Chain and sprockets

[selltekk]

I have about 11k miles on my bike with the OEM chain and sprockets on it still.

I was wondering if anyone can provide some advice as to when I should look at replacing them. I haven't yet had the chain jump teeth or anything like that, and the sprockets show some regular wear (no strange pits or points on them).

Any thoughts?

[Jim]

depending on how often you adjust and clean your chain, some guys on here have gone well over 20k on their chain and sprockets. that's why i just went back to a steel sprocket for the rear. they last forever if you take care of it.

[selltekk]

I've never adjusted it, but I clean and lube it pretty religiously. I suppose my factory service manual will tell me what kind of tension I should have on my chain?

And is a symptom of a loose chain a slight whine?

[RyanNicholson]

I've never adjusted it, but I clean and lube it pretty religiously. I suppose my factory service manual will tell me what kind of tension I should have on my chain?

leave about 2" of slack (the bottom part of the chain can move up and down about 2") thats what I use as a rule of thumb. You dont want any "tension" or your chain wont last long at all.

[selltekk]

Cool, thanks!

I knew that it had to have a bit of slack. When I said tension I probably should have said slack, but I suppose slack is a function of tension...or a lack thereof.

I'm not the most mechanically inclined person. I'm a geek. When I start futzing with drivetrain stuff, even simple stuff, I get nervous that I am going to miss something and that my bike will fall apart at 80mph on the road...

Thanks for the advice guys!

[selltekk]

depending on how often you adjust and clean your chain, some guys on here have gone well over 20k on their chain and sprockets. that's why i just went back to a steel sprocket for the rear. they last forever if you take care of it.

So a DID set of sprockets will not last as long as my stockers? What's the point of aftermarket sprockets then? How about aftermarket chains? I have heard good things about DID X-ring chains, but again, I have little experience with these things and I'm no mechanical engineer.

When I do replace the parts, might it make sense to go with stock OEM, or aftermarket steel sprockets and a aftermarket chain?

Thanks again for your patience.

[RyanNicholson]

well basically it gives you the option to regear your bike, give it a little more "get up and go" if you feel you want...I know a lot of people do that with the bike you have. In theory you can go with a 520 chain and aluminum sprockets but they're really meant more for a race application to reduce unsprung weight and whatnot but that really doesn't matter for the street (and they dont last for shit). A DID chain (not sure if your bike is a 525 or a 530 but stick w/ the stock size) and any steel sprockets will work well for you. If you dont plan to regear your bike, run the stock stuff as long as you can and just replace as necessary.

[Jim]

DID make chains, not sprockets. if you want to stick with steel for a rear sprocket, check AFAM or Sunstar. Sunstar is the OEM brand for Honda and Suzuki bikes. just want Ryan said, stick with the stock 525 chain setup and not a 520 conversion. and yes, DID would probably be what everyone here will suggest. RK is slightly cheaper and has a good reputation too.

[selltekk]

I don't want to regear. I'm happy with the bike as it is performance wise, even though its hauling my fat ass around.

Ok, cool, so stock or aftermarket steel sprockets (same tooth count) and DID chain.

[Jim]

look on your stock chain or sprockets. look for a 525 or 530 on there...most likely 525. make sure your DID chain has a rivet, and not o-ring. the gold chain has no performance benefit to it, just for looks. if you're looking for a good price, use solomotoparts.com the guy dan is great, and his prices are the best i've seen online. plus free shipping for anything over $99 (which the chain alone will be that)

[Jim]

this is the chain that I just got . also just ordered the same one for my friend's CBR.

[KillBill]

I saw this thread and was like..oh snap..that's my situation.

I just ordered a set of Sunstar sprockets (steel) to replace my OEM's. I ride my bike a lot and want to get longevity out of it. I didn't want to mess around with my gearing at all, I like it the way it is.

Like you I am still on my originals. My chain has about 17k on it. I also was a dumbass and did not maintain my chain ever!

I paid about $170 for both sprockets and the chain.

Not sure about the whining noise on your bike. When i let off the throttle around 6k RPM's i noticed the chain slipping b/c
it was was stretched. So, I adjusted it and that has helped.

[Jim]

the gearing wont mess with longevity, just the speedo.

the 520 kits or 525 aluminum sprockets are the ones that wear quicker.

i changed my gearing to -1/+2 which made my speedo +15% and odometer +10%. bought a speedohealer for $100 and that fixed that problem. FYI, your stock GSX-Rs are still off +5-7% on your speedo with stock gearing.

[KillBill]

Is that why I'm always holding up traffic going 80?

[RyanNicholson]

Is that why I'm always holding up traffic going 80?

no thats because you live in mass with a bunch of crazy assholes that can't drive haha

[Jim]

Is that why I'm always holding up traffic going 80?

i forget the odometer error on stock GSX-R's, but i know the speedo is 5-7% off

[KillBill]

no thats because you live in mass with a bunch of crazy assholes that can't drive haha

Oh yeah

I'm originally from Jersey and they put Massholes to shame

[selltekk]

Same on the YZF600R, speedo is fast 5-7%

[Pigman]

Driven has some quality stuff also....

[keeena]

i changed my gearing to -1/+2 which made my speedo +15% and odometer +10%.

Is it possible for a gearing change to effect speedo and odo by different percentages? Doesn't make sense to me unless they use 2 different inputs...I thought there was only 1.

I mean, if speedo shows 60mph constant for 1 minute, then your ODO should show +1 mile. If speedo is off by x%, it stands to reason that odo would be off by x% too.

Yes, no? I digress.

For SellTekk's orig question: to determine if a chain needs replacing, you're supposed to measure a specific # of links. If the length is larger than the in-spec measurement for that particular chain, you'll have to replace it. The factory service manual should have the info for your particular bike. Sprockets need replacing if the teeth are worn down, cracked, chipped or "curved" (like a sharks fin...as opposed to normally symmetrical).

[Jim]

go to speedohealer.com and put in the OEM and current info. OEM gearing for GSX-R's is close to +7%. i chose to do 'best compromise' to calibrate my speedohealer

[keeena]

go to speedohealer.com and put in the OEM and current info. OEM gearing for GSX-R's is close to +7%. i chose to do 'best compromise' to calibrate my speedohealer

Oh, I definitely agree that OEM is most likely a bit incorrect. Just saying that i would think speedometer and odometer are affected by the same percent.