Need help picking sprokets.

[42MTI]

Hey guys, I love this site and all of the info so I thought I would ask for your help.

I have a 07' YZ450 and love it. I am 42y/o,weight 260, and ride mostly MX beginner with my kids. I need new chain and sprockets and I am thinking of going up 1 or 2 teeth on the rear. I don't corner that great, so with my slower speed through the turns and my weight, I thought this might help me with some of the jumps.

Also I had an 07 wr450 earlier this yr and it seemed to have more lower end, which I liked. Just wondering if this might also get me closer to that. I am thinking Vortex sprokets, I like the colors, and a 520 ert2 gold chain.

Thanks for you your help

Michael

[Slinkyman16]

good combo.. i like the vortex sprockets.. but currently run renthal(motosport didnt have the chain combo i liked with the vortex).. and if ur looking for more bottom first try a 50 tooth.. it should give u some help comming out of the corner..

and heres a tip on the chain..

keep up with maint.. and it will last a long time..

[G 9.5]

Buy Ironman sprocket, it will last forever.

[gtxkid]

You will need a 51 tooth

I have three friend that i race with all my age ( 48 ) and they went two teeth up. Senior novice to senior a guys

I am a lighter guy 165-170 pounds and went to a 50. worked perfict.

Only reason i am going back down to a 49 is because of engine mods and pipe.

[642MX]

My wifes bike has a Vortex rear sprocket and it will be the last Vortex product I buy. At 40 hours, it looks like its been thru a war, and thats a YZ290F. I'd hate to think what a 450 would do to it.

I'm going back to Primary Drive stuff next time. Its ugly, but it holds up and its cheap.

[DPW]

Buy Ironman sprocket, it will last forever.

Agree 100%....been using them since '05, good stuff

[grayracer513]

I personally have three problems with the Ironman sprockets:

> The lack of a full ring center. IMO, this places too much stress on the mounting flange under some conditions.

> As light as they are, they are still heavier than aluminum.

> Price. This only really applies if you're going to keep the bike less than a year, or in the OP's case, you're not sure what you want as far as size.

My choice is Tag Metals hard anaodized sprockets.

[Kent Rathgeber]

I'm running a 50t Tusk steel sprocket on the rear. Gives my 07 a little more pep out of the corners AND reduces the risk of stalling, as I can keep the engine revs higher out of the corners.

BTW, I race Vet Novice class, so the skill level ain't there to corner fast and keep the engine revs up.

[rickallen124]

Tag, which are afam, and protaper sprockets are very durable in my experience.

[Justin89]

Sunline/did combo will last forever too

[Aka.Goose]

Agree 100%....been using them since '05, good stuff

Happy with Ironman...Have seen pics of them tore up along with the hub, because of the reasons GR pointed out...But haven't personally seen that happen and know a few people who also use them and ride extremely hard without any problems...

IMO they look sweet, hardly any metal there, but super strong, and retain a nice chrome-like shine...And you'll be surprised at how long it takes for the teeth to wear down...But then again, you may end up needing a new hub...

If I were racing, I'd go with the lighter aluminum and just have to replace them more often...

[nap__kxf]

how do you guys abuse your sprockets so bad? i've had my renthal for a solid season and put dozens and dozens of rides on it and who knows how many hills i've put it through and its holding up fine.

[Aka.Goose]

how do you guys abuse your sprockets so bad?

See, when you're ON THE GAS it creates an enormous amount of torque and friction between the chain and sprocket....

Hahahaha, just busting your balls...

Guys that ride in deep dirt, sand, and mud tend to go through chains and sprockets much quicker than hard pack, trail, or desert riders...

[Justin89]

Ya I ride a lot of sandy/muddy/loamy type of dirt and with chew throught them pretty freaking fast

[grayracer513]

Sunline/did combo will last forever too

You need to be more specific when you say DID. DID makes the "chain" that comes on the YZ450 as original equipment.

[Justin89]

You need to be more specific when you say DID. DID makes the "chain" that comes on the YZ450 as original equipment.

Sorry, I just ordered for my Yamaha a SUNLINE forn and rear sprocket and a standard DID O-ring 120 link chain. I like TAG just as much as Sunline, they both wear very well...maybe because they're made by the same company:ride:

[grayracer513]

how do you guys abuse your sprockets so bad? i've had my renthal for a solid season and put dozens and dozens of rides on it and who knows how many hills i've put it through and its holding up fine.

There are two things that tend to accelerate sprocket wear:

> "Stretched" chains (those worn at the pins so that the pitch is longer than specified).

> Environmental dirt.

Running chains such as the Regina ORN6 that resist wear to the point that they require not much more than annual adjustments will extend the life of even a soft sprocket like the Renthals. One that goes beyond 2% longer than spec can chew up even a steel sprocket.

The kind and quantity of dirt that gets onto the sprocket while it's working obviously has an effect, too, and this is why you should choose a chain lube that dries up with as low a level of tackyness as possible, and allows you to easily wash whatever dirt it does catch off without blasting the chain full of water. In this regard, I find that Maxima Synthetic Chain Guard works well.

[Aka.Goose]

Hey GR, Maxima has a chain lube, and a chain wax...What's the difference, and when would you need the wax?

[grayracer513]

You might need the wax if you were racing bicycles. Wax works well for that because it does an adequate job of lubing in that application, and it's a lot cleaner when you inevitably have to handle the chain during a flat fix. It may also be useful for rejuvenating candles, or lubing wood furniture, I don't know.

But, I advise keeping it clear of your motorcycle, because as far as I can tell, it's useless for that purpose, making it the only Maxima product that I can think that I recommend against. It's barely OK for a sealed chain, I guess.

The chain lube I recommended I named by its labeled name: Synthetic Chain Guard.

[gtxkid]

I snaped 3 chains apart in two years.

One was a factoy 2007 YZ450F

Second was a factoy 2008 YZ450F

Third was a RK with about 8 race's on it.

I'm using a DID now i think.

And looking at others

Good info here.