Sprockets?

[Hazmat]

I searched previous posts and couldn't find what I was looking for.  Wondering if anyone can help.  I'm trying to reduce my RPM's at highway speeds and don't mind sacrificing a little performance and want to know if a larger front sprocket will help and whether it will fit in a 2004 GS500F.  Or should I get a larger\smaller rear sprocket?  I'm very tired and my brain is functioning properly.

Thanks

[Kerry]

Either approach will work.  One tooth on the front sprocket is worth ~3 teeth on the back.  Some advantages of changing the front are:

1) You may not need to replace your chain.  If you can slide the rear axle forward far enough to accoMmodate one more tooth, you're set.  If you change out the rear sprocket the rear wheel might slide back TOO far.

2) The front sprocket is a piece of cake to replace.  Loosen rear axle and move the wheel forward, remove the gear shift lever, undo THE 5 bolts holding the sprocket cover on, remove the circlip on the countershaft, pull the old sprocket off.  Install the new sprocket and reverse the process.  (Changing the rear sprocket requires removal of the rear wheel.)[/list:u]One more option is to go with a taller rear tire (if yours is ready for replacement).  When I went from the stock Bridgstone Exedra 130/70-17 to a Cheng Shin Hi-Max 130/90-17, my RPMs at a given speed dropped by 1,000 in every gear.  The Cheng Shin was cheap, and it outlasted every other tire I've put on the rear.  (Just ask

davipu -- he recently rode on one from the East Coast to Portland Oregon and back!)

Having said all that, I need to ask: What kind of RPMs are you pulling at highway speeds?  The GS will easily run at 7,000 RPM all day long, although some folks recommend changing the engine speed occasionally.  Are you worried about wear and tear?

PS:  See my GS500 Chains & Sprockets document for some clues about sources and prices.  (The stock front sprocket has 16 teeth.  Change the "16" to a "17" in the part numbers from that document, and see if that results in valid part numbers at each web site.)

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EDIT: Sprocket cover, not clutch cover!

[Hazmat]

Thanks Kerry, it's not so much the wear and tear that I'm worried about but more so the fuel ecomy.  I ride the highway eveyday at about 140 km/h or higher and want to save on fuel mainly and little wear on the bike.  I'm also planning on an Ironbutt rally in Northbay and would like to make sure I don't run out of gas as some gas stations are a little over 300km in between.

Thanks again.

[Steve-C]

Good luck with the IronButt rally.....let me know how you get on, I'm thinking of doing my Saddlesore....no such rallies in this country!