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Okay... so revisiting the whole gearing combination thing.
I tossed on the 39 tooth rear sprocket and spent a solid day riding around on the bike getting a feel for it. Before I begin, let me reiterate that with the 120/80-18 rear tire my bike acts like it is 2 teeth larger than it would on a stock bike, so a 39 tooth for me is like a stock tire with a 41.
On flat ground it was amazing, and around town it definitely is good road gearing. Much less shifting between gears, able to hold gears for corners, and you will never go beyond 4th gear on any in town main roads. It's not a big difference to when I had the 43 tooth on the stock tire, but enough of one to notice.
My problem is hills. Now most people imagine Nebraska as flat, but in truth a majority of my state is big steep rolling hills and remants of mountaints (Bluffs), so the ability to hold highway speed on a hill matters to me. I think this gearing is just a bit too much if you have to climb anything decently steep for any length of time. I often found myself having to downshift to fourth in order to hold my speed on these hills, then winding out the engine more than I ever had to with the 43 tooth on the stock rear tire.
My conclusion. With a 17 tooth front sprocket - If you live somewhere with less inclines and/or only ever use your Hawk around town, then the 41 and 39 tooth sprockets are a great option. If you live somewhere like I do, where big hills are a constant, then stick with the 45 or 43 tooth gears. Unless you aren't a 260+lb 6 and a half foot tall sasquatch, then I am sure they will work much better for you.
Me, I want that little extra bit of pulling power to heft me up and over without fighting too hard and straining the motor. So I decided to order a 31 tooth rear sprocket for my 520 chain conversion. That will bring me back close to the same final drive as a 17/43 did on the stock tire, being only 1.6% taller overall, which is the closest I can get to having that same final drive.
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