cheapo ebay 630 chains, how to tell if sprocket is 530 or 630????

[Chuck78]

I'm needing a longer chain due to swapping an aluminum GS1100E swing arm onto my 1977 GS750B this winter. I got this spoked wheel from a parted out 84/85 GS1150 drag bike (nice 3.50"x18" DID alloy rim to run a 130-150 rear tire!), and it has a really really nice looking 47t sprocket on it. I think in 84, they switched to 530 on some GS's, but this is a spoke wheel, so not sure if was off of the 84 anyway, and it had a GS1100 engine in the GS1150 chassis, so who knows what model the parts are spec'd out for, and the ebay seller's tag on the wheel says "83 GS1100" and the auction price, although it came off of a GS1150, not sure how accurate or relevant any of that info is to this wheel, although it is a Suzuki hub for sure.

The sprocket diameter and chain pitch is rather large, so I was thinking it was a 630, but not sure. Can anyone help me figure out which it is? I'll probably stick with whatever chain size this sprocket is, although if it's a 47t 630, seems that I will have massive accelleration but high freeway rpm's and no tread left on my rear tire after lots of launches riding with my buddy with the 1132cc KZ1000... I noticed his rear sprocket is significantly smaller diameter since he has massive amounts of power on tap.

Attached is a photo. It's a real nice polished aluminum sprocket with the round holes in it machined with a nice 45 degree bevel, sharp looking. "47t made in USA" and "PBI 6093" stamped into it. 3/8" width and about 3/4" center to center on the tooth spacing. 630?

With my stock GS750 front sprocket (what size is stock???), I would imagine a 47t rear would make it spin like crazy and accellerate insanely fast, but rev a bit high on the freeway. Yes/no?

 

[Chuck78]

I was having second thoughts about a 530 conversion, and saw this off brand gold 630 chain on ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/180977967827


It's a no-namer, so I was a little leary of it, but the price is right, and 630's are pretty beefy by their sheer size. Any comments on the quality of this or potential risk I'd be taking putting this on an 85-95hp 650lb wet w/rider GS that gets ridden hard?? Maybe not an area to skimp on. I'll email them and ask what manufacturer it is. "Tensile strength of 9850 pounds, Top quality of the line o-ring roller chains" is all the description says.

The bike is going to be shedding a little more weight from stock GS750 wire wheel form, but we believe "the moter's been boared out by the guy I got it off of" means that it has the Wiseco 844 kit, as this $725 GS750 is as fast as a bat outta hell, and I have GS850 jugs and 10:1 72mm 920cc pistons to install in it at some point, so it's gonna have a lot of power, requiring not skimping on chain if I downsize to the 530 (or a skinny 520 to help with running a 150 rear tire).

How much weight and friction am I going to lose if I go to a 530? and how much is it gonna set me back for a set of sprockets and a gold 530 chain of sufficient quality? recommendations? New 630 looks to be $68 and up for a decent one, and that's a clearance price and not gold like I'd want.

 

[Chuck78]

also found these China made 630 chains in 98, 102, and 110 link lengths. Still probably questionable quality, rated for 8200 lbs tensile strength, the cheaper ones claim more.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/290771862778

"Manufactured by Factory Spec"

 

[tkent02]

3/4" (6/8) pin spacing is 630, 5/8" pin spacing is 530.

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Have a look at this page on my little website. You'll find stock sprocket and chain specs for most GS bikes. You'll also find a link to a chain length/sprocket teeth calculator.

Chain specs are based on "eights". In other words, a 530 chain would have a pitch of 5/8 inch (distance between link pins) and a roller width of 3/8 inch.

A couple of links...

http://www.sprocketcalculator.com/

http://www.gizmology.net/sprockets.htm


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[blowerbike]

all big GS's had 630 chains.

 

[Chuck78]

SOOOOO... 530 chains are really lighter???? Seems like they'd be similar weight to me, as a 630 would have far less pins and bushings, but maybe a taller profile and slightly more friction????

 

[Chuck78]

Any speculation on whether or not those ebay no-name 630 chains are worth installing on my bike???

 

[tkent02]

It will work, it won't last as long as an expensive one but it will make the bike go just fine.

 

[hampshirehog]

Any speculation on whether or not those ebay no-name 630 chains are worth installing on my bike???

I wouldn't. I would go with a brand name you can depend on.

 

[Chuck78]

Well as much as I'd like to use the really cool looking 47T sprocket that came with the drag slick wheel, the Gearing Commander calculator tells me I'd be spinning 5500 rpm's at 65mph, about 5850rpm's at 70mph, 6300rpm's at 75... I do see GSXR 630 16t sprockets on ebay, but maybe going with a comparable diameter 530 front and a rear comparable to a 41t-43t would be better, as it's a lighter chain and smaller sprockets, and I am concerned with weight.

I'm trying to give my stock length GS750 chain to my wife's bike with a worn out chain, and thinking that maybe if I could just find a 16T front sprocket, that I could donate this gear to her bike at least if the chain is long enough. That would be 5400 at 68 mph, that would be tolerable, and give her 673cc GS550 an acceleration/gearing advantage to the larger displacement of my bike and a few of our friends. The GS650 parts alone are really gonna wake that bike up A LOT, and dropping the gearing a notch will give it a bit more of a strong arm on this already lightweight bike. My GS750 is much heavier, so weight is a bigger concern for me.

 

[Chuck78]

For my ride, I am now most likely looking for a good 530 conversion with a gold chain and a nice looking aluminum sprocket. What years GSXR's have the same sprocket bolt pattern and splines???? I see lots of conversions on ebay.

I'd love to support Z1, but I am set on a gold chain, and that gearing commander calculator on their main page tells me everything I need to know, although the chain length seems to be a manual input and not a calculated field apparently.

 

[1980GS1000E]

I bought one of those cheapo 630 chains and it looks ok. I haven't installed yet so I have no idea how long it will last. I am wondering if there is any grease on the pins under the o-rings.

 

[daturat100r]

I have had a Forward Powersports 630 O or X chain in my hands...for about 30 seconds......HEAVY HEAVY HEAVY...weighs easily 10 to 15 percent more than an RK or Takasago.....and the link plates are thicker therefore a chain guard, let alone a wide tire...out of the question. Even the master link side plates are not an interference fit.....HEAVY and JUNK. Turfed it out.

I have 2 GS1100 E's......owned since new. One has the original gearing /style 630 chain set up15 T 42 T Sunstar Sprockets. RK X ring chain. Chain and sprockets were re and re'd sometime ago. The other has a 530 Takasago?...spelling here..... 18 T 48 T........the 530 is easily 5 pounds lighter, sprockets are lighter too....a whole lot quieter.

Spend the bucks for the best 530 chain you can afford........sprockets too. Lots of folks recommend Z1 Enterprises.

Listen to big red he has summed it up ,those cheap chinese chains will destroy your sprockets in no time at all.Just remember all that glitters is not gold, and a gold coloured chain hanging loosely from stuffed sprockets sounding like a rock crusher at full noise is not cool.
The 530 xring conversion on my yoshi kitted 750 still going strong 28000km later with a fair amount of dirt road work as well

 

[hoppy1]

A freind of mine has a 78 GS1000E that he put one of those e-bay 630 chains on. Worked fine for a while, then at a stop light, he started to take-off when the master link clip and side plate fell off. The chain fell on to the ground, so he had to call his brother to come get him. I'm glad he wasn't on the Interstate when that happened!!! Also remember, he isn't much on maintanence, so the chain was DRY!!! Just my 2 cents worth

 

[Chuck78]

Well, crap! I just looked up those Suzuki specs charts for GS550 gearing, and apparently the 550's and 650's already used 530 chains?!? 77-8 GS550 was a 15-50 gear 530 chain. I had no idea. So much for donating my good used chain to my wife's bike to replace her worn out chain.

Maybe I will try and find an affordable 630 chain for my bike and buy a new 16T 630 front sprocket and run it like that for a while.

 

[Jedz123]

Don't run an Alluminum sprocket! Unless you want to change it at the end of the season! Your bike will destroy it! Alluminum sprockets are really for light weight low displacement sport bikes that see maybe 3k miles a year.

Steel sprockets and a nice DID chain is what you need. Expect to pay over $300 but the setup will last for years. You can get just about any size Sprocket. Also go to ebay to gather your materials. I've run all my bikes with 530 chain setups and you get the best deals on ebay. Just make sure your buying quality products. My 750 has had its Hayabusa rated chain and sprockets for over 5 years with 30K miles and no issues. I did the 7/11 swap and didn't even think about touching the chain drive.

Make sure you take care of it! I lube mine with PJ1 every 500 miles and do a complete clean with Kerosene every 1000-1500 miles. Some people say I'm crazy but my chains last forever.

 

[Chuck78]

Don't run an Alluminum sprocket! Unless you want to change it at the end of the season! Your bike will destroy it! Alluminum sprockets are really for light weight low displacement sport bikes that see maybe 3k miles a year.

Steel sprockets and a nice DID chain is what you need. Expect to pay over $300 but the setup will last for years.

DARNIT!!! I was looking up pictures of EMGO sprockets online, and realized that my sprocket that came on the GS1150 drag bike spoked wheel looks to be made by DragSpecialties. It's mirror polished aluminum and looks really really slick, the reason why I was excited to run it. That, and a 16-47 in a 630 would be immense acceleration!
Do you think this monster DragSpecialties 47T sprocket will wear out after 3,000 miles??? That would be a bummer. More motivation to go with a 530 conversion, save weight and get gold/black chain in the process!

 

[Chuck78]

So I'm looking around online and it seems that a front 530 sprocket runs $23 on ebay, rears around $35-45, and I was looking at some Regina chains starting at around $75, maybe closer to $100 for o-ring chains.

Should I be looking at spending a whole lot more for a chain than that???? $160 doesn't sound too bad. It will postpone the 1100E swingarm conversion a month maybe while I save up or pawn off stuff, but I can swing it.

 

[Chuck78]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121014574277

How's that? I see some DID chains for around $110+ that are similar.

Searching ebay for "530 Conversion Chain/Sprocket GS1100E 80-83 17-48T" it looks like I only need a 106 link chan?