Aftermarket Sprockets Installed And RatedWant an inexpensive way to make your bike feel faster? One of the easiest and best dollar value add-ons available is an aftermarket sprocket.
Today's modern sportbikes are engineering marvels, with power-to-weight ratios that best even the most exotic sports cars. One of the ways that manufacturers harness a sportbike's astonishing power delivery is to equip them with tall gearing. But getting around that is pretty easy, and changing a rear sprocket is an inexpensive and simple way to reclaim that power for use on the street. While they don't actually add power, changing the gear ratio with a sprocket will make your new bike "feel" faster and have your older bike seeming new again.
Sprockets come in a variety of shapes, colors, materials and sizes. The number of teeth that is increased over stock will cause the motor to reach redline faster, gear to gear. This will allow you to take advantage of the power at higher rpms and shift through the gears at a lower speed instead of only using two or three gears as with many stock bikes. There is a sacrifice to the top-end speed, but with most sportbikes geared for upward of 160 mph, the only thing you'll be missing is a weekend in the slammer.
Sprocket construction varies as much as the optional number of teeth, and the materials range from aluminum to steel, with dual and even triple compounds available. Lightweight aluminum sprockets will save weight but tend to wear out faster, while a steel sprocket will last longer-but it comes with increased weight and generally simpler designs. Some companies have chosen alloys and mixes of aluminum, steel and magnesium to find a happy medium between performance, style and price.
Vortex Racing Cat 5
The Cat 5 sprocket from Vortex Racing is a great way to add power and style. The cool star-shaped center looks great on any custom, race or stunt bike. Cat 5 sprockets are available in red, blue, gold, black and bright-dipped silver.
Price: $74.95
Weight: .95 lbs.
+ Custom design
- n/a
http://www.vortexracing.com
Sunstar Standard Steel
Sunstar equips many OEMs with sprockets and these steel units look stock. For those looking to simply swap out their stock sprocket for a different size, Sunstar offers direct replacements.
Price: $46.57
Weight: 1.85 lbs.
+ Keeps it stock
- Heavy steel
http://www.sunstar-mc.com
Driven Street
Driven Sprockets are made from lightweight aluminum and come in plenty of sizes. Driven sprockets are available in gold, red, blue, green, black and chrome for a wide range of makes and models. Limited-edition artistic sprockets are available for the serious art collector.
Price: $65.95
Weight: 1.2 lbs.
+ Cool colors
- n/a
http://www.drivenracing.com
Renthal Chainwheels
Renthal sprockets are one of the most trusted names in the sprocket world. The lightweight aluminum sprockets are race proven and come in any size you can imagine.
Price: $59.95 and up
Weight: .7 lbs.
+ Super light
- One color
http://www.renthal.com