sprockets.. they make it, but nobody sells.

 I did a good and a bad thing on my bike.

I bought, through e-bay, a complete XR250R rear wheel for my
XR250Tornado bike. The Tornado has a drum brake rear. It's a huge drum
that uses the same pads as much bigger and faster street bikes, but it
is a drum after all. The guy who did the installation of the disk
system from the XR250R is a professional mechanic and you have to look
close to notice that rear disk brake is not OEM on my bike.

But (there is always a but. Oh, horrible word :) I soon found out that
there isn't a single popular motorcycle ever sold here that use
sprockets that fit the XR250R wheel hub. The sprocket is the same as
the CRF230/250/450 and CR125/250 and XR250/400/650L. There are loads
of CRF230s here. I could get one of it's sprockets, they fit, but they
are 50T. I am using 48T for ages, with the stock 13T front. I could
not find a 48T (which, btw, was oem size on the XR250R), so I went and
got a 50T, hoping to find a 14T counter sprocket. Heh, no luck. I
called half dozen big stores, went to the biggest in town, even went
to the small ones that are known to carry uncommon stuff, but no, not
available.

So, a salesperson (they aren't all evil, you know) told me that EBF
VAZ - a manufacturer - have a direct sale website. I visited... Their
prices are above every retail store, but they have rear sprocket from
36T to 58T and front sprocket from 12T to 15T (the last one requires
the removal of the oem engine case protection against chain
derailling), for immediate delivery. They also have noise reduction
sprockets, weight reduced sprockets, aluminum sprockets, and they even
make, custom order only - titanium sprockets! I bought one rear 48T
and two front 14T, regular steel, not weight reduced, not noise
reduction. Well, if they have it for immediate delivery, why doesn't
the retail stores carry them???? I wonder when motorcycle parts store
will reach car parts store quality, diversity and availability of
parts.

-- T

 
I know that you can drill out the holes on an XR650R rear sprocket and
put it on an XR650L, and if you 'thin the back part' of an XR650R
front sprocket you can put it on an XR650L.

That doesn't help, I know, I just wanted to show off all my
'interchange expertise'.   ;)


Dave

 
The OEM sprocket for my bike have the same fit as the XL250L from
early 80s. The difference is the screw seat on the late XLs is square,
while my bike came with the seat in a conical shape, but they fit
perfect. I used to have two set of screws...

If someone is making and actually have the parts in their stock... How
come not a single retail store has it?

I dunno man, but if I win the lottery someday, I'll open a **real**
motorcycle store... Motorcycle today sells much more than 15 years
ago, and nobody has opened a big store in those 15 years. they open
small stores that carry tires, filters (some) and spark plugs for the
two or three best motorcycle sellers. These are, of course, street
bikes. the big store in town had grown, but not much...

-- T

 I have to guess that the 2 extra teeth on the rear sprocket will make a
minimal effect on the bike here?  easy math, 2/50 =4/100 witch is 4%
difference in what, slower top end now that you went to the 50?  it isn't
like the speedo is driven off the chain or trans usually...  might make you
think the bike has 4% more HP to go with that huge brakes you put on there,
NO?


The OEM sprocket for my bike have the same fit as the XL250L from
early 80s. The difference is the screw seat on the late XLs is square,
while my bike came with the seat in a conical shape, but they fit
perfect. I used to have two set of screws...

If someone is making and actually have the parts in their stock... How
come not a single retail store has it?

I dunno man, but if I win the lottery someday, I'll open a **real**
motorcycle store... Motorcycle today sells much more than 15 years
ago, and nobody has opened a big store in those 15 years. they open
small stores that carry tires, filters (some) and spark plugs for the
two or three best motorcycle sellers. These are, of course, street
bikes. the big store in town had grown, but not much...

-- T

 
no, 48T rear is already too big for enduros.
the addiction of the huge brakes costed me 4% hp in drag and weight.
but it worth every gram.

-- T