The specs say this Shadow has a 5-speed transmission. This is incorrect. It´s a 4-speed. Don´t I wish it had 5! Nevertheless, it´s well balanced between the torque needs of the low and high end. If you switch the sprockets you can get more power starting off or more power on the highway, but the stock sprockets make the best use of the 4-speed transmission. Honda knew what it was doing.