ok, so i do all kinds of different riding, depending on work and other activities. sometimes i spend a week only in town just screwing off, sometimes i do alot of highway riding/cruises. and other times im just out on some back country roads casually riding around.

so.... i thought that when im planning on doing alot of city riding or screwing around with friends, i could just loosen the chain, and swap the front sprocket to a 15 tooth. or when im going to be doing alot of highway riding, i could do the same procedure, only with a 17 tooth.

now, my big questions are... since i would only be going 1 tooth larger/smaller than stock, i should be able to get away with using the same chain without it being too short or long right?? and does anyone see this being an issue at all??

i am in the market for new chain and sprockets, and it got me to thinking about this because i want to keep low highway rpms, but would like better response at takeoff in town. i would do something with the rear sprocket, but the front is just soo much easier to swap out!

 

Chains and sprockets are meant to wear together, putting a new chain on an old sprocket or vice versa will not allow the two parts to wear evenly. This could either have no affect on your bike, or it could cause your chain to wear much faster and fail on you in the middle of a ride. Stick with the 16t and you'll have the best of both worlds.

 

Impractical to be constantly swapping out sprockets. Go w/a size & commit to it.
OEM sizes are 16/45.
Popular mod is -1/+2 for quicker acceleration. However, you'll run higher rpms at highway speeds.
Decide which type of riding you do more of & decide appropriately.

This statement is prob most telling...
A good compromise would be going +1 rear. You'd maintain relatively same rpms but have slightly quicker acceleration. Going -1/+1 would be the next step. Either of these would be good compromises instead of going -1/+2.

 

thanks for the advice. just figured it might be an idea since i was able to remove and reinstall the front sprocket in about 10 minutes while i was inspecting everything. im not really too concerned about making my chain last 10k miles or anything. and i quickly check my chain pretty much every time before i take it out of the driveway. but i ended up ordering the following:
15t and 16t front sprockets
43t, 45t and 47t rear sprockets
DID chain and a cheap bikemaster chain

what i decided im going to do is install the bikemaster first, and play with the sprocket sizes for a couple weeks and see what combination i like best. probably over a course of about 200 miles or so. that small amount shouldnt really affect sprocket wear i wouldnt think, considering each sprocket should only have about 100 miles on it. then after i make my decision, i will install the DID chain.

i know, some of you are probably thinking im just throwing away my money buying 5 different sprockets and 2 chains, but in my opinion its worth it because then i will know for sure what i like most instead of playing "what if" in my head. and in the long run i would probably end up trying out several combinations anyways, meaning even more chains and sprockets in the long run.

 

Not a bad game plan, sounds like you've thought it out.
Shouldn't affect wear excessively. The change sprockets and chain together,
is more of a caution for the end-of-life cycle. It's a warning intended to prevent
folks from trying to cut corners and extend the sprocket wear.

If you have the budget to do as you're suggesting, it won't (imo) cause any
mechanical/safety issues.

GotCBR's comments will certainly give you some direction to get where you're looking
to go. Be aware any steps UP on the front sprocket can cause clearance issues.
So be sure to turn it by hand and ensure you aren't rubbing on the housing,
if you add teeth to the front.

Ern

 

thanks MadHattr. i have read something about the 17t front having very little to no clearance depending on the chain type (520 vs 525), so i figured i would just stick with 15t or 16t. if i do decide i wanted a 17t, i would just use my 16t and 43t rear that i already ordered instead, since that wouldnt be much different.

 

Hi There,
I'm in a similar situation, sick of the messy looking current chain and sprockets and can't get them A1 clean, so going to ditch them and buy a new set. So if OEM on the F4 is 16/45, if I go 15/46, what size chain would I need or people recommend? Do I still use a standard OEM chain? Also, how much extra acceleration does this give in real terms? I'm not bothered about top end, I'll never reach there anyway lol. But looking at it, this combo could result in drop to 142mph (230km/h) top speed? Would that be right?

 

Yes, F4 OEM = 16/45.

-1/+2 is the popular mod for quicker acceleration. You will notice a difference. In 'real terms' see Gearing Commander: Motorcycle Speed, RPM, Chain & Sprockets Calculator. Keep in mind that your odo/speedo will be off unless you install a speedo-healer.

Go w/ steel sprockets & OEM size 525 chain. You'll get more mileage/wear out of steel sprockets & 525 chain.

I recommend RK or D.I.D chains. Both are factory Honda OEM suppliers. You can still use a 108 link chain.

 

Cheers man, just went on that gearing commander, very nice that is.. and noticed if I go 15/46 my top speed is around 145mph, if I go 15/47 then this goes down to around 142mph (based on max RPM 12450rpm ish). Seems around 1500rpm difference through the gears... So, if I was to change, may as well just go 15/47 then as very little difference really (losing 13-16mph top end) and assume I can still use 525 and 108 link chain?

That speedo healer, that work on any bike?

 

Yes. However, if you're doing your own install, you can order a 110 & cut down as you wish.

Get the unit for your application. You'll be GTG.