Motorcycle Repair: Rear Sprocket, power curve, wind resistance

Question
Do the number of teeth determine the bike top speed.    Thanks, Mike

Answer
Yes, to a point. If the engine won't pull taller ratios due to lack of horsepower, then going to a smaller rear sprocket won't make it go "faster".

If you are concerned about RPMs at highway speeds, less teeth at the rear gives lower rpms at a given speed. If the bike is lugging at a given speed, then you can add teeth to get the engine back on the torque or power curve for better performance.
REMEMBER...
Any changes, more than a tooth, will usually require changing the length of the chain a link or two.

It is all a balance of power to weight to gearing and wind resistance to get to a given speed.

Bill Silver