How To Change Chain & Sprockets

Post by **Jamz** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 6:26 pm

Right - info time:

The problem isn't that you can't get "soft" or "rivet" links for EK chains, it's finding someone who'll SELL you one!!!

I got the new MPS catalogue through today, with EK chains!!!!

So i called them up, and was told they only supply the links if you can show them the box and receipt for your chain - because otherwise you can "sue them into oblivion" if anything goes wrong.

Fair enough, i suppose....

I did ask them if i could sign away my rights, but they didn't have any of the links i needed anyway....

Which leaves me with a rear sprocket which now has NO teeth on it

, a brand new chain and sprocket set i can't put on, and about Â£10 to sort something out - or i'll have to ride it to and from work for another week before i'll have any more cash....

I'm considering deicide.

RedexRobB · Post by **RedexRobB** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 9:27 pm

your gonna kill jesus just cos you cant find a chain link! LMAO!

edit: have you thought about trying a breakers??

Post by **masterofinsanity** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 12:01 pm

JAMZ i think i may have a spare link in my toolbox i will check and txt u later mate.

Post by **Jamz** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 7:24 pm

I called up BC Express today to try them for a rivet-link, and here's what i found....

Mr Kawasaki saw fit to build his ZXR400's and fit them with a continuous EK chain from the factory which is a sliiiiiiiiiightly different size to any EK chain that you can buy, so there are none anywhere!!!

Apparently some bikes come out the factory with DID chains that do the same thing too.

So it looks like i'm gonna have to sell this chain on and buy myself a new one from somewhere - which will have to be the end of next week at the earliest....

SimonH · Post by **SimonH** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 8:42 pm

sounds like they did the same to my zx7......but I find it hard to believe the chain had beeen on there for 10,000 miles....weird

RedexRobB · Post by **RedexRobB** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:45 pm

And you know why they do that dont you???

So you pay an authorised ealer to do the job for you. When i balanced my mates carbs on his VFR400, you would not beleive the hassle we had trying to do it. And did you know you have to take off the front radiator to get to the front spark plugs??? Talk about fucking hassle. And when we finally managaed to get the vacuumm gauge pipes on the inlets, the bitch we had trying adjust the screws, they were right up int he middle of the V, not on the outside where itd be easier to get to

Post by **Jamz** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 12:09 am

10,000 miles is pretty low mileage to get out of a decent chain - i'd be expecting 15 - 20,000 unless it's a big V-Twin!!!

Generally you get what you pay for with chains - i was pretty horrified to see the state of my Renthal sprockets on my ZXR400 though!!!

Front seems ok for 15k miles+, but the rear is completely buggered - teeth went needle thin, now i don't think there's any left on it

seems to be ok on the stubs, but i'm paranoid to fk about it jumping off, or the stubs splting the chain......

I still stand by Rethals for performance though!!! Hold an OE sprocket in one hand and a Renthal in the other and you'll virtually fall over with the weight difference!!!!

Post by **masterofinsanity** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 11:28 pm

eeeerm.....just bought a old bmx for my lad and it needs a new chain, dont suppose anyones got one lyin around?

guest · Post by **guest** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 4:03 pm

can some1 please tell me what type of chain i need to get is it a x' ring also the size is a 520 the right size. and i want more get up and go so should i go down at the front and up at the rear. i think its 15 and 46 at the mo.how many should i drop it and raise it by.
any info would be helpful.

SimonH · Post by **SimonH** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 5:23 pm

x-rings are preferable because they last longer, but if money is tight an o-ring would do (although it is a bit of a false economy really). When I had my zxr I went 1 down at the front and 2 up at the back.....gives you a load more acceleration without sacrificing too much top speed or low speed drivability.....D.I.D are good and I'm running Tsubaki on my 7 at the moment

Post by **cargo** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 5:34 pm

520 is the correct size of chain for a ZXR400L model I can only guess that a H model ids the same.

Now sprockets..........the standard sprockets are 15 front and 45 rear.

If you fit a larger rear sprocket you will be lowering the gearing this means better acceleration but reduced top speed.

A smaller rear sprocket raises the gearing giving you a higher top speed providing your bike can rev out with that gearing and reduced acceleration.

A larger front sprocket gives you a similiar result as a smaller rear and a smaller front has a similiar result as a larger rear.

A one tooth change to the front is roughly the same as a 3 tooth change to the rear for example 14 front 45 rear is about the same as 15/48.

Racers use a selection of sprockets to achieve the best gearing for any given curcuit as a rough guide you want the bike to be pulling top gear (on th red line) and therefore be at it's fastest just before you braking point for the next corner.

If you divide the number of rear teeth by the number of front teeth you get a ratio the lower this number is the higher the gearing is.

For example if you've got 15/45 on the bike the ratio is 3 but if you put a 44 on the rear the ratio is 2.933333333 so your gearing is now higher.

REMEMBER it does NOT mean the if you change you rear sprocket for a very small one you will get a huge increase in top speed because in order to "pull" that gearing you also need enough power

Like wise if you put a very larger sprocket on the rear you will NOT get 1 second standing 1/4 mile starts because once again you don't have the power and anyway who wants a top speed of 30mph

If you go to this little site you can type in what sprocket sizes and it will show you the changes to speed etc it's for a 600 honda but the principal is the same. If you know all your internal ratios you can type those in too to get a result for your bike. It also lets you see comaprision between two sets of changes

http://jesture.com/misc/f4igearingform.php?showbike=1

Hope this make some sort of sense of what can be a difficult subject to grasp.

Post by **Jamz** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 11:31 pm

I can now officially confirm that changing your own sprockets is officially a Piece Of Piss!!!

All very easy, straightforward, and idiot-proof.

Only worrying part is getting the rear sprocket nuts off (if you have an alloy sprocket it'll have fused to the steel nuts and the wheel itself) - but even that all went smoothly!!! And i thought the front sprocket would be the problem.....

Whole operation took about 2 and a half hours - but that included talking/pissing about/reading manuals time, stripping fairing, taking off gear linkage/sprocket cover etc.

In fact, the most time was taken up breaking and rivetting the chains, and figuring out which attatchment for the tool to use for which part of the chain process - easily an hour just on this.

I reckon if i had to do it again tomorrow (and hopefully i won't

), i could ride the bike into the workshop and out again in under an hour

So i spent about Â£40 doing a job that your average bike place would charge around Â£120 for - BARGAIN!!!!

Post by **Jamz** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 11:40 pm

Oh, and i should let you all know that in the end i paid about Â£32 including P&P for an o-ring chain from http://www.bargain-biker.com!!!

It appears to be of excellent quality, but they also do a super heavy duty o-ring or an x-ring for a few quid more - gotta be worth it if you have the cash.

The reason they're so cheap is because he's done away with the middle-man and all the fancy names, and buys the chains in reels that he cuts to length as ordered...