Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Ok so own up...

who doesn't change their sprockets every time they change a chain?

just curious. I always have cos it's what you're "supposed" to do.
but the rear sprocket really doesn't show any signs of wear. the teeth are symmetrical, not curved.
They haven't done that many k's (close to 30000) but the chain is pretty stuffed from commuting, getting wet and crusty and not being lubed enough so I was thinking of replacing it before the big trip. I have memories of how stuffed my chain was last year and don't want to have to deal with it again.

I think visual inspection may mislead. Best is to fit the new chain and you'll see quick enough whether it snugs nicely or not.

I can only go off what a mate did by only doing the chain cos the sprockets looked fine...and his new chain was farked pretty quickly. I need to replace mine soon too, so if you find somewhere with a good price let me know


...and what are your plans for the big trip?

Depends on sprocket wear, chaingang produce treated sprockets which are designed not to wear, and would last probably a few chains. I dont have a chaingang sprocket myself, incase u think im plugging their product or something.

Maybe the price would work out about the same cos of the longer life, and u have to change it less.

incase ur interested http://www.chaingang.com.au pricey, but maybe its justified?

But chaingang seem to make only rear sprockets? but wouldnt the engine sprocket be more likely to wear, fewer teeth transmitting the same force at greater speed, seems to me like the majority of wear on the chain would occur at the engine sprocket, not at the rear. Making the extra expense of the chaingang sprocket good to make ur rear sprocket last longer, but not your chain.

Buy cheap non gen front and rear sprockets, and a good quality o-ring/X-ring/W-ring/XW/whatever designation they run today and they should wear out evenly then!!!

But yeah Smek, don't be a cheapskate!! The fucking rear sprocket will only cost $35 bucks. Stop being a skinflint! Plus mate, if it's done 30,000 klms already, I'd say it's near fucked now! despite appearances!!!

that's 10 beers there strika!

hehe I was most likely going to change 'em... just kinda hoping you'd chime in and tell me not to and I'd save some cash! so thanks for nothing

Smek my rear sprocket looked okay when it was on the bike but a closer inspection when it was off the bike revealed that it was about to start shedding teeth.

The steel ones hook over but the alloy ones sort of crumble and in the end i went for a set of steel ones from the dealer for 66bucks front and rear.

Wasn't quite as good as stereos effort though the noise got to me before it got to that stage.

smek wrote:...the rear sprocket really doesn't show any signs of wear. the teeth are symmetrical, not curved.

Two things:

1. It's not the rear sprocket that's usually the problem, you'll find...
2. It's normal for the rear sprocket teeth to wear more or less symmetrically. You're really looking for the teeth to look narrower than the gaps between them. By contrast, the teeth on the front waer into a hook shape.

By 30,000km, most people will have been on their second chain for a while. You've got a decent run out of the ones on your bike now; might as well splurge and replace them properly.

By 30,000km, most people will have been on their second chain for a while.

most of mine have all been changed at about the 30,000 mark and I only lube them every thousand or two km's...
expected most people to get more life than me out of a chain.

oh and the trip? well we'll be going all over. expect us up your way around new years.

about every 600-thousand kms? yeah that sounds about what i do too.

usually get about 18-23kkm per chain.

spend the $$ u tight arse...

u coming near me mate??

booked it in to floyd parkes on Thursday.
$305 fitted. from memory the last one was $350 from brighton.
Neka won't you be in nsw? If so we will be. Not sure how the dates are working out atm, but we're planning on hitting sydney and canberra and a few other places around there.

smekma- ill be in nsw 24-28th december...then ill be home...

no worries. just head on down to batemans bay and say g'day on the 28th!
after that we're going in opposite directions..