revtothelimit - motorbike forum

How do I tell what size mine are? Do I need to measure them, or is there something simpler?

I'm not talking about the number of teeth - even I can count the teeth, and anyway its stamped on the sprocket. I mean whether it is a 520 or 428. The sprocket doesn't seem to offer any clues - just says Talon 503.

What should I be looking for?

The side plates on the chain are often stamped with the pitch.

It should be stamped on the side of at least one of the links and also on the sprocket.

Otherwise measure it, you don't even need to be that accurate to tell what it is, assuming your bike is vaguely mainstream.

https://www.wemoto.com/info/chain_dimensions

Mr. Dazzle wrote: Wed Sep 09, 2020 10:56 pm It should be stamped on the side of at least one of the links and also on the sprocket.

Otherwise measure it, you don't even need to be that accurate to tell what it is, assuming your bike is vaguely mainstream.

https://www.wemoto.com/info/chain_dimensions

It's a track bike. As a standard road going model it would have run a 520, but for racing they are often converted to run 428. I have a feeling we are still on 520, but there is no clue on the sprocket. I will have a closer look at the side plates on the chain tomorrow, but when I looked at a few links earlier, I couldn't see anything.

Is it not worth sticking to standard? I get why someone racing might try and save weight with chain and sprockets but will it make much odds on a trackbike unless you are really chasing times?

Trogladyte wrote: Wed Sep 09, 2020 11:25 pm

Mr. Dazzle wrote: Wed Sep 09, 2020 10:56 pm It should be stamped on the side of at least one of the links and also on the sprocket.

Otherwise measure it, you don't even need to be that accurate to tell what it is, assuming your bike is vaguely mainstream.

https://www.wemoto.com/info/chain_dimensions

It's a track bike. As a standard road going model it would have run a 520, but for racing they are often converted to run 428. I have a feeling we are still on 520, but there is no clue on the sprocket. I will have a closer look at the side plates on the chain tomorrow, but when I looked at a few links earlier, I couldn't see anything.

Fair enough - but a 520 chain is more than 1.5mm wider than a 428 one, so you'll be able to measure that difference with even a crap set of callipers.
Similarly the pitch is more than 3mm different. You can measure that with a kid's rule!

There's a pretty big difference between the various sizes - big in terms of what it's possible to measure with even basic tools anyway - so it should be pretty easy just to measure it and compare to the table in my link. That's what I meant about "vaguely mainstream"; so long as you have a normalish metric chain - which you almost certainly have - you'll be reet.

Measure the width, 520 is noticeably wider than 428 (which looks like a bicycle chain)

Supermofo wrote: Thu Sep 10, 2020 8:02 am Is it not worth sticking to standard? I get why someone racing might try and save weight with chain and sprockets but will it make much odds on a trackbike unless you are really chasing times?

It's the boy's Daytona 675 race bike - he's definitely racing it and chasing times!

Fair do's