I dont ride anywhere that I can go tapped in 4th or 5th, and not really worried about going top speed on my 500. Having said that, i would say the 14 -47 is good for sand riding and hauling the mail on the speed on flat ground, but for faster acceleration, or tight trails or hillclimbing technical terrain, 13 - 47 or -49 is good for me. the difference between 14-48 and 14-49 is not even noticable. I would never bother changing a back sprocket unless going with two teeth change at least. Also, when you go 3 teeth in back, it is very close to 1 in the front. Front sprockets are alot cheaper and require less chain adjustment. Alot of times on a stock swingarm, 2-3 teeth in the rear requires you to add or subtract a link. If you really want to play with gearing and feel the difference, I suggest playing with the countershaft.
wow, Sandblaster, 2 foot? or do you mean 2 inches? I am 8" longer than stock on my hillclimber and run 13-47 or 14-47 mostly. I like the 13-47 best, but in reality it is tricky to hook up your bike for an actual race. There is alooooooooooooot to know about gearing, suspension, and the dirt or sand you are racing on to make the best choices. You could have ten different experienced racers on the same bike and they would all choose totally different set-ups, and can still be fast no matter what direction they take it. It has alot to do with riding style, and how well a bike performs due to multiple conditions. The only way to get to the bottom of it, is to experiment and don't forget what you find out.