Right, what is the benefits from this? My front is 14 and the rear 39 tooth. I want to go back to the original 15F and 38R. However, gearing is not my thing, so can people just tell me 3 things please. 1) why from 525 to 520 2) what's needed? I already have the rental sprocket carrier on 3) what will make riding smoother at lower speeds? I was told going back up to 15F and 38R will iron out the roughness I am experiencing at the moment. Also, what size is the nut on the front sprocket? Cheers
520 chain and sprockets are lighter but will have no benefit for road use and potentially are not as durable as a 525 chain. Unless you are going racing, stick to what the manufacturer recommends as a broken chain can have disastrous consequences for you and the bike.
520 chain is narrower but the same pitch and consequently lighter but then the pressure you are putting on the pivot pins is higher so they wear quicker
Q.3 ......It would seem your current gearing would make it easier around town but out on the open road you've lost a bit of top end Gearing Commander: Motorcycle Speed, RPM, Chain & Sprockets Calculator FYI... I've gone for slightly higher gearing on the multi and love it 15F 41R but then I don't drag round town much. Q.2......If you want to go for the 520 chain see what renthal do for the back width wise and I could face off the necessary from a standard front if you wanted.
Hi Chris.....the gearing on your bike will give you increased acceleration with a trade off being a loss of top speed. The drop to a 14 front and the increase to a 39 rear is tantamount to just adding 4 teeth on the back, which is quite extreme. I would go back to your 15 front and go for a 40 rear....that way you reach a compromise. The original 15/38 was always alleged to be a bit rough around town, and either the dropping to a 14 or increasing the back by 2 is de rigeur.........however, yours is too extreme and will make throttle application round town feel snatchy. As for going to a 520 chain, well, we use a 520 on the BSB bikes, so its not a case that its weaker in any way, but on a road bike would be likely to demand a good maintenance schedule if you want it to last as long as a 525. It is lighter, the sprockets are thinner and lighter, and all that contributes to less rotating mass, some of which is unsprung...all of which will contribute to ( tho whether you would notice it on the road is a moot point) better handling......
If you're feeling very geeky have a look here..... Gearing Commander: Motorcycle Speed, RPM, Chain & Sprockets Calculator
Right, so the end point is the current gearing is great for short tracks, but for me, like most of my Sunday rides are, mostly through towns with nice blasts in the country between. I used that gearing commander before and checked last night, I see it's given faster acceleration and loss of top speed. Again, it's a 1098S, at standard, its still going to give me a kick up the back side. I think what I will do, is go back to bog standard, try it out, and go from there. And yes Nelson, it is geeky, had it bookmarked for ages lol. Awsome little site As for the 520 converstion, had an idea why it would be done (weight), so thanks for the info there. Seems like a decent converstion for a track bike, but as you say Nog, for me... Will end up to be too much hassle for the minor benefits.
From all the gubbins I read, internet wisdom says, 848 - drop a tooth. (I'll vouch for that one!) 1098 leave be, it has enough torque to wheelie yr arse off or start a planet as it is.. As for the chain and cogs, very popular mod in the states, personally I can't see the wisdom of it unless yr racing or have money to burn! In my most 'umble opinion of course...:biggrin:
