[badwithcomputer]

thank again Krey!

I went down to purchase the chain and sprockets and it came to $240 with taxes. That unfortunately isn't in the budget this month.

If you were on a $100 dollar budget which part would you replace?

Front sprocket


rear sprocket


or chain? keep in mind i have tracked down that it is the chain making the clunking noise as it rounds the smaller sprocket. the slack is between 30 and 35mm depending on where i am in the chain. Service manual says 20-30 is ok

I know you're supposed to do it all at once, but to be honest the front sprocket looks good and the rear does have a slight wave but it appears that vokiex (brand?) type of sprocket has that style of sloping back tooth?

oh an a little snapshot of the $20 tank cover

[Jman2343]

No short cuts there, you need to replace the front and rear sprockets with a new chain so it all wears together. You will want to wait till you have the money to get all 3

[badwithcomputer]

Well crap...hahaha

Thank you for the reply!

[badwithcomputer]

Well,

I've been reading the forum quite extensively and found that the vortex aluminium sprockets are junk. which is what i have.

so, here's my plan

as most of you know I am a new rider, but as i've learned from upgrading my Jeep you have to look ahead at where you want to be rather than do it twice.

I want to go up 2 teeth in the rear rather than just replace with stock. so correct me if i am wrong...

118link chain opposed to the 120 stock
15
49 as opposed to 47

I'm thinking about sticking with just the plain steel sprockets, unless anyone has any recommendations on brands.

[Kreylyn]

Well,

I've been reading the forum quite extensively and found that the vortex aluminium sprockets are junk. which is what i have.

so, here's my plan

as most of you know I am a new rider, but as i've learned from upgrading my Jeep you have to look ahead at where you want to be rather than do it twice.

I want to go up 2 teeth in the rear rather than just replace with stock. so correct me if i am wrong...

118link chain opposed to the 120 stock
15
49 as opposed to 47

I'm thinking about sticking with just the plain steel sprockets, unless anyone has any recommendations on brands.

I'm currently using a vortex sprocket set... wouldn't call it junk. Your pictures show wear about = between the front and rear... wouldn't call that junk. It's just time to replace. Never has made much sense for people to say "get the sprocket that last 50k miles" and then replace them all at 15k miles because the chain has worn out... but, to each their own I supose.

What I would suggest... get sprockets made for you by GSXFJim... His prices are extreamly competative, he can offer you steel for both if you want... he does custom designs, coloring, and etching if you want depending on what material you decide to go with, and has a really good product.

Chains... there are a few options. www.mopowersports.com offers a 12% discount to KR members and generally speaking has good prices on a chain for you. You could also ebay it... DID, EK, RK... I've liked all 3 and was fine with them. I would simply suggest which ever you choose, get the Xring chain version.

Krey

[badwithcomputer]

GSXFJim has been pm'ed

I guess I shouldn't have quickly jumped to conclusions after a few posts knocked them. I guess it's like everything nowadays, some have problems with products that others don't. I am hoping Jim can put together a chain and sprocket combo and ship it all to me in one box.

[badwithcomputer]

Done day 2 of my motorcycle safety course! Man, what a confidence booster! Although, a lot of the things they told me I read on katriders, the on the bike experience is invaluable and a lot more comfortable when you're not afraid to burn the clutch out or dump it on a corner.

The biggest thing I had trouble doing was clutch control. They really emphasized using the throttle at a constant and using the clutch to control the power. Which makes sense but you're constantly on riding clutch! I am great at take off and finding the friction point but years of driving stick shift cars just would not let me ride the clutch. By the end of the day I was tired of them hounding me so I rev'd the **** out of it. Not my bike

It was worth every penny to take the course.

[Flounder]

I mean, technically that's what clutches are for, but that does seem odd. Have I been doing it wrong? My method came from driving manual cars as well...

Also, the reason I'm posting in this thread was to tell you I got my bike running today! I never would have dug into those carbs without reading your post and building up my confidence and knowledge of what to look for. Rode her for ~60 miles today and she's never performed better! Thanks again for taking the first step! =P

[boomer_95]

i hope you mean just to start moving?

[Flounder]

That was my first thought as well. I can't see them telling you to do that all the time, that's just retarded. A hot clutch is an unhappy clutch and will let you down quickly.

[boomer_95]

OOO YAA! if you are slipping the clutch at high revs all the time it will fail rather quickly. either get really glazed or blow right up

slip the clutch when you start moving and shifting between gears (not so much for the latter) but when your riding at a constant speed or between shifts dont even touch the clutch.. hover over just in case but dont pull it

[badwithcomputer]

at the end of the course they had another speech about how terrible it is for the clutch. they explained that they teach it this way to make sure everyone is most comfortable with the friction zone of the clutch. All of the bikes have about 5-8,000kms on them and i am sure the clutches have been replaced several times.

Anyway i graduated with flying colours, i only got 1 point on the test because i came in too slow to a braking maneuver. At the end he asked if i was interested in being an instructor after i got some time under my belt, I said i would think about it.

So, my first drive.

I let myself down in a huge way. Everything was great until i filled the tank with gas. remember that needle float valve problem i had, and ignored? Yep, left me stranded about 60kms away from home. gas was literally pouring out of carb 1. I am incredibly lucky i had an experienced rider/friend behind me who noticed it right away and pulled me over.

Bike is going back out to the fellow i took it to originally. Let's hope this is the last trip and that i have a smooth summer!

[Flounder]

Congrats on completing the course, man. So gas was pouring out WHILE you were riding? Where was it coming out exactly??

[Kreylyn]

Really hard to burn out a wet clutch... it's sitting in the oil. Most car clutches are dry clutches, will over heat pretty quickly and become a problem if you do a lot of slipping on them.

While it's possible to glaze over even on a wet clutch and I'm not saying you can get away with being stupid, it's just really hard to screw it up from basic stop and go clutch slipping.

Krey

[badwithcomputer]

yes, literally pouring out. If it had have gone on too long, my rear tire would have been a slippery mess.

I am not sure the proper name for it, but i believe it was a vent tube the gas was pouring out of. it's a tube that connects with a "T" between carbs 1 and 2. I lost about 5 liters in a 20 minute span.

The bike is now back out to "thirstys" (he's a heavy drinker real name Steve) and hope to get it back really soon!

I forgot to mention what type of bikes i was sporting around on over the weekend. They were 250cc kawasaki maurauders! I loved the little things, they were comfy and very easy to maneuver.