Chain and sprocket advice needed

[izzy]

I am going to be replacing the chain and sprocket in the near future on my 94 600. It has stock gearing now, but I keep reading about 520 conversions. It seems that lots of people use them with a ratio different from stock. Then again, I also read that the 520 conversion gets chewed up quickly.

So should I go with the 520 setup that has an aluminum rear or look for steel 530's? What ratio should I go with? (I do want more pep)

[Court93kat]

Everyone has their own thoughts on the size of chain to use and also sprocket combinations. I have personally always stayed with the 530 chain as it is made for the heavier bikes. I have also run a 50 tooth rear sprocket on the rear of my 93 600 combined with the stock size on the front with nice results. It added quite a bit of pep and acceleration, but I spend enough time on the highway that it became annoying running along in traffic at 7k rpm at 65-70. I don't know your riding style or where you do most of your riding, but those are some things to take into consideration when picking out your sprocket combination. How many miles you put on your bike should help you decide on the 520 or 530 part of it. Some on here have had good experiences with aluminum sprockets and others have not. It really boils down to what you want to get for your bike.

[izzy]

I mostly ride my bike for commuting. About half on the freeway and half off of it. Where do folks get their sprockets and chains from online? There are a lot of places selling the 520 aluminum kits, but not many sell the steel.

Any idea what my stock sizes are?

[jday240]

I run a 520 conversion on my 06 600 with 15/50 Vortex sprockets. I like the added acceleration of the gearing. I can't imagine the aluminum rear sprocket wearing out that much faster than the stock steel one if properly lubed. I haven't noticed any wear at all after 1K miles either. I got around 18 or 19K from the stock chain and sprockets though. I take pretty good care of my bike though.

[steves]

I do not recommend a 520 conversion. I have 15/47 steel/AL kits in stock if you are interested, check out the KR store.

[katanakevin]

My 04 kat 600 is in the shop right now getting switched to 15/52....I'm hoping obviously this is going to give me a whole lot more jump of the line but am I still going to be able to cruise comfortably on the freeway? I don't go on the freeway much and I have 4 speeding tickets in the last couple years so I NEVER take it over 75, hopefully I will only be pulling about 6 or 7k rpm tops at that speed with the new conversion?? any more than that and I can see how it might be annoying and not super fuel efficient, but even then I will take that trade off to give my kat some jump for once

oh ya and I would stick with 530 even if you get it running a lot faster than stock you can't change how much the bike weighs and the shorter chain probably won't hold up with the heavier bike nearly as well but I could be wrong I've never tried it....

[izzy]

Thanks for all the advice. I just purchased a 15/50 with a Supersprox rear and new 120 link SRX EK 530 chain from mopowersports!
I'll take pics when it gets here.

[BareKat]

I've been doing some research on chains and sprokets as it's time for another set on my bike. I only get about 22K kms on a set but I don't lube and adjust as much as I should... plus I ride on dusty roads that makes a real mess when the lube and dust get mixed together.

From what I've read the ideal combination to increase longevity (besides regular adjusting and lubrication) is to install an even number of link chain with odd number of teeth sprockets with the odd number of teeth being as close to a prime number as possible.

My next setup will be a 116/8 link with 14/47 sprockets.

[NC4Life078]

06 600cc

Alright I had read through the posts & I now realize that different chains are geared towards different things (I am as new as it gets on mechanics). I am riding a stock 06 600cc, & am in need of a new chain. As of right now I am thinking of the 520 vortex conversion kit because it sounds like it adds a little "oomph" to acceleration. But I am not sure if it will be best suited for my lifestyle. I am in a dusty dry desert & have to ride at least an hour to get to anywhere. I spend a lot of time on interstates & hwys, generally I go about 80mph on HWY's, & 100-120 on the FWY. I have an aggressive riding style, accelerating past cars and almost anything else. I have got 11k miles on my stock chain. Any suggestions? & I am not sure I understand the dynamics of the sprockets, do more teeth offer more speed or what? I will be moving to Eastern TN, come July so that changes a lot too.

[Kreylyn]

Alright I had read through the posts & I now realize that different chains are geared towards different things (I am as new as it gets on mechanics). I am riding a stock 06 600cc, & am in need of a new chain. As of right now I am thinking of the 520 vortex conversion kit because it sounds like it adds a little "oomph" to acceleration. But I am not sure if it will be best suited for my lifestyle. I am in a dusty dry desert & have to ride at least an hour to get to anywhere. I spend a lot of time on interstates & hwys, generally I go about 80mph on HWY's, & 100-120 on the FWY. I have an aggressive riding style, accelerating past cars and almost anything else. I have got 11k miles on my stock chain. Any suggestions? & I am not sure I understand the dynamics of the sprockets, do more teeth offer more speed or what? I will be moving to Eastern TN, come July so that changes a lot too.

Tooth count is the only thing that will really affect acceleration and top speed. You don't get both though.

If you change to improve acceleration, top speed decreases and rpms increase for the same actual speed. You just get there quicker than you would have.

If you change to improve top speed and lower rpms at cruising speed, then you accelerate slower, but eventually go faster.

Both have a point of declining return. Too much change one way or the other will give you less all the way around, so you still have to balance and keep the changes somewhat minimal to prevent making the bike unrideable.

If your moving to eastern TN, I would highly recomend a 15/50 tooth setup.

The "conversion" kits are only to change the width of the chains from the 530 stock size to a thinner 520 size, and will change very little performance wise on the Kats. You can do the same thing gearing wise with the 530 chains. I personally chose a 520 conversion due to the price, availability, and modifications I've done to my bike.

Krey

[scottynoface]

14/50 ftw, 9k rpms at 90mph though

[TheCheetorProject]

for a 95 kat 600 would a 15/50 530 be a decent setup?

[cintidude04]

yes

[Crash]

Im about to go with a 520 15 50 swap very soon, my chain is sagging and im starting to hear a few noise but then again Ive put 12000 miles of fun riding on it with in the past 4 months with who knows how many miles the PO did on it. If it will last me atleast 10000 im fine with that

[scottynoface]

Im about to go with a 520 15 50 swap very soon, my chain is sagging and im starting to hear a few noise but then again Ive put 12000 miles of fun riding on it with in the past 4 months with who knows how many miles the PO did on it. If it will last me atleast 10000 im fine with that

It should last longer than 10k. Does your chain just keep stretching when you tighten it up?

Mine did it all at once.