SuzukiSavage.com - chain drive conversion

Roadie Full Member Offline No, it's not a Harley. Posts: 201 Lansing MI Gender:	Re: chain drive conversion Reply #240 - 03/15/07 at 14:16:29 Once Hutch pulls this mod off. (No doubts now!) I think a interesting post would be all the possible ratios and sprockets and parts that could fit as post in the tech section. Just a thought - Roadie
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Hutch

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Re: chain drive conversion
Reply #241 - 03/15/07 at 14:19:32

Allan wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:03:

Hutch, I think i have made a big bobo with the spacer, I think you are right about its position, when we took the bikes out for a warm up on sunday, the 400 made a lot of noise from the front sprocket (clicking) when we got into it Tuesday night we found the chain trying to climb off the side, (puzzled) now the only major change has been the swingarm (corrosion) so I dragged off the swingarm and laid it next to the old one, the old one is bent, closer inspection shows the stiffner support to be severly coroded underneath,why i didnt see this before bothers me, any way going back to the plot, swapped the spacer round like you have done and every thing now ok,
all I can say is please except my apologies for the mis direction to you and others on this thread,

allan.

No problem mate. Just read the signature at the bottom of my posts. I definately know I will be visiting BooBoo land in my life time AGAIN, probably more than once, I am quite sure. Thank You for the help anyway!!!! Hutch

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Hutch

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Re: chain drive conversion
Reply #242 - 03/15/07 at 15:01:12

Hutch wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:03:

No problem mate. Just read the signature at the bottom of my posts. I definately know I will be visiting BooBoo land in my life time AGAIN, probably more than once, I am quite sure. Thank You for the help anyway!!!! Hutch

One more thank you ALLAN, for proving a point about the strenght of a chain. I am quite sure a belt would have been HISTORY running 10mm out of alignment.
RIDE SAFE!!! Hutch.

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tbalam

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Re: chain drive conversion
Reply #243 - 03/15/07 at 15:40:26

glad things are workin for you hutch, I am hoping mine will be done by sat. evening so if you dont get to ride I'll let you know how the acceleration is.

I bought a 116 link because I found a site that said the s400 used 110 links and we are going to be geared differently so I wanted more links to cya. My bike has been apart for about 3 weeks and not ridin is killin me so I cant wait

Happy ridin'

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1996 Mirage paint, seat lift, 2 #4 washers, 155 main, 52.5 pilot. Removed pillon, belt guard, rear blinker mod, moved battery box. K&N cone, Chain conversion 17/43 (in process). Cam tensioner mod.

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Hutch

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Re: chain drive conversion
Reply #244 - 03/15/07 at 16:41:03

tbalam wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:03:

glad things are workin for you hutch, I am hoping mine will be done by sat. evening so if you dont get to ride I'll let you know how the acceleration is.

I bought a 116 link because I found a site that said the s400 used 110 links and we are going to be geared differently so I wanted more links to cya. My bike has been apart for about 3 weeks and not ridin is killin me so I cant wait

Happy ridin'

Three weeks, try 6months. Yes please let us now about take off(doggie) any clutch slip and what the rpms sound like at 75-80 compared to the stock set up. GOOD LUCK AND RIDE SAFE!!! Hutch

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Re: chain drive conversion
Reply #245 - 03/15/07 at 16:51:13

Savage_Greg wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:03:

You may have asked the eternal question here.

Got to wonder why Harley introduced them on their Softtail back in the '80s, but the whole world didn't change right along behind them.

Guess what Greg? The 1981 Harley Sturgis was the first belt drive bike I ever owned. The primary belt was enclosed just like a chain,BAD IDEA, the heat from the motor and lack of air shredded it in 3000miles. I replaced it, did some performance mods to the motor, but fell on hard times(lay off) and sold it to my then brother-in-law. He shredded another primary belt and when going down a long country driveway to a party, broke the belt on the final drive. Seems a small twig the size of a pencil flipped up into the back pulley and popped the belt off, this caused the belt to jump off the front trans pulley and almost cut it in half. Now you know why nobody else jumped on the belt band wagon in the 80's. This happened a lot and Harley went back to chains for their primary drive. Is that upper AND lower belt cover on the Savage there for your safety or the belts????

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Hutch

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Re: chain drive conversion
Reply #246 - 03/15/07 at 19:39:31

tbalam wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:03:

glad things are workin for you hutch, I am hoping mine will be done by sat. evening so if you dont get to ride I'll let you know how the acceleration is.

I bought a 116 link because I found a site that said the s400 used 110 links and we are going to be geared differently so I wanted more links to cya. My bike has been apart for about 3 weeks and not ridin is killin me so I cant wait

Happy ridin'

Just out of curiosity, what sprockets did you go with? Ones for top end and fewer rpm's, or lower top end and neck snapping take off. I know I think you mentioned new cam chain and better clutch, so I am curios. Don't forget that your speedo will be of no matter which way you go. That is why I liked front wheel driven speedos, but they are a thing of the past. Hutch

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tbalam Full Member Offline I like my kids, but I love my bike ;) Posts: 172 Fac o' the Sn Gender:	Re: chain drive conversion Reply #247 - 03/15/07 at 19:49:01 I am going to start off with a 17/43 and see how that works, then if need be change to somewhere in the 2.75 ratio range if I don't like the acceleration. I am more worried about rpm's and I am doing the clutch to help it grip with the added strain that the taller gears will put on the system.
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Hutch

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Re: chain drive conversion
Reply #248 - 03/15/07 at 20:02:30

tbalam wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:03:

I am going to start off with a 17/43 and see how that works, then if need be change to somewhere in the 2.75 ratio range if I don't like the acceleration. I am more worried about rpm's and I am doing the clutch to help it grip with the added strain that the taller gears will put on the system.

That is what I am running(Someday), so let me know if it is a dog of the line. If you drop to a 16 front you will end up with about a 9-10% change for a 2.69 ratio. That changes rpm by about 450rpm at 80, I messed up on my earlier post and said 550. It is lot bigger change when you drop 1 tooth on the front, but it is easier than tearing the back sprocket off. Also I won't know till my chain gets here, but it looks like I might be able to use the same chain for my 13 tooth front as my 16 or 17. One chain would be great at the price of the o-rings. Im' running a cheapo chain till I get the Ratio I want.Then Iwill get, hopefully one o-ring for both combo's. If I need two, well like they say " If you want to play, you got to pay."

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tbalam Full Member Offline I like my kids, but I love my bike ;) Posts: 172 Fac o' the Sn Gender:	Re: chain drive conversion Reply #249 - 03/15/07 at 20:13:39 I got a cheapo oring off ebay for $60, it might be worth checkin it out.
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justin_o_guy

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Re: chain drive conversion
Reply #250 - 03/16/07 at 11:23:51

Hutch wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:03:

I definately know I will be visiting BooBoo land in my life time AGAIN, probably more than once, I am quite sure. Thank You for the help anyway!!!! Hutch

Just let me know before you head off that way & I will send you my copy of the map. I have all the rest stops marked & a few of the worst places to eat highlighted.

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Re: chain drive conversion
Reply #251 - 03/16/07 at 13:43:31

justin_o_guy wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:03:

Just let me know before you head off that way & I will send you my copy of the map. I have all the rest stops marked & a few of the worst places to eat highlighted.

LMAO. I thought there was some thing familiar about some of the people I met there. Next time I'm there say hi.WELL THE CHAIN CONVERSION IS DONE. Had to take a couple of links out of the 110 chain, of course my son didn't bring back my chain breaker he borrowed last year so out came the grinder, punch and hammer. Looks good!! Time to get the bike off the motorcycle air lift. Guess what? GREG could you please keep the FICKLE FINGER OF FATE on a shorter leash. He still can reach my garage. I had raised the bike up high enough so my knees could fit under when setting in my office swivel chair, to work on it. You have to raise it about an inch to unhook the safety stop. Hit the air pedal and all I heard was a pop and a lot of air. Hoist didn't move. Now I got a bike on a lift 2 foot off the ground and no way to get it down. NICE!!.I couldn't raise it with my floor jack, it just lifted the whole hoist, not just the platform.REAL NICE!! Good thing my garage is 60' long. I rolled my bike trailer up to the hoist, about 6" lower than hoist. I can deal with that. After running the 5 other bikes that were in the way outside, I see--sawed my truck back and forth till I could hook it to the trailer.Rolled the bike off the hoist on to the trailer backwards. Pulled the truck up to the opposite wall, as far as I could go.Put the ramp on the trailer and down the ramp I go. Now remember that I don't have the clutch or FRONT BRAKE hooked up(new bars)Using the back brake I slid to a stop about 4" from running into my broken hoist. The bike is back in the living room, the hoist was locked in the garage after being called some choice names. TEST RIDE not yet. I could have changed bars back, but with all the good luck I figured it was safer to stay home. Besides It's 28' with wind gusts to 25mph. Tbalam should be done with his Saturday, and I we will find out if it works out, or not. Just might have to swap sprockets around to find that sweet spot. Once again THANK YOU to everyone who helped to bring this to reality. When it gets warm I will test ride, and I will get the info together and post some pics, if my son lets me borrow his camera. I think I will get the camera back to him NEXT year. PAY BACKS. Hutch

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tbalam

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Re: chain drive conversion
Reply #252 - 03/16/07 at 22:23:22

well hutch,

I think the fickle finger took a detour to Az. One of the parts I am waiting on was mis shipped, so it'll b monday. I have it mostly together though and I see what you mean by the upper chain guard bracket. I think i am going to grind it down a bit. I don't use the chain guard anyway, so if i have to i will just cut it off. I am trying to make everything reversible so when i sell her the new owner can do whatever he/she wants. Wont be anytime soon though this is just to much fun.

All of this tells me I need to hurry up and graduate, so I can get a bigger/better shop. Grin

Can't wait to see how she does.

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1996 Mirage paint, seat lift, 2 #4 washers, 155 main, 52.5 pilot. Removed pillon, belt guard, rear blinker mod, moved battery box. K&N cone, Chain conversion 17/43 (in process). Cam tensioner mod.

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Savage_Greg Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Don't go around your ass to reach your elbow... Posts: 7844 SW Washington State Gender:	Re: chain drive conversion Reply #253 - 03/17/07 at 06:44:53 Hutch wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:03: Guess what? GREG could you please keep the FICKLE FINGER OF FATE on a shorter leash. He still can reach my garage. Hutch Quick, look up! Is there a dark cloud over your head?
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tbalam

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Re: chain drive conversion
Reply #254 - 03/17/07 at 19:55:31

Well the conversion is done,

And as hutch said the upper bracket is in the way... barely. It just hits the rivets on the chain.

As for the sprockets and chain, with only the stock spacer on the inside and an extra sprocket width on the outside my chain runs right down the middle. the sprocket teeth are also smack dab in the middle of the chain.

As soon as my parts get here she will be out for a test run. Assuming no oil leaks or other problems. BIG IF.

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1996 Mirage paint, seat lift, 2 #4 washers, 155 main, 52.5 pilot. Removed pillon, belt guard, rear blinker mod, moved battery box. K&N cone, Chain conversion 17/43 (in process). Cam tensioner mod.

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