I have a 400ex and have been looking for upgrades. I have heard a lot of talk recently in the forum about changing sprockets. What do you get out of changing the size of the sprokets? Any explanation would be appreciated. Thanks

 

Ok, first off, I want to make this very clear: changing sprockets will NOT change your horsepower at all. Putting a smaller front sprocket on (like a 14t on a 400EX), all you're doing is moving the gears down about half a gear. 2nd gear is now in between where 1st and 2nd used to be, 3rd is between where 2nd and 3rd used to be, etc. Basically the greatest benefit is just being able to go slower in 1st gear (since it was a bit higher than I liked), and also getting a slighty stronger launch off the line.

 

Changing the rear or counter shaft sprocket or both will alter the gear ratio, hence the power band of the particular machine. To alter the band to get more low end, a smaller c/s sprocket is used or to get similar results, a larger rear sprocket may be used. For more top end performance at the expense of low end, a larger c/s sprocket can be used, or a smaller rear sprocket, or a combination of both is sometimes employed to achieve the desired result. It depends entirely on one's riding style & what part of the band he wishes to alter. In making these changes one must consider the change in the length of the chain that will occur to make sure of sufficient adjustment. Also one should check an older chain to determine whether it has stretched beyond accepted limits. A stretched chain is a worn out chain & will quickly ruin sprockets by causing hooking of the teeth.

 

Thanks a lot for clearing that up. I think I am going to stick with stock.