Roller chains don't have "rings".  They're all metal.

Roller chains are lighter and smoother after they've warmed up.  There's virtually no restriction in movement as seen with ringed chains.  They're cheaper to manufacture which allows you to buy stronger chains at comparabe costs...meaning a quality 4140 steel 525 chain and sprocket will run just under $400, hold up to 500hp, weigh less than an RK Gold 520 X-Ringer with aluminum rear (4140 front, though), and outlast the bike.

The only drawbacks to rollers are they're noisier and they must be propperly cared for.  I even run one on my TL.

did you get a strange small flat spot on hard acceleration after doing it, i did with mine, no flat spot before and as soon as it was done bam its there its not a big problem just a little annoying I was thinking it may be a jet thing eg bike picks up revs quicker jets may not allow it to fuel up quick enough that sort of thing, thought  it may just have been a coincidence but now others are doing it maybe you had the same problem.
Thankfully my new exhaust comes this week then off for a rejet and dyno tune so hopefully that will fix it.

Quote from: Lukewarm Wilson on July 03, 2006, 10:57:58 PM
did you get a strange small flat spot on hard acceleration after doing it, i did with mine, no flat spot before and as soon as it was done bam its there its not a big problem just a little annoying I was thinking it may be a jet thing eg bike picks up revs quicker jets may not allow it to fuel up quick enough that sort of thing, thought  it may just have been a coincidence but now others are doing it maybe you had the same problem.
Thankfully my new exhaust comes this week then off for a rejet and dyno tune so hopefully that will fix it.

What type of zorst system you getting

Quote from: Lukewarm Wilson on July 03, 2006, 10:57:58 PM
did you get a strange small flat spot on hard acceleration after doing it, i did with mine, no flat spot before and as soon as it was done bam its there its not a big problem just a little annoying I was thinking it may be a jet thing eg bike picks up revs quicker jets may not allow it to fuel up quick enough that sort of thing, thought  it may just have been a coincidence but now others are doing it maybe you had the same problem.
Thankfully my new exhaust comes this week then off for a rejet and dyno tune so hopefully that will fix it.

Honestly, I've never noticed a flat spot. I put a K&N drop in without the restrictor in on the stock jetting almost as soon as I got it, and then changed directly over to a lunchbox filter. I resolved most (if not all) of the jetting issues people experience. The '04s seem to have taken care of it as well, as I haven't heard many complaints about them.

Basically, the thing feels like it hauls more ass than it used to, even if it isn't.

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on July 01, 2006, 07:58:52 AM
I'm hardcore and super tough though

Just wanted to bring this to the attention of people who can set custom titles.

Two observations here:

1, You basically removed 6th gear and added a super-low drive like the old Suzuki 125 Cat (for climbing trees).
2, It's a little like doing that to a VW Beetle, which is how I view the GS500 among bikes. I like my stock 2001 a lot, it's a big improvement over my 27-year-old GS400, and it runs fine in every gear. It gets about 75mpg.

Quote from: ballyhoo on July 04, 2006, 09:45:24 AM
Two observations here:

1, You basically removed 6th gear and added a super-low drive like the old Suzuki 125 Cat (for climbing trees).
2, It's a little like doing that to a VW Beetle, which is how I view the GS500 among bikes. I like my stock 2001 a lot, it's a big improvement over my 27-year-old GS400, and it runs fine in every gear. It gets about 75mpg.

1. Yes. I rarely used 6th gear except for highway cruising, but even then I had to downshift to pass cars.
2. People have been hot rodding VW Beetles for years. Yeah the GS500 is a big improvement over the GS400, but it's still old engine design from the 70s. You get 75mpg (Imperial) which is 62.5mpg US. I was getting 55mpg US with my stock bike, and got 53mpg US last fill up. Getting 62.5mpg US means you're probably short shifting or cruising at 55mph or so the whole time. You use the bike differently than I do, as I keep the revs high all the time so that I have power to pass cars whenever I want. No more downshifting.

What type of zorst system you getting

Quote

_______________________________________________________________________________
Jardine hoping it arrives today but have to wait a week or so to gather the funds for the dyno tune

I'm missing something here....

ok, you've shortened the gearing to increase the power(through each gear).
I think you're saying that sixth gear now feels like it has the power that one would normally feel in a stock bike's 5th gear.
shortening the gearing = more power felt through each gear. shouldn't that also equal a much LOWER max speed???

I dont understand how you're doing close to 120mph when you've shortened the gearing. Once you change sprockets, doesn't it throw the speedometer way off?? So when your speedo reads 120mph, how fast do you think you're REALLY going?

What you're saying isnt making sense to me; It does sound like a very interesting mod though.  I am thinking of doing something with the sprockets as well. I hardly ever cruise above 80mph; I actually try to avoid the highway altogether because it's boring. I'm just worried about the gear changes being annoyingly close

Quote from: l3uddha on July 05, 2006, 06:08:52 PM
I'm missing something here....

ok, you've shortened the gearing to increase the power(through each gear).
I think you're saying that sixth gear now feels like it has the power that one would normally feel in a stock bike's 5th gear.
shortening the gearing = more power felt through each gear. shouldn't that also equal a much LOWER max speed???

I dont understand how you're doing close to 120mph when you've shortened the gearing. Once you change sprockets, doesn't it throw the speedometer way off?? So when your speedo reads 120mph, how fast do you think you're REALLY going?

What you're saying isnt making sense to me; It does sound like a very interesting mod though.  I am thinking of doing something with the sprockets as well. I hardly ever cruise above 80mph; I actually try to avoid the highway altogether because it's boring. I'm just worried about the gear changes being annoyingly close

The speedo is driven off the front wheel. So messing with tire sizes, sprockets, etc, doesn't change anything. At least, that's my understanding.

Quote from: l3uddha on July 05, 2006, 06:08:52 PM
shortening the gearing = more power felt through each gear. shouldn't that also equal a much LOWER max speed???

Yes, if you could hit redline in 6th gear.

Quote from: l3uddha on July 05, 2006, 06:08:52 PM
Once you change sprockets, doesn't it throw the speedometer way off??

Nope.  The indicated speed is entirely dependent on the RPM of the front wheel.  So, changing to a different size of (front) tire can mess with your indicated speed, but nothing in the drive train affects it.

So this mod should technically still allow cruising speeds of 80-90mph or maybe even more?

Quote from: dracflamloc on July 05, 2006, 10:11:25 PMSo this mod should technically still allow cruising speeds of 80-90mph or maybe even more?

Technically, yes.

With stock sprockets and BT45s in stock sizes, at an indicated 80 MPH in 6th gear, my RPMs are around 6500.  Multiply that by 16/14 (which is ~1.14) and I would be running at about 7410 RPMs with a 14-tooth front sprocket.  Add roughly 1100 RPMs for each additional 10 MPH.  It's more a question of how many RPMs you can stand to run your engine at.

The nice thing about front sprocket swaps is that they are 1) cheap and 2) easy to do AND to undo.  Why not get both a 15-tooth and a 14-tooth at the same time?  Then you can try both ... and resell the sprocket you like the least, or keep it around for a later "retest".

Quote from: l3uddha on July 05, 2006, 06:08:52 PM
ok, you've shortened the gearing to increase the power(through each gear).
I think you're saying that sixth gear now feels like it has the power that one would normally feel in a stock bike's 5th gear.
shortening the gearing = more power felt through each gear. shouldn't that also equal a much LOWER max speed???

I didn't increase the power. I just changed the way the power is delivered to the wheel. The engine revs higher in a certain gear at a particular speed now, which puts the engine in its powerband much sooner and easier.

Theoretically yes it will lower the maximum speed. However, that is only if the vehicle is GEARING limited to top speed. That means the vehicle has enough power to get it to that spot, but the engine's redline is the limiting factor. However, if the engine is POWER limited to top speed, lowering the gearing can INCREASE the top speed because it brings the engine into the powerband for each gear.

Quote from: l3uddha on July 05, 2006, 06:08:52 PM
I dont understand how you're doing close to 120mph when you've shortened the gearing. Once you change sprockets, doesn't it throw the speedometer way off?? So when your speedo reads 120mph, how fast do you think you're REALLY going?

I only hit 110 indicated, but I noted the RPM it was at and compared it to the RPMs of earlier and just made an estimate of my gearing limited top speed which I assume it could get to.

Quote from: NiceGuysFinishLast on July 05, 2006, 06:39:33 PM
The speedo is driven off the front wheel. So messing with tire sizes, sprockets, etc, doesn't change anything. At least, that's my understanding.

Bingo.

Quote from: dracflamloc on July 05, 2006, 10:11:25 PM
So this mod should technically still allow cruising speeds of 80-90mph or maybe even more?

Yeah, you just might have to get used to running it at 7000 to 8000 RPMs for cruising speeds, but after that it's fine.

Quote from: Kerry on July 05, 2006, 10:58:13 PM
The nice thing about front sprocket swaps is that they are 1) cheap and 2) easy to do AND to undo.  Why not get both a 15-tooth and a 14-tooth at the same time?  Then you can try both ... and resell the sprocket you like the least, or keep it around for a later "retest".

Yeah. I planned on getting a 15 tooth sprocket eventually, but this one came up and was perfect because it was cheap and local, so jumped on the deal. It works fine for me thus far and hasn't given me problems.

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on July 03, 2006, 07:27:40 PM
I gotta admit though, wheelies are fun.

Squidly

Quote from: dwn4whadever on July 06, 2006, 12:13:58 AM

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on July 03, 2006, 07:27:40 PM
I gotta admit though, wheelies are fun.

Squidly

Dude, totally.

So  what do I do, just search ebay for "14T sprocket"?

Quote from: dracflamloc on July 06, 2006, 05:37:50 AMSo  what do I do, just search ebay for "14T sprocket"?

No, unless maybe you include some variation of "GS500" with that.

Take a look at this Chains & Sprockets page.  The info is almost a year old now, but there are 2 or 3 sources listed there that you could double-check.

Ah. So what tools are needed to do this mod and adjust the chain? Is there a how-to anywhere?

Also, should I get another chain? What kind/where should I get it?

Thanks for the info this mod sounds really cool and if I don't like it I can always switch it back without too much hassle it seems.