lol, yes you are helping alot thx, i want my bike to be able to make wheelies easier, thats my main gain i would like to be able to do. My main point is if i need to replace my chain if i go with a 14t sprocket. Thats my main concern. And going with a 14t will give me better low end, but less high end right? i understand quite alot about sprockets now. This post will help a few ppl out if they search it. Thanks.

You're right on with the lower end / higher end.  As for replacing the chain, let's use the following photo as a discussion aid:



When this picture was taken my D.I.D. 520V O-ring replacement chain had about ... 12,000 miles or so on it.  The rear tire is a roughly stock-sized 130/70-17 Bridgestone BT45.

When the chain was new, the axle bolt would have been a bit forward of where it is in the photo.  After thousands of miles of wear it has been moved back a time or two.

The shaft of the axle itself is about as thick as the flat-to-flat distance on the hex-shaped part of the bolt head.  (See this photo.)  So if/when the axle is moved back until one of the flats on the hex-head coincides with the rear-most edge of the oval slot in the swingarm, there will be no more room for adjusting the chain.

OK so far?

Now, what would happen if you added a link to the chain?  (Actually, you have to add both an "inner link" and an "outer link" at the same time.)  My intuition tells me that the axle would need to move back by just less than one pin-to-pin distance in order to take up the slack.



Instead of adding links, what if you installed a front sprocket with one tooth less than before?  The circumference of the front sprocket would be smaller by one pin-to-pin distance, and the chain would meet the sprocket at a slightly smaller angle.  If I'm thinking clearly, that means you would need to move the rear axle back by a little more than 1/2 of a pin-to-pin distance ... right?  (In effect, you gained one link and a little extra because of the smaller sprocket diameter.  Divide the total gain approx. in half to get the distance that the axle must be moved.)

Are you dizzy yet?    I am!

So, for a 15-tooth front sprocket to fit you should have a little more than 1/2 of a pin-to-pin distance left for chain adjustment before you start.  For a 14-toother to work you would need a little more than a whole pin-to-pin distance.

There!  With a little bit of measuring you can determine for yourself what to buy.  Good Luck!

LOL, wow, that was something what you just wrote. But like you had said before, i think i will purchase both the 14t and the 15t, and play around with the axle everytime i switch sprocket. Its not hard to do, just takes a while, and must be precise. So pretty much, i understand right? just must change the distance to the axle with whichever front sprocket i use. But overall, with the 14t and the 15t, i can keep the stock chain. Just must change the distance.

Correct-o-mundo!  

man, i love you. You helped me so much. thanks for your patience. And the site you gave me bikebandit.com, i love it. and i matched up the 1994-2002 year gs500e sprocket part to the 2004 gs500f part off jtsprockets.com and they match with the same part number. And i also figured it out with the help of bikebandit.com. SO you were right, it will work. You are the man.

Quote from: stefman722i decided ill just replace the front sprocket for now. My one LAST question is this. What do YOU recommend i do to my bike. Change the front sprocket to a 15t or a 14t since i dont need to replace the chain for either one. I want your opinion. Thanks again.

I'm not interested in wheelies, so I didn't even consider the 14T.  I tried the 15T and, yes it did accelerate harder but at the expense of more fuel.  I currently have a 17T which provides plenty of acceleration for what I like to do (that is, stay in front of the cars) and is a much better prospect on the highway.  As far as I am aware, there are no alternative rear sprockets for the GS.  At least, I couldn't find one for my '01 here in Oz.