SuzukiSavage.com - What do I need for the chain conversion?

Toymaker Serious Thumper Offline Dragon Rider Posts: 1534 Granite Falls, NC Gender:	What do I need for the chain conversion? 04/21/08 at 08:41:23 I am seriuously thinking hard on doing the chain conversion. I just remember what parts I need and where to get them. help?!?!?!?!?!?
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Chopped

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Re: What do I need for the chain conversion?
Reply #1 - 04/21/08 at 10:37:52

Hope your good with fabrication. it may take a lot of trial and error to convert to a chain driven. Look for a sprocket that fits the transmision and go from there. you will need a rear sprocket that matches the sprocket you put on the motor. you may be able to contact a custom bike shop for the right set. I know this doesn't help much, but it will put you on the path to a one off savage! I am doing the same thing with my savage chopper right now.

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Strafford_Guy Full Member Offline 96 in progress Posts: 238 Strafford, NH Gender:	Re: What do I need for the chain conversion? Reply #2 - 04/21/08 at 10:55:54 http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1174239333 THis has been done and Hutch made a great thread with pictures on how to do it and what is needed. There are a few here who are running a chains. ~Strafford~
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Chopped Senior Member Offline Hurts Like hell when you shoot yourself! Posts: 499 Stafford, VA Gender:	Re: What do I need for the chain conversion? Reply #3 - 04/21/08 at 11:37:17 Holy Hell.... good information in there! It will help for my conversion. I am thinking about not running a speedo and putting the most power producing combo on mine since it is a custom chopper I want it to go fast with this little motor! Can't wair!
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Strafford_Guy Full Member Offline 96 in progress Posts: 238 Strafford, NH Gender:	Re: What do I need for the chain conversion? Reply #4 - 04/21/08 at 11:58:27 Chooped and Toymaker, there is a lot of good information in the tech section on just about anything that you need. Poke around in there for a while. Chances are you will find what you are looking for. No sense in reinventing the wheel if it has all ready been done. ~Strafford~
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Bobbert Serious Thumper Offline CHOP IT Posts: 836 Los Angeles, CA Gender:	Re: What do I need for the chain conversion? Reply #5 - 04/21/08 at 14:52:18 can someone enlighten me as to why its not possible to find larger belt sprockets?
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govmule84 Full Member Offline Scooter Trash Posts: 119 Central Missouri Gender:	Re: What do I need for the chain conversion? Reply #6 - 04/21/08 at 16:05:52 Because no one is willing to drop the coin on a beginner bike. Get sprockets for a '77 GS750, and two big washers to space the front sprocket out. Mine works peachy
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barry68v10

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Re: What do I need for the chain conversion?
Reply #7 - 04/21/08 at 17:28:02

Bobbert wrote on 04/21/08 at 14:52:18:

can someone enlighten me as to why its not possible to find larger belt sprockets?

You can "find" one. Just go to an aluminum custom fabrication shop, design the sprocket you want on iCAD and drop about 500 bones there. Then, start searching belt catalouges until you find a belt to fit your new setup, or shorten/lengthen your swingarm as appropriate to fit an already fabricated belt. Then, change out the springs in your rear suspension to adjust to the changed swing arm....or......

Just use already existing parts to switch to chain drive like the rest of us for around 75 bones Grin

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T Mack 1 - FSO

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Re: What do I need for the chain conversion?
Reply #8 - 04/21/08 at 19:52:31

Not much space to make front larger, but ... the back would need to be made smaller (less teeth). Think about all that custom work, CAD time, CNC machine time , material costs, engineering costs....

I would love it if Suzuki would come out with a Fuel Ecomony conversion kit, smaller rear spocket, new belt (maybe) and a speedo ratio adapter (screw on the tranny & cable screws into it).

How's that song go......" to dream... the impossible dream......." aren't you glad you can't hear me now...

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steely

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Re: What do I need for the chain conversion?
Reply #9 - 04/22/08 at 04:53:05

Bobbert wrote on 04/21/08 at 14:52:18:

can someone enlighten me as to why its not possible to find larger belt sprockets?

It is, they are just prohibitively expensive. I have never been able to get the manufacturer of our belt drives to contact me about what other sprockets they have. I have spoken to one other belt drive manufacturer (Gates) and the drive system was going to cost around $1500. That is without machining.

I would have just replaced the rear sprocket and tried a tensioner, but all of the different manufacturers belts have a little bit different tooth profile. That difference in profile is not much, but it is enough to cause premature wear on any belt that is not mated to the same manufacturers sprockets.

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skrapiron -FSO

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Re: What do I need for the chain conversion?
Reply #10 - 04/23/08 at 05:19:28

If I understand how to calculate final drive ratios, doesn't changing the diameter of the driven wheel accomplish nearly the same thing as changing the gear ratio if the driven gears?

I have been using a 140/90-15 tire on my bike since August. I don't have a tachometer to tell exactly what affect it had on engine RPMs, but at 55mph, it is definately turning fewer than when I was running the stock tire.

The 140/90-15 aftermarket tire has a 14mm taller cross section than the 140/80-15 stock tire (126mm cross section vs 112mm cross section.) That means the larger aftermarket tire has a 1" larger diameter than the stock tire. (around 24.9" vs 23.8"). The larger tire requires fewer revolutions per mile than the smaller tire (Diameter*Pi= circumference of tire in inches (orherwise known as roll out) Circumference of tire (in inches) / 12 (inches in a foot) = roll out in feet. 5280 (length of a mile in feet) / tire circumference (in feet) = number of revolutions per mile.

In the comparison of the 2 tires, the aftermarket tire is ~ 4.6% larger than the stock tire, thus lowering the overall drive ratio (final drive ratio of bike / circumference of driven wheel) by nearly 5%

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Everything I say is fully substantiated by my own opinion.

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barry68v10 Serious Thumper Offline Posts: 955 Maryland Gender:	Re: What do I need for the chain conversion? Reply #11 - 04/23/08 at 18:04:07 You're right Skrapiron. A different diameter tire will change the final drive ratio. With the chain conversion I changed mine by 15%. That's equivalent to switching to a 175/90-15 rear tire without all Oldfeller's "fit" problems.
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Chopped

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Re: What do I need for the chain conversion?
Reply #12 - 04/24/08 at 10:56:07

Ok, I have read the other thread in its entirety and still have a bit of trouble. I have a 52 tooth sprocket on my rear tire, my chopper. Will a 17 tooth front drive sprocket work and what will the ration be? Will I need to upgrade the clutch. The new chopper weighs about the same, but its a hell of a bigger sprocket. Its a bigger tire on the rear end to, 16". Any suggestions or comments are greatly apreciated.

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Chopped Senior Member Offline Hurts Like hell when you shoot yourself! Posts: 499 Stafford, VA Gender:	Re: What do I need for the chain conversion? Reply #13 - 04/25/08 at 09:53:28 No one biting on this one, huh. I just wanted to know if I can run a 17/51 sprocket combo without pushing my engine to hard.
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T Mack 1 - FSO

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Re: What do I need for the chain conversion?
Reply #14 - 04/25/08 at 11:32:28

Do the math.

1) Rear belt sprkt teeth coutn div by front = a number.

2) rear chain sprkt teeth cound div by front = x

Then look at percentage of change.

With that percentage of change, you can figure out how much faster at a certain RPM you will be going. Also, you should be able to figure out where the "lugging" will move to. example, lugging at 30 in 5th, might move to lugging at 40 in fifth.

So.... you sort of need to know how you will be riding to figure out what sprocket combo will be best for you.....

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30% of being mechanical is confidence/30% is knowing to go slow when needed/30% is looking repeatedly at what you have/10% is dumb luck Wink

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