Sprocket Help-pre 98

[adam1psu]

Hey guys, im new to the site looks like there is a good group of people here and lots of experience with kats. I was just wonderin how many of you pre 98 kat owners have made sprocket and chain switches. I am looking to improve my low end slightly so i can keep up a little better comming out of the turns with the group i ride with. Most of them have 05-06 600-1300cc sportbikes and my 1996 gsx600f just isnt cuttin it anymore
despite it having a few engine mods that make it as least as fast as a 750.
any suggestions are appreciated. i was thinkin -1 and +2 or just +2 in the rear. I am allready aware of the fact i will need a new chain. any brands and prices would be helpful also. I am lookin to go steel for the durability and i also know that renthal sprockets suck. also i dont want to loose too much top end but realize there will be some loss. thanks -adam

[HS2020]

Dropping one tooth in the front is like going up 2 in the back. Stock is 15/47. So you might want to with a 14/49 set up to get what you are looking for. I had that set up on my bike and did not like it. I just stuck to 14/47 set up and I do just fine.

[The CyberPoet]

HS, -1 in the front is approximately +3 in the rear (47/15 = 3.133)

There are a lot of good chains and sprockets out there. IMHO:
When you go to order the chain, contact the manufacturer directly and ask for their recommendation for your specific bike (or check their cross-reference list). Most vendors make a half-dozen #530 chains for different purposes, and only a couple will be suitable for the Kat's weight and street-riding. Stock chains are RK brand, and RK recommends their 530XSO or 530HFO as in-grade (upgrade) replacements for the OEM chain when used with the Kats.
Sprockets are available all over the place, including a number of places that will custom-cut any tooth count you want at a reasonable cost in steel. Currently, I favor the Sidewinder Tri-metal sprockets as probably the best-of-breed technology on the market, since they mate a steel tooth ring to an aluminum carrier hub for the rear sprocket. Front sprockets are no-brainers and any good steel sprocket should do.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[BraadaJim]

I'm running 14/47 on a 750 and it's a pretty good combo lthough I've been giving thought to changing it.

Over the years a lot of people have swapped sprockets and for a pre98 600 the best (reviewed) combo seems to be 14/49. Guys that have done seem to really like the extra pep it gives around town and don't lose too much to high rev vibrations on the highway.

[katana bob]

I have 15-45 stock on my 98. I just ordered a 15-47. not much of a change but should give me alil more low end without sacrificing too much top end.

[evil-eye]

http://www.motorcycleanchor.com/katana/Katana_sprockets.html

[adam1psu]

thanks for the chart link it will be helpful!

[adam1psu]

i think im gonna go with the 14-47, at 7.14% low end gain if i am reading the chart right, and my second choice is 15- 50 with 6.38%gain. dont want to loose too much top end. Anybody have severe chain and or front sprocket wear with the smaller than stock 14? thanks -adam

[The CyberPoet]

Anybody have severe chain and or front sprocket wear with the smaller than stock 14? thanks -adam

Not severe, just accelerated compared to a 15 tooth front.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[gsxr6racer]

Cyberpoet, you only talk about 530 chains, why wouldn't you recommend using a 520 on a 600? The high quality 520 would be more than strong enough for a Kat 600 and drop some rotating mass which would help in adam1's cause of a little more pep. That and the tooth change is what I would do, personally. Should make the acceleration a bit snappier out of the corners!

[The CyberPoet]

Cyberpoet, you only talk about 530 chains, why wouldn't you recommend using a 520 on a 600? The high quality 520 would be more than strong enough for a Kat 600 and drop some rotating mass which would help in adam1's cause of a little more pep. That and the tooth change is what I would do, personally. Should make the acceleration a bit snappier out of the corners!

My stance on 520 vs. 530 chains is pretty well know by most, but I'll slap it up here againt:

(A) 520 chains in general are not engineered to handle the same torque-load time after time after time as a 530 chain... If they were, no bike manufacturer would use a 530 chain, since 520 is both lighter (good for performance) & much cheaper in bulk (good for cost of assembly at the factory). You have to remember, the load on a chain isn't strictly the load coming out of the engine as power/torque, but also the weight of the bike being propelled forward -- a 61 lb-ft engine pushing 450 lbs does not load up a chain's stress points the same way a 48 lb-ft engine pushing 700 lbs does.

(B) Add a hefty load (the Kat) to an already over-worked chain (520) and the results can easily turn disasterous, breaking engine & tranny components and/or locking up the rear wheel at speed. We've had riders previously have these issues. I can't/won't, in good conscious, recommend any modification that seriously risks someone's well-being in that way for such a small performance gain -- it's just not a good trade-off.

(C) Most 520 chains that get sold to Kat riders (esp. through eBay) are actually 520 race chains or 520 bulk cheap-chains, rather than true heavy-load strength 520 chains (in terms of bearing & seal construction, the true critical parts -- not the sideplate strength, which are generally very strong in all chains). Always be cautious about advertisers who claim their sideplates are X times stronger -- sideplates aren't the weak point in a chain.
Race chains in general (any size) are designed for very light weight at the expense of lifespans (which is why I recommended above that chain shoppers contact the chain manufacturer for their recommendation once they settle on a brand -- so they get a chain suited to their real needs).

There is a reason that Suzuki and RK both spec'd a 530 chain for this bike (and originally spec'd a 532 chain for the Kat 1100)... It would seem you are implying (with your advice) that something so marvelous has happened in the chain industry in the last few years that somehow a 520 chain can stand in for a 530 chain without any serious repercussions, trade-offs or price-to-be-paid. As with virtually all things in the performance realms, there are trade-offs, and IMHO, in this case, the trade-offs aren't worth it on a bike that already weighs 510 lbs sans rider & cargo.

Thus, all of the above means that while I agree you can get a small performance benefit from a 520 chain swap, it's more costly in the long run (since a bad chain also wears away sprockets quickly, which ends up costing you), and can be seriously risky in terms of snapping unexpectedly. You'd be wiser to spend your money on lighter brake rotors to save that weight...

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[durtyspeed]

I thought pre98's had a 14 tooth front sprocket? This is what mine had when I first got it and it is what I recieved when I ordered my new 'stock' one from suzuki. this is on a 94 600

[Grimmy]

I thought pre98's had a 14 tooth front sprocket? This is what mine had when I first got it and it is what I recieved when I ordered my new 'stock' one from suzuki. this is on a 94 600

I agree - I just took the 14 tooth front sprocket off my '90 Kat 600 for examination - it looks like a sun the teeth are so worn - but it was a 14 tooth.

My GSXR 750 has a 15 tooth.

-Grimmy

[adam1psu]

so is the stock sprocket in the front a 14 on pre 98s? i just took it off and it was a 14 im pretty sure it is the original. my rear was a 45. thanks for the above info guys. I think im gonna go with a 530 chain due to myself weighing a healthy 225lbs.

[guy2600]

Cyberpoet, you only talk about 530 chains, why wouldn't you recommend using a 520 on a 600? The high quality 520 would be more than strong enough for a Kat 600 and drop some rotating mass which would help in adam1's cause of a little more pep. That and the tooth change is what I would do, personally. Should make the acceleration a bit snappier out of the corners!

I'll have to respectfully disagree with cyberpoet on this one. I just bought a new rk 520 gxw chain. It's tensile rating is 8,800 lbs which is more that a lot of 530's out there and for direct comparison to the popular 530 xso, the xso is only 4% stronger. The wear life index is 16% GREATER than the 530 xso and is equal to the best rk 530 chain money can buy. Suffice to say it is proven to be more than enough for a katana, END OF STORY. Can't argue statistics and it's also backed by the same 20,000 mile rk warranty which says it all. So if you want to spend a little more for the best get the 520gwx. I wouldn't go with less on a 520 however. Buy it direct from a reputable dealer thou there are fakes out there. Dwayne from cycle concepts has good deals (803) 285-8093 and is a good guy to deal with. I wouldn't expect to see a significantly noticable improvement in the acceleration department thou.