Geared Up

I mentioned changing the gearing a bit in an earlier post. To do so I intended to simply fit a one-tooth larger front sprocket.

Before I ordered one up, I removed the casing to check what was actually in there already. 

shiny new heavy-duty drive chain

The standard factory fitted sprocket in there wasn't a surprise, what was annoying though was that the brand-new heavy-duty chain which the dealer I bought the bike from had fitted was the wrong pitch. Both front and rear sprockets were 520 pitch, the chain 525. While not the end of the world, it was just another sign that attention to detail hadn't been one of their strong points.

 

old rear sprocket

As a new chain was an additional expense I could do without, and as the one fitted had virtually no wear, it was easier, and cheaper, to just replace both sprockets at the same time with 525 ones. I ordered a matched set up.

Next problem, how to do the work on a bike without a centre-stand and without paddock stands? Back online and a small hydraulic jack was ordered up as well.

brand new rear sprocket

Replacing the sprockets was easy enough. Once it was all done and everything reassembled I adjusted and oiled the chain, gave everything a bit of a wipe down, and took it for a quick spin.

 

 the idea of 'dry lube' seem like a contradiction in terms

Not a massive difference, but noticeably more comfortable at lower speeds and around town, so I'm marking that down as a success. As an added bonus, changing the gearing means that my speedo now runs more accurately instead of under-reading by about ten-percent.

Never one to miss the opportunity to leave well alone, I also fitted a new horn as the old one was a rusty mess, and changed the clutch cable as it felt a bit tight and I had no idea how well the original had been looked after and I was worried about the possibility of it snapping. While I was doing that I fitted the dresser kit I'd bought which includes a rubber bellows to keep the actual cable out of the weather.

Next up I think that I’ll give the bike the full service that the dealer was supposed to have already done, and for which I have a stamp in the service book, but which I am inclined to suspect was mostly skimped on.