GT500 chain

[rbond]

This might open a can of worms like an oil related question...... any recommendations for an 'O' ring chain for a stock geared (15 and 33 sprockets) GT500? Dennis Kirk has a Parts Unlimited 530 MO chain for $92.92. I have somewhat based this selection based on the tensile strength DK lists with each item. Also where would be a good place to get the sprockets from? It seems to be easier to find the rear in England than the States.

[titan performance]

I've found that the wider 0' ring chains foul on the 500.

[rbond]

Any suggestions for a 'heavy duty' chain that would fit?

[Suzsmokeyallan]

You will have to space the engine sprocket off the case at least one millimeter or possibly a bit more for an X ring or O ring chain to pass without fouling the seal plate behind the sprocket.
Since the seal plate is fairly thick it can be ground a tad on the back surface to give you some extra room, but it has to be done square for a proper seal against the case.
Its a choice of adding a spacer and/or reducing the seal plates width, you do not want to alter the chain line too much or end up with the sprocket nut to close to the end of the shaft.
Remember the link plates passing is one issue but the protuding quad staked pin heads are an extra issue that needs more clearance for those to pass as well.
Chain choice is up to the owner but a high quality X or O ring chain of 6000 to 8000 psi tensile strength will work fine and will last a long time.

[H2RICK]

If you are NOT doing a lot of miles annually, then a DID non-ring heavy duty "NZ" chain is the way to go. Believe me, those chains are faaarrrr better than anything they had back in the day.
Parts Unlimited's "generic" chains are suspect as to origin. They can print all they like about tensile strengths, etc, but if it's a Chinese POS (which a lot of generic aftermarket chains are) then you are taking a HUGE gamble with your engine cases.....never mind your neck, if the chain breaks, piles up and locks up the back wheel at speed.
For the small difference in price, pay the extra and go with a brand name chain (DID, RK/Takasago, EK, etc.) from a known manufacturer, IMO.

[Suzsmokeyallan]

Uncle Rick says

For the small difference in price, pay the extra and go with a brand name chain (DID, RK/Takasago, EK, etc.) from a known manufacturer, IMO.

100%

[GreenMachine]

So I'm about to install the DID x-ring chain I bought... how do I go about spacing the engine sprocket? An extra couple of those lock-washer things under it?

Any advice would be appreciated!

NH

[Suzsmokeyallan]

You can use some of the lock washers behind the sprocket or take one to a hardware store and find a washer with the correct ID and thickness you need.
Make sure you tighten the nut to correct torque and use a new washer on the outside to lock it.

[tz375]

Why do you need to space the sprocket? If the rear is thinner and the front is thinner, surely they both move inwards by the same amount. Or is the rear thinned only on the inner face of the teeth leaving the chain essentially in the same lateral position at the rear with a thinner sprocket at the front?

[Suzsmokeyallan]

Richard, the 530 O or X chains link pins will hit the engine sprocket shaft seal plate if you do not add at least two sprocket locks behind it.

[oldjapanesebikes]

Just did one today with an RK Xring on the GT500 I'm doing - you do need almost a 1mm spacer behind the sprocket or, as Allan says, the link pins scrub the seal plate.

[tz375]

Thanks guys. Two issues.

A/ for some reason I thought we were talking 520 chain on thinner sprockets - I must have conflated two or more threads. My bad. I fully understand that a wider chain potentially creates negative clearance.

B/ Back to my original question, but let me try to ask it a different way. If the front sprocket is spaced further out, how is the rear sprocket spaced out to maintain chain alignment? 1mm isn't a lot, but that will contribute to chain wear if the front one is spaced out and the rear one is not.

[Suzsmokeyallan]

The distance between the shaft centres is so great on a Buffalo or Titan that even up to 4mms out of line would not show side sprocket or link plate wear.
You could also just add the equivalent width of spacer to the inside of the rear sprocket if you were being anal about 100% chainline.
Add to this the fact the chain already has some sideplay to it on the sprockets for clearance since theres no way every bike has a perfect chainline to begin with.
What might be surprising is to string the outer surfaces of the sprockets on each model you own to see just how accurate they are in line to begin with as stock.
Since the stock GT500 and 750 have the older wider drive spline, you do have limited contact area and shaft length to work with as well.
Reducing the thickness of the back of the seal plate by at least 1mm will help you gain some clearance while keeping the sprocket closer onto the shaft and collar where its bigger, than out towards the slightly smaller threaded portion.

You could also re-engineer it and use a 520 X ring and have the stock 530 sprockets lathed on their inner facing sides by the teeth to step the chain over to the left and gain the needed clearance against the cases as well.

[tz375]

Just out of interest, what is the center to center distance on a GT750 compared to say a bandit or CBR900RR? Modern bikes tend to have the motor further forward and have longer swingarms but maybe the drive sprocket is closer to the rear of the motor.

It is preferable to get the sprockets in line though.

[Suzsmokeyallan]

Well for sure the Bandit and 900RR both have longer swingarms than the Titan or Buffalo and their engine sprockets are a lot closer to the pivot bolt compared to the Buffalo and Titan.
This 'engine sprocket as close to the pivot' concept as you know was taken from motocross bikes for the sake of reducing as much chain deflection as possible when the suspension moved through its arc.
Since I don't have either of the three bikes near me at present, I cant measure anything for actual the CL to CL figures you want.
However, the total approx length to the nearest round figure of the swingarms is as follows:

Buffalo swingarm 20 inches, all models
Titan swingarm 22 inches, 69 onwards
Bandit swingarm 24 inches, 1200 first generation model.

Oh I agree, a perfect chainline is preferred, but does every stock bike actually have one. Its something to check, just as you would those supposed adjuster reference marks on the swingarm.