[96cbrf3]

I am sure this has been beat to death, but I never have found a good answer. I use my bike to commute and I dont go balls to the wall to see how fast I can get the F3 to go. So I need some advise.

Its about time for a new chain a sprockets, is 1 down and +2 too much and what 520 chain should I get. Any help would be great. Thanks

 

[Slicks]

if you buy the RK chain kit it already comes -1 and it comes with vortex sprockets and RK 520 X-ring gold plated chain...i put it on all my cbr's except my 929 one down will be plenty i could clutch up 2nd with stock gearing and -1 made it all the better:redcreep

 

[96cbrf3]

I am playing dumb, but where is the best place to get the kit?

 

[Snowman]

if you buy the RK chain kit it already comes -1 and it comes with vortex sprockets and RK 520 X-ring gold plated chain...i put it on all my cbr's except my 929 one down will be plenty i could clutch up 2nd with stock gearing and -1 made it all the better:redcreep

What he said I did the same to my old F3 and it made a world of diffrerence. I got mine at www.Kneedraggers.com

 

[Slicks]

i got mine from dennis kirk but check out www.dmtaonline.com and ask for nate and tell him jaxon sent ya

 

[96cbrf3]

Thanks for all your help guys

JAXON- that company wont sell the kit unless you are local to Denver. (I emailed them and that was the response I got)



SNOWMAN- the kit at kneedraggers has the 520 gold chain but it is o-ringed not x-ringed does this matter? :confused

 

[Xtant]

Well if you commute every day I would suggest against -1 in front and +2 in back. Thats a big jump and your going to be riding at high revs on the highway when commuting and this isn't going to be too fun. Personally if you use this bike for communting I suggest going +2 in the rear. For one it's better to add to the rear as opposed to remove from the front since it's such a small sprocket. As for changing over to a 520 setup that's not problem I just did the same thing but kept my stock gearing since I ride the highway 30 miles every day. Sprocket SPecialists and Vortex makes execellent sprocket set ups. Good luck!

 

[EpyonXero]

...and not to mention the gas mileage

 

[Slicks]

i don't care what anyone says i have NEVER heard any horror story for going 1 down...it doesn't put any strain on the chain or drag on the swing arm.....i have gone down 1 tooth on every bike i have owned and even -2 on my 98 gsx-r600...i wheelie the piss out of them so i'm always snatching on the chain and never had any problems...i think the whole going down myth is [email protected]#$%...it is easier to install,cheaper,and you get a hardened steel sprocket and you keep your rear steel sprocket so no aluminum sprockets to lose teeth and break

 

[Xtant]

i don't care what anyone says i have NEVER heard any horror story for going 1 down...it doesn't put any strain on the chain or drag on the swing arm.....i have gone down 1 tooth on every bike i have owned and even -2 on my 98 gsx-r600...i wheelie the piss out of them so i'm always snatching on the chain and never had any problems...i think the whole going down myth is [email protected]#$%...it is easier to install,cheaper,and you get a hardened steel sprocket and you keep your rear steel sprocket so no aluminum sprockets to lose teeth and break

I didn't say it was necesarily BAD to do, I just said that adding 2 to the rear is a safer bet. Not to mention with him pulling commuting duty dropping 1 in front and adding 2 in the rear is going to be a very annoying commuter vehicle.

 

[Guido]

i don't care what anyone says i have NEVER heard any horror story for going 1 down...it doesn't put any strain on the chain or drag on the swing arm.....i have gone down 1 tooth on every bike i have owned and even -2 on my 98 gsx-r600...i wheelie the piss out of them so i'm always snatching on the chain and never had any problems...i think the whole going down myth is [email protected]#$%...it is easier to install,cheaper,and you get a hardened steel sprocket and you keep your rear steel sprocket so no aluminum sprockets to lose teeth and break

It won't cause a horror story, that's why you never hear of any.
But going down at the front will:

1) be more inefficient (waste more HP because the chain is bending more
2) wear out the sprocket faster (approx 8% faster since you have approx. 8% less teeth)
3) wear the chain faster (see #1, plus you will have a shorter chain doing the same amount of work = more wear).

Will you notice these? Probably not, but then again some people say they can notice a 520 conversion

Personally, the ONLY time it makes sense to go down in the front is when you have a new chain and don't feel like replacing it (if you get a larger rear sprocket). But if you're buying a new chain and sprocket anyway, why not do it right from the start?

 

[96cbrf3]

Personally, the ONLY time it makes sense to go down in the front is when you have a new chain and don't feel like replacing it (if you get a larger rear sprocket). But if you're buying a new chain and sprocket anyway, why not do it right from the start? [/B]

Why do they make the ACCELERATION kits with the -1 front sproket and not a +2
rear sproket. I am not trying to start anything just asking for my info.:confused

 

[Guido]

Why do they make the ACCELERATION kits with the -1 front sproket and not a +2
rear sproket. I am not trying to start anything just asking for my info.:confused

Dunno, good question. Maybe it's cheaper to make.

Even if my points are debatable, I have yet to hear ONE advantage of going down on the front (except for not having to buy a new chain).

Ask anyone who ride bicycles and they'll say that the smaller the sprocket, the more power you waste.

 

[LaserAWD]

My F3 had -1 in front and +2 in the rear done by the previous owner. The farthest I've ridden it so far on the interstate is about 50 miles. It didn't bother me in the least bit, of course I'm only 23 yr old so maybe some of these old farts wouldn't like it :redflip

I did the calculations and that's 10.6% different gearing from stock so your speedo is going to be way off. I was with a friend on an F4 and we were following guys in our local car club. The cars all stayed between 80 and 85 mph and my speedo never dropped below 95 and stayed above 100 most of the time. When we got to the drag strip I was showing ~135mph going through the traps and the fastest mph the track said I ran was 117mph just to give you an idea of how bad off the speedo will be with the new sprockets. Also this means you rack up miles on your bike quicker if I'm correct in my thinking.

Moral of the story, -1 in front, +2 in rear is fun. Go WOT at 6k in 1st and it pulls the tire for you. Shift hard into 2nd and the front wheel comes back off the ground

 

[Guido]

-1 in front, +2 in rear is like going +5 in the rear!!!!!!

Wow.

 

[icehot113]

well first off, a 520 is going to wear out faster than a 525...
i went to a 520 chain on my gixxer and it wore out in like 6000 miles or something like that... its not very durable... i have a 525 on my gixxer now and i believe a 530(whatever is stock) on the 929...

as far as it hitting ur swingarm if u go down, who is telling you this shit, just reajust the rear wheel axle to make the chain have the proper slack and u will be fine, its not like it makes it spin on such a small area that the angle between it and the rear sprocket will cause the angle to hit the swingarm...

1 down in the front wont cause any ill effects, and if ur changing your chain at the same time, even better cuz u can cut it to the appropriate length, which is for every tooth u go down, subtract one link from the stock chain, and every tooth u go up u add one to the normal chain length... on my gixxer im using the stock chain and im 1 down and two up, length is great, i didnt have to move the wheel back that much at all, so it worked out fine... whereas on my friend he just went down one in the front and if the chain stretches a bit its going to have to be replaced due to the extra length...

like i said, im 1 down, 2 up on the gixxer and i ride on the highway all the time, im not riding at 10k rpm and higher constantly either....

my 929 is 2 down in the front, no problems with that either...

do whatever u want dood, there wont be a problem with anything, 1 down 2 up isnt that much of a deal really...
-icehot113

 

[96cbrf3]

What is the purpose of going to a 520, I have only read about the sproket changes and
nothing about the difference or why people go to the 520? :confused

 

[icehot113]

chains, 520,525,530 are different widths, 520 is thinest, very light, 530 is the thickest, heavier... u will gain power with a lighter chain cuz its less weight to have to move, but on the street its not worth it, use a 525, get some longevity out of it....
-icehot113

 

[Xtant]

well first off, a 520 is going to wear out faster than a 525...
i went to a 520 chain on my gixxer and it wore out in like 6000 miles or something like that... its not very durable... i have a 525 on my gixxer now and i believe a 530(whatever is stock) on the 929...<snip>
do whatever u want dood, there wont be a problem with anything, 1 down 2 up isnt that much of a deal really...
-icehot113

Erm a 520 will wear no faster than a 525 if given the same amount of care on any 600 out there. If your putting it on a litre bike well then that's a different story. As for 1 down 2 up not being that big of a deal, it IS that big of a deal. Like stated previously it's a 10% gearing change which is signifigant. Everyone should indeed do what is best for them. But it is a signifigant change regardless.

 

[EpyonXero]

A 110 link 520 chain is about 2lbs lighter than the same length 530 chain, some people say they can feel the difference and some dont.

Dropping 2 teeth in the fron will stress your chain more because of the smaller diameter and when youre near the end of your adjustment range you could get some slapage or grinding.