Chain and sprocket advice.

[DemonDuck]

It is time to change my chain and sprockets and so im trying to figure out what I want to get. I saw that sidewinder makes titanium sprockets and they have chains as well but not sure how well they do. I want something that can handle the hp and torque of my bike well and will continue to handle it after I make a few more upgrades. Can anyone give me any guidance on what to look for or even point me to the good stuff. I dont mind going with something more expensive as this is one of those parts I dont want going bad on me at the wrong time if you know what I mean.

[Firewa11]

DID and RK make pretty much the best chains. I know a lot of people like the Vortex sprockets, and they are easy to find at CycleGear and such. Beyond that I don't know much more about brands / selections.

That being said, unless you're dropping in a NOS bottle, I wouldn't worry about the chain / sprockets too much, adding 5-10 HP won't impact the wear that much. I don't think materials is going to matter as much unless you're trying to shave off ounces of weight for the track. Sure titanium is stronger, but never seen a titanium chain before. My guess is it wouldn't stretch out as much after 20k miles, but the o-rings still wear out. Same goes for sprockets. If you're having to replace sprockets after 20k miles, you're likely either dropping a double-shot of NOS on the drag strip, or for normal street use, you're not paying attention to your chain tension and letting it get too loose or too tight.

Oh, on that note, some people tend to change sizes of sprockets / chains to handle additional load, going from 520, 525, or 530 depending on what the bike starts out at. And I'm sure the ZX-14 already has a 530 on it, most liter+ bikes do.

[dufremle]

Talk to Dave at CycleWerkz. He can recommend the best chain/sprocket combination. CycleWerkz does a lot of high performance work and they won't try to sell you something you don't need.

Unless of course you really want the most expensive part.

http://cyclewerkz.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[DemonDuck]

Thanks for the advice.... I plan on a stage 2 turbo in the future but that will be a while. I am only going to change the stuff because im close to 20k and was told I need to do it just for the milage. I will talk to them at cycleworkz.

[Firewa11]

Nah, you don't have to replace a chain at 20k. You have to replace a chain when it's either got kinks in it and/or it's stretched out too far to adjust any more. You don't have to replace sprockets unless the teeth are worn. Sprockets rarely need to be replaced for wear. Most people change sprockets to change up the gear ratios for stunting, drag racing, etc.

[sckego]

Because the chain and sprockets are rotating mass, losing weight there helps with acceleration far more then on other parts of the bike (similar to the effect of getting lighter wheels). I've never experimented with going to lighter sprockets or a smaller (520 or 525) chain, but I've heard that the difference in power is noticable. The downside to going with lighter sprockets (aluminum instead of steel) or a smaller/lighter chain is that they wear more quickly. Every time you grab a handful of throttle and put the chain under load, it's going to strech a miniscule amount, and over thousands of miles it will actually stretch to the point that it doesn't perfectly line up with the sprocket teeth. A 520 chain, because of it's smaller size, is going to strech much more quickly compared to a 530 chain. The force of the chain causes wear on the sprockets as well... most bikes come stock with steel sprockets, which are heavy, but wear very slowly. Aluminum will save weight there, but wear much quicker. I know some aftermarket companies make sprockets where the center portion is AL, and just the outer ring and teeth are steel--kind of the best of both worlds. Ti sounds interesting, but I'm betting it's $$$.

Anyways, it sounds like you're wanting something that will take whatever power you throw at it... for that, probably a plain old 530 chain and steel sprockets. No sense going to lightweight components, since they'll probably wear out in a flash considering the power your bike makes now, nevermind with a turbo strapped to it.

As for your chain right now... 20k is the rule-of-thumb replacement interval, but as long as it still looks good, has been well cared for, and isn't streched out, there's really no reason to replace it. The things to look for are red dust on the chain (signals that the o-rings have been compromised and the internal rollers are starting to rust), and tight spots--if you rotate the rear wheel by hand and can notice the chain getting looser and tighter as it rotates. Also check the length between 10 links of the chain...a new 530 chain is 6.25" for 10 links; if yours measures more then 6.40", time to replace.

[Blizzard_1708]

Sprockets rarely need to be replaced for wear. Most people change sprockets to change up the gear ratios for stunting, drag racing, etc.

I always heard you should change sprockets and the chain at the same time. Steel spockets are pretty cheap

[Firewa11]

I've never heard that, but doesn't mean it's not good advice. I've just never seen a need.

My only real bit of advice is to don't mess with a grunge brush. I never had an issue with cleaning a chain until I got one, and then within 500 miles after using it I had several burst o-rings. Yes, I had the "o-ring safe" version of the brush. Buy yourself some rags, use old socks, towels, etc.

[dufremle]

I asked Dave (CycleWerkz) about changing the sprockets when I changed the chain, and he said they recommend it. Mainly because you are putting a new chain on used sprockets. Both are wear items. As the chain stretches it starts to wear a different pattern on the sprockets. When you put a new chain on the old sprocket it starts wearing with the pattern the previous chain created. It's not going to cause a lot of issues but over time it could reduce the life of the new chain.

He has seen people come in with the sprockets so worn down that the chain was slipping.
If you don't change the sprockets every time you change the chain at least check them when you do put a new chain on to make sure they don't need replacing.

[Firewa11]

I guess he didn't recommend me changing the sprockets because I had only had just over 10k miles on my Gixxer when that grunge brush killed the chain and I had to get it changed out, and the sprockets hadn't been worn down much... I dunno.

[Blizzard_1708]

or he just doesnt like you

[dufremle]

Could be. I had over 20,000 mi on mine when I changed the chain. He recommended the sprockets, also.

[Firewa11]

or he just doesnt like you

Could be, but doubt it.

[Blizzard_1708]

[sckego]

Yeah, I've always heard to change the sprockets at the same time as the chain. Like Bilzz pointed out, they're cheap compared the cost of a new chain...

[DemonDuck]

or he just doesnt like you

Could be, but doubt it.

Im sure thats not it .... everyone likes Firewall.

[Blizzard_1708]

yeah, you might be right

[WillK675]

key word.... *might

[Firewa11]

Hah, I can think of a few people that don't like me.

[Meat of Snail]

DemonDuck, I would suggest you stay with the stock chain width (as Firewa11 stated, DID and RK make some of the best quality/strongest chains out there), and use a steel sprocket (they will last much longer than other materials, especially with the size/hp bike you have). Change both sprockets and the chain at the same time (there are good reasons to do this, if you want to discuss why talk to me in person). I like to stay with stock sprocket sizes, but if you want to change the gearing, now is the time. If you want help changing the chain/sprockets out, I would be more than happy to help.

[DarcShadow]

If you change sprocket sizes, don't forget that your speedo will be off.

[DemonDuck]

I might take you up on the offer to help change the stuff out.... maybe you could take a look at it on bikenight and let me know if you think I need to change it. If I change the sizes maybe it would correct the speedo...lol its like 5mph off now I think. Not sure about changing the size as I would loose top end speed but then how often do I go 187?...lol Still debating on the size change.

[Meat of Snail]

Personally, I like to stick with stock, and if you really want to get the speedo adjusted you should get something like a SpeedoHealer, these modify the electronic signal with a correction factor for callibrating your speedo. You can get one through Cycle Werkz, I think they are about $110 or $120.

[Firewa11]

All vehicles are usually 5-10% off, displaying higher speed than you're actually going. My Ninja is all factory, but is usually off anywhere from 5-20mph off. GPS said I was doing 174 when I was doing 188 indicated.

Like Snail Meat said, SpeedoHealer will fix it up even if you don't use different sprockets. At least then you know exactly what speed you were doing when the cop clocked you!

[Blizzard_1708]

All vehicles are usually 5-10% off, displaying higher speed than you're actually going. My Ninja is all factory, but is usually off anywhere from 5-20mph off. GPS said I was doing 74 when I was doing 88 indicated.

Like Snail Meat said, SpeedoHealer will fix it up even if you don't use different sprockets. At least then you know exactly what speed you were doing when the cop clocked you!

We do not promote excessive speeding, so I fixed it for ya Firewa11!!