chain and sprocket conversions....
 

i know this has been beaten to death, but what are anybodys thoughts on conversions and any recommendations? i currently run a did 530 chain, stock 43 tooth rear and 15 tooth front,(best mod for the money, thanx guys!) all input is welcome!

I bought the 520 chain and sprocket deal on Ebay with the 15-43 combo. I've been real happy with it for the track, for street I bought a 41 tooth rear because I'm always looking for one more gear on the street with the 43. So far the chain has held up real well and no noticable wear to the sprockets.

Re: chain and sprocket conversions....
 

520 with 15/43 and I love it no problems with 2,000 miles on the chain so far cost $220 bucks

Re: chain and sprocket conversions....
 

Do you guys know what your top speed is? We've got some spectacular roads here and I regularly top out at 250km/h (by the speedo) and can't keep up to some of my buds. Irregardless, I'd be happy if I could hit 230 after the converson but no less.

Re: chain and sprocket conversions....
 

Lets see.... 250 KmH x 0.6214 = 155.35 MPH
That's dayum fast :D
About what was your RPM at 155MPH (250KmH) ? Was it redlined?

Best I've done around here was about 130MPH indicated
(1.61 x 130 = 209.3KmH)

Re: chain and sprocket conversions....
 

what brand and what else does the 520 conversion kit fit....i am having a little trouble finding one for a Shawk....does anybody know if the chain and sprockets from a f4i are the same I.E. number of links and what not?

I used Vortex sprockets,1down front 2 up rear w/520 DID chain,it rocks for me! I,ve put about 8000 mi. not wearing as well as stock but who cares.

Re: chain and sprocket conversions....
 

Check ebay.
A shop in Austin, TX sells a 520 setup for $139.99 on ebay
That's where I got mine.
You need a chain tool to install (if you don't already have one)
RK chain, vortex steel front 15, & vortex aluminum 43 rear

I got mine there as well. The f4i is different but it looks like the 919 is the same as long as the chain is the same length, best thing to do is cross referance the numbers. Here's a link to the place on ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HONDA...QQcmdZViewItem

Re: chain and sprocket conversions....
 

Thanks superhawk22 !

I was at work & couldn;t link to the ebay auction
(ebay is blocked at work)

If you get one you won't believe how much lighter the chain and sprockets are!
I should have weighted them but didn't :(
It must shave a several of pounds off the weight of the bike....well, at least a pound or two!

Re: chain and sprocket conversions....
 

Place here in TX, Sum of All Parts has kits for all kinds of bikes, including the SH. $139 plus $20 shipping. You can always find um on Ebay, go through the ebay shop, or order direct from their site. Their standard "optimized" kit is "Stock Sprocket sizes are 16 tooth front 41 tooth rear which has a final drive ratio of 2.56. The optimum ratio is 15 tooth front 43 tooth rear which has a final drive ratio of 2.87"

Have not gotten mine yet,, should be here today.. so this is less recommendation, and more just info as to another supplier.

Re: chain and sprocket conversions....
 

I don't know of any VTR high mileage commuter types running a 520 setup so the answer may be a long time coming but I wonder what kind of life span these have compared to a 530?

Of course any properly maintained chain run under an even partial throttle will last longer than one with spotty upkeep subjected to full throttle runs through the gears. So unless it's the same rider doing the "tests" who doesn't change his riding routine, we will never really know.

I guess in a way I just answered my question.

Well then I'm lazy with mat. and do full throtle through the gears at the track so if it's going to wear fast I can tell you. Oh and lots of chain stretching wheelies too!! :lol:

Remember the speedo is out, what, 8%? Had about 700 rpm left before redline. I live on Vancouver Island where we have a new billion dollor freeway through the boonies (super wide shoulders, very few vehicles, miles long sight lines, could easily/safely go 300km/h...well "safely" is a relative term HA HA)

So no one knows what their top end is after this conversion?

Did you guys recalibrate your speedometers? If so, what 'box' are you using. I've got several sprocket sizes laying around but have been hesitant to switch because I want my speedo to be correct. Any suggestions?

Jamie Daugherty
http://members.iquest.net/~daugherj

If you go lower gearing,, your speedo gets MORE accurate when you add the "normal 520" kit.. as it reads fast from the OEM..

Stock Sprocket sizes are 16 th front 41 th rear with a final drive ratio of 2.56.
The 15 tooth front 43 tooth rear kit has a final drive ratio of 2.87

North, I could try to find out for ya but my speedo is way off so it wouldn't matter what I told you. I have 15-43 and mine is off more than stock.

So, I guess my original question still stands: does anyone use a speedometer recalibrator? I know that the stock speedos are off, I'd really like it to be correct. Any suggestions on what works best from persoal experience? Thanks!

Jamie Daugherty
http://members.iquest.net/~daugherj

Re: chain and sprocket conversions....
 

The guy at Speedohealer said Honda's stock speedo error was about 5%
I used the calculator to figure in the change to 15/43 and came up with 15.6% correction
with a fairly new tire.
This seems to be pretty accurate just based on how fast it says I'm running compared to other traffic.
Hmmmmm.......maybe I can find one of those remote radar display units they leave on some Dallas streets to deter speeders !
Anyway....Check out the Speedohealer calculator here:
http://speedohealer.com/eng/adjust.htm
BTW the speedohealer is a simple plug & play type installation....no wires to splice just plugs into the factory wiring harness.
I had 1st tried an 8% stock correction baseline but it was way off (17.6% total correction with 15/43 gears)

Need to borrow a GPS & test it to be most accurate.

A lot of us are using bike computers, very accurate.

Sigma 1200 avalible at REI @ around $20.

Some other good functions as well like 2 trips, av speed, and max speed recorded.

Lower gearing makes your stock speedo read even higher than it was with stock gearing.

~Jeffers

Re: chain and sprocket conversions....
 

Is 15/43 too much do you think? Going into my 3rd year on the VTR now, I was thinking of just dropping the front down 1. Will this not be noticeable?

Re: chain and sprocket conversions....
 

Re: chain and sprocket conversions....
 

Sigma BC1200 $14.95 @ Bike Nashbar
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...eid=&pagename=

Re: chain and sprocket conversions....
 

One tooth will definately be noticeable, but I don't think too low. I went up 2 on the rear and liked it, which is not quite as low as 1 down on the front.

Re: chain and sprocket conversions....
 

Here is a gearing calculator that will tell you how fast you should be going in any gear. Type in the proper valeus and you will have the info. At least you can see how far off you speedo is.
http://www.jahlmandesign.com/gear_calc_mph.htm
All the gear ratios are in the owners manual.

The best I have done is 157.06 GPS verified. That was hitting the rev-limiter.

Is that with a 15/43 ?

that was with a 16/43

Re: chain and sprocket conversions....
 

installed on mine: sunstar front sprocket, vortex rear, and an RK 530 chain... down 1, up 7... i dont care too much about top end, obvisouly... but damn... 3 gear, front end still wants to come up

UP 7:shock: what does your bike do like 80 miles an hour? :lol: that must be scary in 1st gear.