Motorcycle Sprockets

Motorcycle sprockets are all about the performance of a bike. The ratio between the teeth of your motorcycle rear and front sprockets determines how quickly your engine’s RPM is converted into the wheel speed. The lower the ratio, the faster the power your engine produces is delivered to the drive wheel. Replacing the front or rear sprocket or both of them with similar ones with more or less teeth may either give your iron horse better acceleration or increase its torque. Depending on engine horsepower, your driving style, and needs, you may go either way.

Understanding gear ratios is crucial for both improving your ride and maintaining your bike. If you are satisfied with the power and acceleration of your bike, you should choose sprockets with the same number of teeth as your factory ones have. Replacement sprockets will allow you to maintain the factory setup top speed and performance. In case you want to slightly improve your bike’s performance, you may install a larger rear sprocket that has more teeth than your original sprocket. It will give you a quicker acceleration yet may reduce your speed.

If you’re a beginning rider who lives in concrete jungles, you should consider gearing down by installing a rear sprocket with more teeth than your original one has. This may reduce your top speed, yet will give you enhanced acceleration that will come in handy on city roads. If you are an experienced driver, you may try different gear ratios to find the best mix between performance and torque. The optimal ratio for your motorcycle depends on the type of your bike and your driving style. You should also keep in mind what kind of terrains you ride and weather conditions you might encounter.

If you ride an off-road motorcycle, most likely you have to pull through the soil or up hills from time to time. Stronger acceleration and maximum use of the engine’s power achieved by gearing down will come in handy when conquering tough terrain. At the same time, a hard-packed trail can make you gear up to increase the top speed of your bike. In that case, you may lose in low-end power delivery which may call for the more frequent use of your clutch at low RPMs, while making the most of gearing up at high engine speeds.

Sprockets are usually made from steel or aluminum or a combination of both. High-quality sprockets are manufactured from hardened and heat-treated steel which provides improved resistance to wear and tear for extended longevity. When it comes to aluminum sprockets, they can be found on sports bikes and other high-performance motorcycles. Thanks to the physics of aluminum, they are lighter than their steel counterparts, which provides a couple of pounds saved for better acceleration on the track. On the other hand, they are prone to wear and tear, and therefore, must be replaced more frequently.