later and ordered more after trying them out.
My suggestion is to call Matt at KYMCO.BIZ and also see what he says about the 43 vs. 46 and then place your order by phone.
They can ship air or by boat (cheaper but takes serveral months). Talk to them about what the total cost would be.
If any other questions post them here or stop by www.prideinwhatyouride.com and I can direct you to a lot more information on different topics about others who have changed to this sprocket.
Hello. I haven’t driven off a cliff - yet,
and I haven’t lost track of the idea.
This sort of set me back on my pins [/img]
I’ve been doing the 10 k run from Dongshi to Jhulan on hwy 3 for 2 years now - albeit 6 months
on the Venox, - at least 3 times a week. It’s a sporting ride in the hills that I always enjoy -
barring bad drivers. That day I was late and used that as an excuse to see just how fast I
could make the run.
Long story short I came around a curve and saw a rock in my path just in enough time to avoid - by centimeters -
front tire contact.
Since I’m chalking up not hitting it directly with my tire to luck - terminal road rash in front of an oncoming
blue truck - ego gives me driving ability credit for not careening out of control as the bike carromed off the rock.
Back to the sprocket
[quote]We are now using a 44t sprocket as the standard. We have put a 46t on one bike and the guy likes it and has not had any issues.
THanks
Matt Kellerman
Encore Performance
[/quote]
I don’t think Eric has any interest in aftermarket modifications, but before I see about shipping from Arizona I’m going to
enllst a local friend to try to infiltrate the Taiwanese Venox club. Maybe I can organize a ‘bulk’ order of sprockets!
.
p.s. also I’ve been preoccupied with my winter vacation.
p.s.s. I really like this bike.
Gawd I love this bike.
( the woman I put in the hospital for weeks was with the Dragfire - with the
Venox she’d be dead, and probably the other woman in the wrong lane, with a kid, too ).
Back to the question - I got to the part in Arizona that I don’t have a credit card and he wouldn’t
take an international money order and I threw a rod.
I spent 2/3 of the price of the bike to get it fixed.
It’s a totally different ride. I broke it in in an assumed manner, my Harley buddy back home didn’t want to
say.
The upshot is that the starter skipped and now the Bendix drive is shot. But I live in the hills so
I bump start it. The locals love to watch
Had the guy put a tach on it, but when I get to kill switch range I’m too busy to see it.
Whenever I drag a foot peg I say “Jeez, I didn’t want a crotch rocket I’m a cruiser!”
(side bar - it now leaks oil like the first car I bought a 1960 MGA )
Anyway no doubt the day may come when I want more, but I got more more than I thought
I got.
)
