Quote:
Originally Posted by jkv45
We need an Engineer to chime-in and set the record straight.
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I keep trying to.
It's the overall ratio from the engine crankshaft to the rear wheel that matters. When you're starting off the line and haven't gotten to peak HP yet, low overall reduction ratio helps, so a greater reduction at the final drive is good. Once you get past peak HP in 1st gear and you can shift the transmission to stay near the HP peak, the sprocket ratio, which is just a part of the overall ratio, gets absorbed into the overall ratio and has little meaning.
There is the small effect of transmissions usually being designed so that the change in ratio is less between the higher gears, so with a lot of final reduction you get into higher gears with smaller differences sooner, which as Alex was saying above, lets you stay closer to the actual HP peak. That is important at the drag strip, but probably not noticeable at the seat of the pants during street riding.