Front Sprocket Question

[Htown Busa]

I am thinking of going down a tooth on the front sprocket of an '08. What is a good brand. I spoke to the shop near my house and they said Vortex for crap and they recommended JT.

 

[PaLVBusa]

Have a vortex currently and have no issues. Decent price and good fitment. No experience otherwise beyond factory

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[m_ridgeway]

Nothing is wrong with vortex, the fronts are steel anyway. they probably make more money on the jts compare their price to online.
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[Htown Busa]

Nothing is wrong with vortex, the fronts are steel anyway. they probably make more money on the jts compare their price to online.
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You are probably right. I just checked online and they are trying to overcharge me anyway. They quoted me 29.99 and the price online (Bike Bandit) was 20.96. I know it is only $9 but I'd rather have it in my pocket. I'm just trying to get some low end torque back after addding a 240 wide tire kit.

 

[Ezduzit]

Have a vortex currently and have no issues. Decent price and good fitment. No experience otherwise beyond factory

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I second that!

 

[m_ridgeway]

Contact one of our sponsors like pashnit or honda east justin and they can get you fixed up
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[Htown Busa]

Contact one of our sponsors like pashnit or honda east justin and they can get you fixed up
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I would but I have only done simple things on my bike such as slip ons, oil change, clutch cover replacement. Anything more difficult, I am a little intimidated. Although a front sprocket appears easy enough.

 

[crawler]

Best front sprocket in my opinion is made by suzuki.

Buy a 17tooth stock front sprocket from an 09+ GSXR1000. That's what I ran on mine coupled with JT steel 46 rear. Nice combo.

 

[m_ridgeway]

I would but I have only done simple things on my bike such as slip ons, oil change, clutch cover replacement. Anything more difficult, I am a little intimidated. Although a front sprocket appears easy enough.

If you can do the clutch covers you can do the sprocket. Pull all the bolts from the sprocket cover, one allen bolt holds on the speed sensor, then one nut to the sprocket. Leave the chain tight til you get that nut off and use the rear brake to keep it from turning
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[Jim44]

I've had an AFAM A22900 chromoly steel 17 tooth for a couple of years now on my '08 with no problems

 

[Husky]

I dropped down to a 16 on front with Vortex, no problems and the bike pulls like a beast down the 1/4 mile

 

[dadofthree]

I've heard that it's better and I know it's easier to change the rear sprocket.

Front sprockets aren't that hard to change, just don't reach up and grab the clutch while the covers off

 

[Tufbusa]

If you are not very handy with a wrench, getting that front sprocket off for the first time may be your biggest issue.

Your front stock sprocket has a built in vibration dampner which not of your aftermarket sprockets will have. Also, dropping the front a tooth tightens up the chain circumference and creates more wear as well as robbing a tad of HP.

I prefer going up a couple teeth in the back vs down in the front. Plus, the rear sprocket is much easier to change.

Vortex - Good Stuff!

 

[sixpack577]

Going down in the front to "regain torque" from your fat tire kit...you're going the wrong direction. Taking teeth away from the front allows you to utilize LESS of the bike's available torque. The bike will rev even faster with the -1 front and feel even more sluggish. Do like Tuf said and add 2 or 3 to the rear.

 

[Htown Busa]

Maybe I am saying it wrong. What I want is for the bike to pull harder from the start. I really don't care about top speed because I will never get there anyway. Going down a tooth in the front will not give me that? Any advise is helpful?

 

[sixpack577]

Maybe I am saying it wrong. What I want is for the bike to pull harder from the start. I really don't care about top speed because I will never get there anyway. Going down a tooth in the front will not give me that? Any advise is helpful?

For a ballpark comparison, a -1 is equal to +3 rear...a common misconception. While the overall gear ratios are very similiar on paper, the difference in real world feel is very noticeable.
If you add teeth to the rear you'll lose a small amount of top speed, not noticeable unless running top speed is what you want to do(I know you don't).
Adding 3 teeth to the rear will only raise your rpm's by about 400 to 500 at highway cruising speed(and everywhere else). The bike will accelerate noticeably harder. Exactly what you're looking for.
On the other hand, going down teeth on the front, a -1, will not make full use of the bike's available torque. The engine will noticeably "feel" as if it has lost torque, and the engine will rev up and tach out quicker. A good comparison is that the unique torquey feeling Busa will now feel like a 1000.
Consider you were using an 18 tooth gear with a manual crank handle to raise a heavy water bucket froma a well. Now try to do the same job with a 6 tooth gear. You will work much harder to accomplish the same task, and turn the handle many more times.
The comparison may seem like a far stretch, but the end result is the same.
I have run many gearing combos on sport and dirk bikes over the years, and I can tell you honestly that a -1 front does not feel like a +3 rear...for the above mentioned reasons.
For what you are trying to accomplish, a +3 rear will do a far superior job than the -1. Consider that if that well bucket crank gear had a chain and another gear(representing your rear sprocket) that you would accomplish the same thing again easier with the larger sprocket, which in your case is going faster sooner.
Make sense?

 

[Htown Busa]

Thanks for the explanation. This helped a lot. It is still hard to get without a visual. I will get a visual on my mountain bike when I get home.

 

[sixpack577]

Thanks for the explanation. This helped a lot. It is still hard to get without a visual. I will get a visual on my mountain bike when I get home.

Go with the rear first, they are much easier to do like Tuf mentioned. You can always try a front after as they are so cheap. An impact wrench is helpful and sometimes the only way to get the front sprocket nut off too(and it's 36mm like the rear axle nut).
Even though you're bike is stretched, if you have the correct amount of slack a +3 rear will fit fine, as they fit a stock length chain fine with plenty of slack for adjustment.

 

[m_ridgeway]

For a ballpark comparison, a -1 is equal to +3 rear...a common misconception. While the overall gear ratios are very similiar on paper, the difference in real world feel is very noticeable.
If you add teeth to the rear you'll lose a small amount of top speed, not noticeable unless running top speed is what you want to do(I know you don't).
Adding 3 teeth to the rear will only raise your rpm's by about 400 to 500 at highway cruising speed(and everywhere else). The bike will accelerate noticeably harder. Exactly what you're looking for.
On the other hand, going down teeth on the front, a -1, will not make full use of the bike's available torque. The engine will noticeably "feel" as if it has lost torque, and the engine will rev up and tach out quicker. A good comparison is that the unique torquey feeling Busa will now feel like a 1000.
Consider you were using an 18 tooth gear with a manual crank handle to raise a heavy water bucket froma a well. Now try to do the same job with a 6 tooth gear. You will work much harder to accomplish the same task, and turn the handle many more times.
The comparison may seem like a far stretch, but the end result is the same.
I have run many gearing combos on sport and dirk bikes over the years, and I can tell you honestly that a -1 front does not feel like a +3 rear...for the above mentioned reasons.
For what you are trying to accomplish, a +3 rear will do a far superior job than the -1. Consider that if that well bucket crank gear had a chain and another gear(representing your rear sprocket) that you would accomplish the same thing again easier with the larger sprocket, which in your case is going faster sooner.
Make sense?

from what your saying you could trap a higher mph or reach top speed quicker with the rear change vs the front... anyone ever tried this

 

[sixpack577]

from what your saying you could trap a higher mph or reach top speed quicker with the rear change vs the front... anyone ever tried this

I never said that...you implied it.
Read, or re-read the original post.
He has a fat tire and is looking to regain some of the acceleration lost from the added weight. The +3 rear sprocket will most certainly accomplish that by utilizing already available torque sooner and easier, as opposed to the opposite effect from subtracting from the front.
Your obvious implication that each gear will not acheive as high a mph is correct, but the OP also stated that he was not interested in top speed. Only that he simply wanted the feel of recovering power lost from the added rotating mass of the fat tire, he wanted to accomplish this through gearing.
He is not racing and trying to achieve tenths on a timeslip. He simply needs more real world usable gearing for his situation.
I have many years of countless gearing changes on many dirt and sportbikes, I can assure you it works.