GSS550 1978 drive chain recommendations

[MikeJ]

Mates, I'm looking for a new drive chain for my '78 GS550 standard. It's been about 35 years since I bought a new chain for a motorcycle (been riding shafties mostly ever since) and I understand the technology has changed a lot. Even though this is a 33 year old bike I want to get something newer-tech that will last longer and be easier to maintain if such is available.

Previous Owner had bought a new rear sprocket (50 tooth, size 530 chain) but had not installed it, and gave it to me as an "extra" with the bike. Chain and sprocket on the bike now are apparently 33-year-old originals, with about 14,000 miles on them now, about 800 of which were put on by me since buying the bike in July. The OEM chain was very floppy/loose when purchased, even with the chain adjusters in the all-the-way-back position, as apparently the chain had stretched considerably, so before riding it much I removed 3 links and re-adjusted it for now, cleaning old rust and grime off with WD-40 then spraying wax-based chain lube (the brown stuff) on it. But, even though the old chain has no kinks in it and is working fine for now, I don't trust it to last much longer, and feel safer with a new chain.

Questions:

1. What kind of chain to buy? O-ring, non-O-ring?

2. Is tensile strength an important issue on these older, not-so-powerful bikes (the local dealer said it's not)? Ads I've seen have been for anything from 6000 lbs. tensile strength to 10,000 lbs. (for those that even list it at all, others are probably less than that and I'm not going to get a chain that doesn't list its specs).

3. Is a clip-on master link still considered okay for safety/reliability (that's what the OEM chain had)? If not, what are the alternatives?

4. I understand the OEM gearing is 16-tooth front, 50-tooth rear. I have seen sprockets as low as 40 teeth advertised for a 78 GS550. What are the pros/cons of changing the gearing up/down? 40-tooth would give a much lower engine speed at a given road speed, right? I guess that would improve gas mileage, but how badly would that affect performance?

5. Do I always have to change _both_ sprockets when changing a chain? I have a new rear already (although am thinking about changing the ratio), but not a new front sprocket yet. Are front sprockets available in other sizes too (more teeth)?

I also just bought new tires (old rear is now worn to the bars), and figure on installing the chain/sprocket(s) at the same time as the new tire so I only have to remove the rear wheel once to do both jobs.

Thanks for any pointers.

[Nessism]

RK 530XSO X-ring chain for $75.19 http://www.mawonline.com/newsite/rk-..._RX_RING_CHAIN

I recommend using that 50 toother you already have and 16 front (assuming that matches the stock gearing). The 550 is geared to rev and Suzuki's recommend gearing is ideal unless you want to cruise on the highway all the time and reduce the rpms some (in that case move up one tooth on the front sprocket size).

The chain will come with a rivet link, which is the safest method to join the chain. You will need a chain breaker/rivet tool to install the chain, but no biggie since every motorcycle tool box should include one anyway.

[Suzuki_Don]

The standard gearing for the 550 is 15 tooth front and 50 tooth rear. A 16 tooth front is about as large as you can go as there is a clearance issue with the clutch pushrod if you go larger than that. Which equates to roughly three tooth on the back sprocket.

[MikeJ]

The standard gearing for the 550 is 15 tooth front and 50 tooth rear. A 16 tooth front is about as large as you can go as there is a clearance issue with the clutch pushrod if you go larger than that. Which equates to roughly three tooth on the back sprocket.

Thanks to everybody who posted a reply, for your good advice.

In conjunction with the advice given on the Ninja 250 Riders' Club FAQ at

http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/What_replacement_chain/sprockets_should_I_consider%3F

and the GS expertise here on GSR, I decided I really needed (a) an O-ring chain and (b) a riveting master link. X-ring chains cost more but in this low-horsepower application shouldn't make much difference in performance, or chain life (so I'm told). But having had a chain throw itself while street riding once before (on a 1970 Honda CB350, on a twisty California canyon road, back in the day) I wanted all possible precautions to keep it from happening again on my new chain-drive bike.


Also, I was mistaken as to the stock front sprocket size, but I believe my GS550 does have a 16-tooth sprocket, one more than the stock 15. I like the way it rides with that, and the gas milealge, so I'll keep that ratio. After comparison shopping between Sunstar and JT sprockets, I went with the JT in part based on recommendations from the Ninja forum, and also in part because their website was a lot easier to use to track down the sprockets that would match my GS550, then let me price-shop at other retailers. I wound up buying a 16-tooth JT front sprocket from Powersport Superstore, Inc. online for a total of $21.72 including shipping, and a Race Driven O-ring chain, 2 links longer than standard (to accommodate the extra tooth on the front sprocket) for $57.95 along with the optional riveting master link (it comes free with a clip-type link) for an extra $5.95, and free shipping on both. The brand new 50-tooth rear sprocket the former owner threw into the bike deal, is a Sunstar.

A couple weeks ago I already got a Kenda Challenger 110/90-18 rear tire to replace the bald Continental I have on there now, so all I need is a dry Sunday to pull the wheel and get all this work done....

[Bladerunner]

Your choice to go with a modern 530 O-ring chain is a very sound decision. It will be more than up to the challenge on your "vintage" 550. I run a 520 chain on my race-only 2005 GSX-R1000 and 2009 Ducati 848.

When you link up the rivet master link on your chain, you must measure the diameter of the rivet during/after the riveting process. This ensures the rivet link has been pressed on correctly. If the rivet head is too small, then there may be a small chance the master link will come loose. Too big and this means the rubber O-ring will be squished too tightly, may even split over time losing lubrication and cause the link to bind.

Contact your chain/master link maker to determine the proper diameter of the rivets on the master link when fitting.

[MikeJ]

Your choice to go with a modern 530 O-ring chain is a very sound decision. It will be more than up to the challenge on your "vintage" 550. I run a 520 chain on my race-only 2005 GSX-R1000 and 2009 Ducati 848.

Chain that small, on a liter GS and a 848cc Ducati? IIRC my old Honda CL175 ran 520 chain. And that broke, a couple of times, in dirt riding. (Good thing I carried a spare clip-on master link and mini chain breaker in my tool kit.) Yours must be a lot stronger tensile strength than the old-tech chain I was used to.

When you link up the rivet master link on your chain, you must measure the diameter of the rivet during/after the riveting process. This ensures the rivet link has been pressed on correctly. If the rivet head is too small, then there may be a small chance the master link will come loose. Too big and this means the rubber O-ring will be squished too tightly, may even split over time losing lubrication and cause the link to bind.

Contact your chain/master link maker to determine the proper diameter of the rivets on the master link when fitting.

Thanks for the good suggestions. Will do...

[Bladerunner]

Chain that small, on a liter GS and a 848cc Ducati? IIRC my old Honda CL175 ran 520 chain. And that broke, a couple of times, in dirt riding. Yours must be a lot stronger tensile strength than the old-tech chain I was used to.

Yes, the new chains from respected companies such as Tsubaki, RK, Renthal, D.I.D., etc. are very, very strong. To give you an idea of how good they are, bikes at the top levels of roadracing, i.e. MotoGP and Superbikes are using 520 chains and are pushing well in excess of 200hp at the rear tire.

I have had the same 520 chain/sprocket combo on my GSX-R1000 racebike for two seasons, and will probably run it next season as well. A modern 530 O or X-ring chain is more than up to the task on our, what 65-80hp GS bikes!!!

[MikeJ]

I have had the same 520 chain/sprocket combo on my GSX-R1000 racebike for two seasons, and will probably run it next season as well. A modern 530 O or X-ring chain is more than up to the task on our, what 65-80hp GS bikes!!!

Good to know. Okay, I could use some tips on how to actually install this rivet-type master link. My new chain, and link, and a "chain press tool" I ordered just arrived today.

It looks like I need to press-fit the side plate of the master link onto the roller pins of the other half of the master link (they won't quite slide together, by hand), after installing the new sprockets, assembling the chain onto the bike, cutting it to proper length, and fitting the roller-pin half of the new master link into the chain ends to make sure it fits. I can see the part of the tool I use to do that - it's a pair of screw-down press plates with a groove on each side to fit the existing rivets into. And, it looks like its grooves are "metered" to stop pressing in when it reaches the rivet heads, so I get the exact right fit. That part is easy.

Then, I need to do something to swage the ends of the roller pins to form "rivets" that hold the side plate on, right? There's another part of the chain tool, with two _other_ press plates to hold the chain segment firmly in place while doing stuff to it, that setup includes what looks like a large set-screw with an Allen wrench fitting at one end, and a rounded recess at the other end of the setscrew that appears to fit over the ends of the riveting roller pins (one at a time) which are hollow at that tip, while holding the link in place with the screw-down side plates of the chain tool. I gather that if I screw down on that setscrew, with the end of the rivet set into the hollow on the end of the setscrew, it will press down and out on the hollow walls of the end of the roller pin, to form it into a spread-out rivet head, to hold the side plate on. Is that right?

Then, how do I tell how far to screw it down? I'm guessing that if I don't screw it down enough, the sides of the hollow roller pin won't flare out enough to actually hold the side plate on; but if I screw it down too much, I could shear them off completely (or just stretch them too thin so they lack any strength) then that won't be any good either.

BTW this is a "Race Driven" brand O-ring chain with the same brand of O-ring riveting master link, size 530, 112 links. Didn't come with instructions other than a picture of how to fit the pieces together and where to put the O-rings for the master link.

Thanks to one and all for any pointers.

[Nessism]

Put your pin flaring tool on there and crank it down good and hard. Typically the tool will only go so far and then then stop. Just make sure the side plate is down all the way before you start to flare the pins.