Topic: will an 18 tooth sprocket fit?

[fergie]

just wondering if an 18 t sprocket will fit on my 78 550 k. It looks to me like there is not enough room ,but I just saw one advertised on ebay for my bike.  I thought I should ask the pro's.  cheers, Fergie.

[Einyodeler]

Hi Fergie
 When you take off your sprocket cover you`ll notice a flimsy metal chainguard (unless one of the previous owners has removed it) that actually just keeps things cleaner in there,if you break your chain it`s not going to stop it from doing any damage.I run an 18 tooth on one of my 500`s that I use for the daily commute to and from work mostly highway miles and I had to remove this guard.It does make a notable difference when you`re doing 70mph or freeway speeds.You`ll want to go with a 100 link chain instead of the 98 link.
Cheers,Stephan

[CHUNG]

Bigger is better.

[Six]

I installed an 18 tooth sprocket along with an O-ring chain.  Right away, it rubbed so much on the crankcase chain cover, I couldn't roll the bike.  I took the chain cover off, and ground it down a bit with a dremel, and Voila! it works just fine now.

Six.

[BarryKelly]

Hey Fergie

I just checked mine.  It was an 18tooth sprocket that I put on the front, and it worked fine with no modifications.  I really like it, especially on the highway.

Barry

[pmpski_1]

How does an 18T sprocket help? What does it give you and what, if anything, will you lose?

Thanks,
Brian

[Gordon]

Brian,

A larger front sprocket will lower your RPMs at highway speeds (or any speed, really).  A lot of people make this mod because they don't like running the engine near the redline for long periods of time.  The same effect can be had by going down a couple of teeth on the rear sprocket.  The drawback is that you lose power on the low end (slower accelleration).  Some people say it isn't very noticeable, others say it's very noticeable.  I guess the main thing to consider is whether you do more highway or city driving.