The Hodaka Club Forum

What is the max rpm for a 250sl

Asking so I know how far I can push the bike before I blow it up

I have a friend that worked in his dads Hodaka shop. He describes the 250 motor a bullet proof.

You building a road racer or speed record bike?

I'm seeing how fast I can get my bike to go but still be able to use it everyday. Cuz I'll be doing a lot of highway driving where I live

Someday I'll turn it into a racing bike

I would think you could gear it to do highway speeds and not have to get near redline revs. May hurt offroad abilities.

I'll be doing mostly highway where I live. I have to drive 60 miles to get to the nearest off road spot

With stock gearing the manual indicated the bike can be ridden at 55mph for extended periods.

I need to be able to do at least 65

My 175SL uses a 15 tooth counter shaft sprocket and a 46 tooth rear sprocket. The transmission has the same gearing as the 250SL except the 250SL has a straight cut primary gear. With my new carb I am able to run the bike at 60 mph easy for a long while. No porting has been done to the engine.

What kinda gears would I use to get the bike to to 65

I would only be guessing sorry. I do not yet have one of my 250 SL's on the road.

Ah ok. Then would it be safe to assume that I could get more speed if I got a bigger counter shafts sprocket and a smaller rear sprocket

Your assumption is correct, IF the bike has the power to pull your weight and the weight of the bike. Bigger front and/or smaller rear sprockets would be the generic formula for more top end speed, but how high you would have to rev the engine in each gear to reach its top speed without it bogging down after each shift is the question. I think Paul's response, "with my new carb" tells it all. You need horsepower to maintain momentum. You may not have the engine power to sustain a higher MPH without a tailwind or going downhill. If you are light enough and the engine is a strong runner, it will go faster by adding teeth to the front sprocket (the cheaper method) or subtracting teeth from the rear. Remember sprocket changes will have an effect on chain length. Be prepared to either shorten or lengthen it.

The bike has a brand new carb. And I'm about to send the motor to get ported and the head to get modified. I'll get some different sprocket and see what combination works best for me