1982 GS1100E 530 chain conversion

[batterup]

I am about to do the 530 chain conversion on my 1982 gs1100e and want the gearing to remain as close to stock as possible, if it cant be exactly stock gearing i would like the highway rpms to drop, what is the sprocket i should get to be stock gearing or close to? Thanks for the help

[steve murdoch]

I like to promote good vendors.
Z1 will have all the parts and info you need for this conversion.

http://www.z1enterprises.com/

[batterup]

Thanks Steve, i just wanna make sure i got the right info before i purchase, it looks like closest to stock gearing would be 18 tooth front 50 tooth rear and i need the 6mm spacer washer.. anyone know if i got this right? Thanks for the help

[cowboyup3371]

Why not ask them? The folks at Z1 will go out of their way to ensure you have the right parts IF you ask them.

[batterup]

Im confused, i thought there was some sort of conversion as far as the sprockets:

Stock 630 for gs1100e
15t front
42t rear

530 i thought would be:

18t front
50t rear

But i just talked to my mechanic friend and he said the teeth dont
change if you want stock gearing you would stick with 15t front 42t rear on a 530 chain..

I did call z1, he came up with 18t front 50t rear also so im confused, any help would be appreciated, Thanks again

[cowboyup3371]

I'm not that smart about sprocket sizing and gearing but I would have to trust someone who does it for a living and handles dozens of calls probably every day compared to a friend.

But, that is just what I'd do personally. Only you know how much your experience your friend really has.

[Baatfam]

Im confused, i thought there was some sort of conversion as far as the sprockets:

Stock 630 for gs1100e
15t front
42t rear

530 i thought would be:

18t front
50t rear

But i just talked to my mechanic friend and he said the teeth dont
change if you want stock gearing you would stick with 15t front 42t rear on a 530 chain..

I did call z1, he came up with 18t front 50t rear also so im confused, any help would be appreciated, Thanks again

Strictly speaking drive ratios, your friend is correct.
But with the smaller size of the 530 sprockets a 15t front sprocket makes the chain go around a tighter radius which is harder on the chain.
The 18t front gives you a larger radius, similar to your old 15t 630, which is easier on the chain.
So, using the 18t and the 50t rear 530 gets you very close to the same ratio, but is better for the chain.

Trust Z1...they know.

[batterup]

Awesome Info Baatfam! Thanks for all the help Guys

[jpaul]

Your mechanic friend is right in that the ratios will remain the same if you go with sprockets having the same number of teeth, but the spacing between the teeth is less on a 530 chain than on a 630 chain. The 5 & the 6 refer to the number of eighths of an inch between center on the chain, and therefor on the sprocket. So you need a larger number of teeth to keep the sprocket sizes relatively close to stock. Too small of a front sprocket will result in excessive wear from the chain trying to rotate around too small of a radius.

The stock ratio is 2.80 or 42/15, while the ratio that Z1 recommended is 2.77 or 50/18. That will drop your revs very slightly at any given speed, but it would be hard to notice.

Bob beat me to it, which isn't hard considering the way I type.

[batterup]

I did some searching on this site and found some more info from katman and nessism recommending 17t front 48t rear being the recommended setup if you
want closest to stock on a gs1100e.


"If you go to a 17 tooth front, a 48 tooth rear will put you within 32 rpm from stock @ 60mph."

That is for a 1982 gs1100e so it looks like thats the best option for me since i want to be closest to stock gearing, this would lower my rpm's just a hair which is perfect. Thanks again for all the help!

[Baatfam]

I did some searching on this site and found some more info from katman and nessism recommending 17t front 48t rear being the recommended setup if you
want closest to stock on a gs1100e.


"If you go to a 17 tooth front, a 48 tooth rear will put you within 32 rpm from stock @ 60mph."

That is for a 1982 gs1100e so it looks like thats the best option for me since i want to be closest to stock gearing, this would lower my rpm's just a hair which is perfect. Thanks again for all the help!

Just do the math BU
Stock: 42/15 = 2.80000
Option 1: 50/18 = 2.77777
Option 2: 48/17 = 2.82352

Honestly...I doubt you will notice the difference in either case...

[batterup]

Stock: 42/15 = 2.80000
Option 1: 50/18 = 2.77777
Option 2: 48/17 = 2.82352

Am i right that the 2.82 is lower rpm's then the 2.80 stock or is the 2.77 lower rpms than stock? I dont want to be putting out any misinformation. Thanks again