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So I am finishing up my summer hibernation from motorcycle riding and getting ready to play Ricky road racer for the next few months.

In my quest for ever levels of greatness, I placed upon myself the task of replacing the drive system on my GSXR Race bike. Now don’t think this is an easy task, the process of chain replacement requires almost ZEN like dedication and focus. Before one can replace the chain, deep meditation on the replacement choice must be considered. Deep research on many racing message boards (WERA, AllStone, BSRacing, etc), it was decided that the DID 520ERV3 Gold chain was in order. There are many chains to pick from but the DID got the thumbs up from many on the WERA board. While a bit pricy at $140 for a 120link chain, in general the opinion is if you only replace the chain once a year it is the way to go.

When mediating over chains, the first question that you may ask is why a 520 chain. As everyone knows my GSXR750 came with a 525 Chain. Why would I go smaller? The answer is easy; the previous chain was a 520 from the last owner. In addition I already have two 520 sprockets (At $55 each) and I was not willing to give up on parts I already have. Finally it is helpful to run the same equipment that the majority of your fellow racers / track day nuts operate. My whole goal of using a GSXR750 was to be part of the group. It seems everyone knows how to work on the GSXR bike and has parts and tools sitting around that you can borrow or buy.

European Motorcycle Accessories helped fix me up with the new DID 520ERV3 Chain and two Sprocket Specialists front sprockets. The Stock GSXR750 came with a 17 tooth front sprocket and a 42 tooth rear sprocket. When I got my used race bike I had no idea what the front sprocket was, but the rear was a worn out 46 tooth sprocket. I tried going to a 42 tooth but found that was too big of a jump for the adjustment range. I ran the worn out 46 sprocket till a replacement arrived. On my first two outings the 46 just lifted the front wheel a bit more than my inexperience was comfortable with. Swapping out to a 44 tooth took a bit of the edge off the bike, but made it feel a bit nicer.

Fast forward to today and my selection of a 17/46 sprocket setup. I feel that the 17/46 should be a good setup for me, but many recommend a 16/44 or 16/46 setup for me, and a few brave few run a 15/42 but I think that is over kill. The 17/46 will keep some reasonable top speed and give me a bit of extra launch power. I will be at MMP (Miller Motorsports Park) in September and with the 3800foot straightway, there should be a chance to open her up a bit.

So Saturday was the big day for the chain swap. I got myself ready by getting rid of the POS 44 tooth Vortex Sprocket and replaced it with a 46 tooth Renthal Chainwheel (Sprocket to us in the US). I have higher hopes that the 7075 T6 sprocket material used by Renthal should be of better quality than the Vortex “Aerospace Quality” sprocket. Slapped everything together and haul everything down to Psykotic cycles in Peoria, AZ. Joe took care of the chain swap and swapped out the front sprocket for the parts that I brought him. The guys at Psykotic cycles are cool as they do a bunch of labor without being ticked that they don’t get the parts business. I am going to start offering to let them order me the parts and let them know what price I am being offered. They have been doing me a good job, and I should swing some extra $$$ there way.

So now I am in possession of a bike with a new chain with new sprockets front a rear. I have that new chain sound and smell and I should be good to go. I plan to continue to ride the hell out of the bike and I hope to make the swap down to the 16/46 setup when I feel it’s worth the effort.