Sprocket & Chain recomendations

[Mykill]

Just curious on what people are using. I am going to order both in a few days. I was looking at the pit bull sprockets. What does the 520 conversion do? Most are kits for that and I think I am fine with the stock gearing?

What should I look for in sprockets and the different types of chains?

[JonS]

* Supersprox Sprocket, Aluminum center with steel outer (supposed to last longer)

* DID Chain (Way more durable than anything I threw at it)

[Lost1888]

I run pit-bull sprockets and ek x ring chain 525. They have last me over 20k so far. Very little stretch, no signs of o-ring damage. Wish I could fine my maint. log to figure exact mileage. But I can't. Anyways I bought mine at Svracingparts.com. If you can't get a hold of the Pit Bull sprocket and are sure that's what you want send Blair an email and maybe he can help you out.

Personally I'm a firm believer that maintaining your chain properly with Kerosense as the cleaning agent, toothbrush to scrub and chainwax to lube at regular 500-1000 mile intervals will make your chain last longer than anything else you can do.

And a picture because I'm a whore!

[Lost1888]

The theory from what I understand is with a 520 chain is it has less rotational mass and in return you'll get a little better acceleration through faster transfer of power to the rear wheel. It's really more of a racing mod to get a couple .10 or .01 of a second after gearing changes.

From what I've heard they don't last quite as long either. But don't really know for sure since it's just what I've read and never put any research into it.

Somebody on here will have all the specifics.

[grapesmuggler27]

Vortex Sprocket DID chain FTW do the 520 conversion

/thread

[NinjaNick]

DID 530 chain with Vortex sprockets here, but I'm going Supersprox next.

[ohdaho]

-1/+2 with DiD 520VM chain and supersprox rear.

[jagr]

* Supersprox Sprocket, Aluminum center with steel outer (supposed to last longer)

* DID Chain (Way more durable than anything I threw at it)

I'm running the same setup so I have to agree with JonS. Plus it's purdy.

[4DAIVI PAI2K5]

I'm looking for a kit also, pitbull kit I had has reached the end of it life. Just trying to find a deal out there for anything haha.

[mojocho]

here is a good place to buy and learn about chains. I found this usefull in my search. Also I've had great experiences from these guys.

https://www.motomummy.com/store/pages.php?pageid=2

Basic chain kit information

There are a lot of questions about Chains, Sprockets, Gearing and so on. Hopefully this will help people. First everyone needs to realize there is a countershaft or front sprocket at the front of your chain (covered up normally) and a rear sprocket in the rear wheel area that you can see. The gearing means the tooth count of each sprocket. As you change the tooth count of a sprocket you will change the way the bike accelerates, top speed, rpm's per speed.

Many will wonder what the pitch means. You can think of that as the width of the chain and how thick the sprockets are. You must buy the same pitch for your sprockets and chain as they must match up. The thicker they are (higher pitch number) the stronger they are, but also heavier. So a 530 sized chain/sprockets are a bit thicker then a 520.

Most all 600cc and 750cc guys can easily go down to a 520 pitch setup (known as the 520 conversion). The bikes don't push enough horsepower (hp) to hurt a good quality 520 setup. Most guys who ride a 1000cc bike also convert to a 520 (this fact alone should give the 600cc and 750cc guys confidence in the setup). The only time i would recommend sticking with a 530 pitch setup is if you stunt it, love wheelies, have a turbo, have nitrous.

All of our kits and all quality kits consist of these standard parts.

1 steel chain with rivet master link.

1 steel front sprocket

1 rear sprocket that can be made of hard anodized alum or steel

I use to recommend if you want the longest life possible go with a 530 chain kit, but in the last year there are now lightweight steel 520 chain kits. When we mention lightweight steel we are talking a bout the rear sprocket. All chains are made of steel and all front sprockets so the only time you'll have a material change is when you're talking about the rear sprocket. These chain kits have a full steel rear sprocket and with the modern technology of chains you can get a kit to last as long as your oem chain kit. We only sell upper end chain kits so a 520 lightweight steel will last you a very long time matched up with a high end chain like the EK MVXZ, RK GXW, or EK ZZZ. These kits are great for people who want lightweight and longevity. For those looking for the utmost in lightweight and performance then the hard anodized alum. rear chain kits would be the kit for you.

Many racers swear by select brands, but the fact remains that all our alum rear sprockets are made out of the same grade aluminum and ALL are hard anodized. We won't sell a sprocket if it's not hard anodized as hard anodizing nearly doubles the life of the sprocket for only a few dollars more. Most all good aftermarket 520 setups are nearly as strong (some are stronger) then stock 530 setups. The 520 setups are also cheaper so that's another plus. What many people forget when buying is that sprockets normally wear out before a chain if it's properly maintained. All of are sprockets are hard anodized and made from top grade aluminum and all of our chains are the top chains from each manufacturer. If you want a cheaper kit that will not last as long or isn't as safe then our kits aren't for you. One thing about maintenance you must know that over tightening a chain will cause VERY quick failure of the sprockets and chain on ANY setup. If you set the chain too loose it will "slap" the sprocket as you take off and the slapping can cause a crack between the teeth of the rear sprocket or can widen the teeth and cause problems. Set your chain slack to oem standards! We can't stress this enough.. That is the most important factor for keeping a setup around a long time. Also lubing the chain at regular intervals.

Since the chain setup is out of the way lets move on to sprockets. Stock sprockets are mostly all steel. This is a very heavy metal, but it lasts a long time. Most aftermarket sprockets are made out of aluminum (now you can get aftermarket rear sprockets in lightweight steel, this started in 2010). An alum sprocket won't last nearly as long as a steel sprocket. However, they came up with a procedure called hard anodizing which makes the sprocket much harder. This process in all makers turns the sprocket into a black or dark grey color. If your sprocket isn't that color you can forget your sprocket being hard anodized. Hard anodizing is said to double the life of an alum sprocket and make it last close to as long as steel if it's properly taken care of. Now there are even steel sprockets in 520 that are lighter then most others. Such as the Drive Systems, Driven, Vortex, or Stealth superlight steel chain kits. These sprockets are about one pound heavier then a hard anodized alum chain kit like the Driven, but they will last longer as they have a steel rear sprocket. With these there truly is no reason everyone can't do the 520 conversion now. We would recommend one of these steel 520 chain kits over a hard anodized alum 530 chain kit any day of the week. They will be less weight AND last longer then a 530 with a hard anodized alum rear sprocket. These are not for everyone, but if you want a chain kit to last a long time then these are the kits for you.

Now to gearing. You often here of -1 or +2 or -1/+2. Well if you hear - numbers it normally means going down a tooth in the front sprocket. This gives you more acceleration out of your bike (feels like more torque and it's noticeable), but on the downside you will lose roughly 10mph of top speed in 6th. So if you went 185 mph you'll probably only go 175 now. before getting into redline or wherever you were before in the rpms. When people talk about + numbers its normally talking about the rear sprocket as this also increases acceleration. The most common setup (especially for 1000cc bikes) is +2 in the rear. This gives you a noticeable gain in acceleration with a loss of about 7mph on the top end. You can also combine the two and run -1 in front and +2 in the rear (a -1/+2 setup) this will give you crazy acceleration, but you'll lose 15-20mph on the top end. it's great for stunters or drag racers. Going down 1 tooth in the front is equal to going up about 3 teeth in the rear. So if you do +2 in the rear it's a little bit less drastic of a change then -1 in the front.

If you rarely do top end pulls and want acceleration i would recommend going -1 in front. If you want the both of best worlds you'll have to compromise, but +2 in the rear is the favorite setup. Only do both if you have experience with gearing or want to have crazy acceleration and rarely do top speed pulls. Also note that if you go -1/+2 at the same time even going down the freeway your rpms will be noticeably higher, this can slightly eat into gas mileage.

Many people ask if they should get a rivet master link or a clip on. The master link is the link YOU connect to connect both ends of the chain and link them into one chain that wraps around the sprockets. Many people say that clip on links are fine, but many have also had them come off and this can become a major problem resulting in a destroyed engine, foot, or even a crash. The rivet links are much stronger and safer so I HIGHLY recommend using that. saving 50 dollars to have your dealer rivet the chain together is nothing compared to what often happens if a chain comes apart while riding. You can also buy a chain tool and rivet the chain together yourself. I recommend the motionpro rivet/chain breaker kit, but any will work. Feel free to search the net on instructions on how to rivet.

Some people ask about if going +2 teeth or what not in the rear will move the rear wheel back too far. Well you should always replace the chain and sprockets together unless you have very low miles on the setup. You see the chain and sprockets wear out together and in a way "form" to each other. Anyway, when you put the new chain on you can add links or take links away to make the chain as long or short as you want it. This lets YOU decide how far back or forward you want the rear tire. Remember you can ALWAYS take more links off so don't overdo it. It's best to take not enough links off the chain then too many.

MPH: Yes when you go down in the front or up in the rear your speedometer willl be off. Normally it will be higher then you are actually going. Many people don't mind this, but some do especially because it racks up miles about 5-15% quicker. The solution is to buy a SpeedoDRD which will correct the error. This is a plug in unit and easy to install.

Tips:

1: If you can't figure out which way the front sprocket goes in ASK SOMEONE. Don't guess as you can put it on backwards and wreck the setup.

2: If you haven't riveted something before then have someone help you or make sure you know what you're doing.

3: Set your chain slack to your oem specs or you will destroy a chain kit damn fast.

4: If you change your gearing your speedometer will probably be thrown off a bit.

5: Set your chain to the proper chain slack at the tightest spot, rotate the rear tire as you check and check it in different spots of the chain. Don't assume the first spot you check is the tightest spot in the chain.

6: Maintenance is the #1 thing to have a chain kit last a long time. If you go through a chain kit quickly I would look at the installation or maintenance. You can buy the strongest chain kit in the world, but if it's not taken care of it won't last as long as the worst chain kit on the market.

7: My chain or sprockets didn't last long? why? Read #6 as it's the most important issue in getting all the miles you can out of your chain kit.

If you have any questions please use our contact form.

[cskeller07]

I bought a Regina kit, comes with both sprockets and chain and all the amenities.

OEM specs, nothing special

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/5/85/6295/20399/PITEM/Regina-OEM-Chain-and-Sprocket-Kits-2002-Kawasaki-Ninja-500R-Parts.aspx

They also make a kit for your bike/year assuming its the 600rr

$150 i think for everything

[ross]

on motomummy. I've bought 3 chain kits from them so far and they are by far one of the best companies I've ordered parts from.

[crf69]

stock

[2talltim]

check out this DRIVEN / EK combo deal on the TLzone group buy...not sure what other bikes it will fit or if he can get other fitments but looks like a hell of a deal... http://www.tlzone.net/forums/group-buys/93513-driven-sprocket-chain-combos.html

[idodishez]

So the MPH/odometer to be off no matter WHAT gear changes you do, correct? Front only, rear only, or both?

[blue03636]

So the MPH/odometer to be off no matter WHAT gear changes you do, correct? Front only, rear only, or both?

Correct.

I'm picking up pitbull front and rear sprockets this weekend at Nelsons. I run the DID chain. You may want to check as most new 600's come with a 520.

[blue03636]

Just looked, shocked the 600rr still had a 525. My 03 ZX6R came with the 520 from the factory. The 520 is said to not last as long but saves weight both in the chain and sprockets. The little you save on this really wont matter. You can save a ton of weight just by getting aluminum sprockets in the stock size.

[jbot]

i'm running, from what i can tell, the original OEM chain and sprocket. please god, let them last all season...

they have about 19K miles on them, the last 6K being track and race miles.

...i should probably get a spare set just in case, but for some really strange reason, i can't find an OEM set in good condition. i thought the cbr squids would've changed out the chain/sprocket early on?

[blue03636]

i'm running, from what i can tell, the original OEM chain and sprocket. please god, let them last all season...

they have about 19K miles on them, the last 6K being track and race miles.

...i should probably get a spare set just in case, but for some really strange reason, i can't find an OEM set in good condition. i thought the cbr squids would've changed out the chain/sprocket early on?

Apparently they are all cheap bastard like you.

[JBWalker]

i use EK chain. just as good as D.I.D. but at half the cost. $ave

[blue03636]

i use EK chain. just as good as D.I.D. but at half the cost. $ave

The EK are the same price as a DID. I really doubt you are getting the same EK chain for $75 compaired to the DID at $145. If you are getting a non oring one maybe.

[JBWalker]

The EK are the same price as a DID. I really doubt you are getting the same EK chain for $75 compaired to the DID at $145. If you are getting a non oring one maybe.

thread killer

[ReconRat]

I'm convinced. I'll switch rear to SuperSprox with the new chain.

The cheapest price I found was cheapcycleparts.com.

They even beat indysuperbikes, which is where I think sprocket deals are found.

I have a spare stock front sprocket already.

edit: Do I now have an excuse to ride around on the torn up chain for a while?