O-Ring vs. X-Ring

WHAT? You can buy the chain in any length you need....108,110, 112,...120, etc and you can always shorten it to the length you need easily with DID chain cut/rivet tool. I don't remember if I had to account for the extra 2 teeth or not to be honest. I just fed my chain through and lined it up with the tension adjuster in a forward position to allow for chain stretch. I think I ended up with 110 links....I'd have to count again to be sure.

 

Reason I ask is the site Action linked sells the kits with chains cut to length. See as how I'm usually at the top of Murphy's To Do list, I just wanna be sure the chain's not too short with the +2 rear sprocket...

 

The short answer is, "Don't sweat it." The long answer is:

According to gearcommander.com, if you go -1 in the front, you increase the distance between the front and rear sprockets by 3.72 mm, assuming that the length of the chain is unchanged. If you go +2 in the rear, you decrease the distance by 8.54 mm. If you do both (-1/+2), you decrease the distance between sprockets by 4.84 mm.

As long as you have enough chain tensioner adjustment range on the swingarm, you do not have to add/remove links. I believe that the VFR has sufficient chain tension adjustment range to handle the slight (no more than approximately 1/2 the length of a link) difference in the distance between the sprockets that these changes create.

I did not make any change to my chain when I went to the 15T front. I had to adjust my chain slack, of course, but didn't, and haven't since, had any issues.

 

gearingcommander.com site is great! seems going up 2teeth on back with front stock increases rpm by around 200 at least thats the way i read it @100Kmh. shouldn't really make that much difference on speedo, it wasn't right to begin with anyways. chain still stay @112links according to gearingcommander

 

Cyborg,
Yes the chain came cut to length, but as soundmaster31 said its fairly easy to change length. I don't have a chain tool so I went over to a friends house to use his. Neither one of us had used a rivet style master link but he had the breaker/rivet tool. Taking our time and learning as we went the whole project took around 2 hours. Its really pretty easy.

Action

 

Just want to say :thumbsup: to Sprocket Center. I ordered some sprockets and chain over the weekend for my 5th gen (-1/+2) and fat fingered the chain, mixing up 530 sprockets and 520 chain. Chad from SprocketCenter called first thing this morning to check with me on the order and we got it straightened out. Saved me a week of shipping something back and waiting for the right part.

I was considering the 520 kit they have and took the plunge with that after talking with him. So -1/+2 gearing with the 520 conversion, I don't know if they include a squid sticker with that kit but I'll have to find one. :biggrin:

 

What is the advantage of going with a 520 rather than the stock 530?

 

It's purely for weight savings and energy loss due to rotational mass. It's irrelevant for street use(especially on the VFR) and is negligible on the track unless you're a professional racer and those 1/10th seconds matter. Skills/Lessons are a better investment.


The weight reduction helps the bike become lighter, and since the chain is lighter, less energy is wasted in transfer from the engine to the rear wheel making the bike more efficient to an extent(very small). Same reason aluminum sprockets are used in racing. Minimize weight, and maximize engine output to the highest efficiency.

One thing to remember is that the smaller chain pitch(520) comes with reduction in tensile strength. I would directly correlate tensile strength with how fast/easily a chain would stretch/wear with a given engine size/power.

 

All true. As far as price, it's basically the same cost as the 530 kit. The RK 520GXW chain has a rating of 8800 ft lbs tensile strength. The DID 530 VM chain has a rating of 9700 ft lbs. I think either are fine for the VFR if you don't ride too hard and take care of the chain. The 520 may wear faster but I doubt I'll notice it. And I doubt the wear reduction is linear but assuming that for a sec, the 9.2% reduction in tensile strength would result for me in about 1300 less miles out of this set. Although if I don't clean it like I didn't on my last 530 chain, I'll get 1/3 less miles (5K) out of it. Anyway, the old bike's got almost 60K on it now and needs all the help it can get. :wink:

 

Right, it's not a big difference and it's not linear but it also depends on what brand/model chain you are using as well. Some of the newer "performance" chains have different plate geometries that distribute the load better and thicker plates that will change the tensile strength. The only way you'd see a big difference in chain life is if you're hard on it. Don't clean it like you said or if you race, stunt, or ride two up often. The 520 kit is fine for the VFR especially if you're average size and ride solo the majority of the time. The beefier 530 is there to handle the VFR's full capacity load and for longevity.

 

If i were just into mainly touring ,not knees down riding ,is it better to leave the original config?
I`m into panniers and boxes ect, but love the rush of the vfr!
I`m looking for more mpg,chain life,and if i need a blast just knock it down a gear or 2?
Maybe i could look at 6th gear as a overdrive!
Oh ,Insider, looking at your pic, do you use snow chains too??!!!!

 

If you want to maximize your MPG I'd stick with the stock gearing 17 tooth front sprocket and 43 tooth rear sprocket. If switch to 45 tooth rear you'll get a little bit quicker acceleration and about 200rpm more of engine speed at around 70mph which lessens the MPG but most riders on here feel that the increase in acceleration and usable power are worth the very small mileage decrease (1-3mpg depending on habits).

The stock 530 chain is fine for the VFR, especially for street riding. You won't notice a mileage change if you switched to 520 really.

As far as snow chains? lol, God NO. I just rolled it out of my garage to warm it up as I do every so often and had to take a picture against the snowy background.

Here are some videos depicting riding on ice though with studded tires using full size bikes and not motocross.

This first one is of a guy that doesn't live too far from me and he studded his tires with some metal screws. It's pretty ridiculous and of course not road legal.
YouTube - Vmax on ice

This one is over in Sweden with the same idea but sport bikes.
YouTube - Sport Bikes - Ice Racing - From Cockpit

Here is a link to the Sweden site which has a ton of photos and videos on it:
" Iceroadracing " -advanced winter training camp in Sweden. (official site)