kinlon sprocket job ... blimey, i did it!

[jape]

newsprocket.jpg

Woo, what a pain in the arse that was! Mainly because I'm not very mechanically minded I must admit. Not difficult, just fiddly. You need a large circlip/springclip tool, sockets big enough for axle bolt, torque wrench preferably and all the chain breaker and riveting gear. It does have a clip master link on the chain and I reckon it is OK to just keep this but preferably replace the spring clip. I didn't as it wasn't forced or twisted. Many riders swear riveted are safer but hey, its only safer if you know how to do it and have the tools! Lots of MX'ers and racers use clips. Just check it before you ride I reckon, takes a quick glance is all and of course you look at your tyres anyway ...

I only intended to tighten the chain but as I had purchased the sprocket months back thought it couldn't be all that hard ... had lots of difficulty with the hub circlip (17 in the diagram at bottom) as both my sets of circlip pliers were much too small. Finally managed it with a lot of effort and needle-nosed pliers.

The sprocket on this machine has four strange bolts (14 in diag) that have an extended plain shaft that sits in rubber bush collars in the hub. Some suggest it would be best for anyone going to do this to get new bushes and do the swingarm and rear suspension bushes too - but my bike is only 2000km old so I decided not to go to the extra effort of actually identifying and finding the parts and changing them especially as the Kinlon suppliers and dealers are fucking useless, all of them. They are said to be Honda parts or similar so might be a good idea if you have time and energy and skill.

You can find the sprocket specs in my old thread about gearing, thanks to XXX
http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...n-rt-200/page2

The 35t sprocket I got didn't sit well on the hub as it is in fact 1.5mm thinner so the large spring clip doesn't hold it back tight - so I have had to place washers between the buffer cushions and the sprocket bolt. This was easier for someone like me than trying to make/find a larger shim. Then it finally tightened well and stopped wobbling, don't know how long that will last but seems safe and solid.

Of course, shortening the chain by two pairs of links wasn't enough, not sure how to work that out properly, I just measured the difference between chain on half of large sprocket against the chain on half of the smaller diameter sprocket. I hadn't really realised that the sprocket with fewer teeth would be smaller ... just me being truly stupid.

The chain is a non 'O' ring 520 and fortunately had a clip I could re-use. but I will replace it soon for safety. So in the end it needed adjusting to more than halfway out, making me think I could have taken off one more pair.

And with much trepidation I took it for a run once I found my lost keys. Remember, it takes the back brake a few pumps to come back up if you use it (I don't, much). Only five miles or so round the local dirt/gravel roads and a mile or so on tarmac, but it told me it is a job well worth doing. You do lose the 'rip' of power most real dirt bikes need, but to be honest, unless you are MXing or doing single track for a hundred miles you DON"T need that rip with an R/T model. The smaller sprocket makes all power use noticeably smoother. The ride feels much more like what I am comfortable with. In fact I would say that on the gravel and loose dirt which I ride just about all the time it is safer as you don't get the sudden 'chop' in gear changes that can lose the back end for you. On the tarmac it seemed it took a fair while to climb through the gears so you do notice that there, but still plenty of right hand if you need it.

Top speed showed only 110 kph and from previous GPS comparison I know that is less than 100 actual. I know the speedo is well out, at least ten percent, so probably now doing only 55 to 60 mph. Needs just a touch more. It just didn't want to go further but was still in a lower rev range, so that could be a need for exhaust/carby changes to peak it even higher. It did not hit the rev limiter, just wouldn't climb further!

All in all, a job I look back on as easy enough but only because it actually got done, a few times I cursed myself for starting it. But it feels and rides so much better. This is certainly the first mod anyone with a Kinlon R/T should do.