ok thanks for explaining what bump steer is. what kind of chain slider block is that on your 230 ? and how long does that chain usaully last before its toasted?

 

Its from a warrior. About $30 on ebay

I don't know how long they last... I still haven't worn mine out.

Read this:

Facts you should no about Motorcycle Chains!

One of the biggest “Myths” when it comes to Motorcycle Chains is that a O-Ring chain will last longer than a “non-sealed (not O-ring) Chain! A non-sealed chain with the same Tensile Strength or slightly higher.....will last as long or longer in most cases if lubed about every 2 weeks of riding with a Premium Chain Lube!!!(but not X-Ring Type Chains) The “standard type” O-ring design allows dust, grit, & dirt to get between the inner & outer Side Plates. Sooo, in most cases the lubrication in the chain is gone after around 4,000 miles! Sure you can lube the chain as often as a “non-O-ring” chain & it will last longer, but that defeats the purpose & extra money of buying a O-ring Chain! In most cases, the O.E.M suppliers (RK & D.I.D) don’t even make a O-ring chain in a “Retail Box” anymore except to supply the Motorcycle Manufacturers to package-up as Genuine Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, or Suzuki parts!!!!!! Look at the picture on the left & you can see that dust, grit, & dirt can collect on the edges of the seal,,,,,which can eventually wear out the seal because of it’s design! Only one small “Sealing Surface”!

 

wow that link was pretty insightful. i guess in that case i could buy a few of the chains ,like you have, for my different sprocket combos without spending anywhere close to 1 o-ring chain. i run 3 different combs and so far i am not decided on which i like best.

but here is another question. i run the following combs:
13/39
12/39
11/39
i cant find any smaller rear sprocket. unless you know where i can locate one.

which is good for what? i notice the different shifting points but i dont notice any thing real different while off-road. and i have been told not to run a small sprocket on the tranny because it saps your overall power to the rear wheels and causes the engine to work harder.

 

woo hoo !!!!! snow on the streets!!!!! time to go play for a bit. its like 26 degrees so i wont be out too long. later.

 

Yup, now you're starting to think like me A bunch of inexpensive chains, changed often, beats one high priced chain... especially if the high priced chain is heavy and stiff (sapping power). I think the same way with my oil. Cheap oil changed often. I don't care how much you pay for oil, you can't slow down viscosity breakdown when the oil is subjected to the transmission gears smashing it all the time. Better to just change it a lot.

I spent mind-boggling hours, days, weeks figuring out if a chain/sprocket combo works better than another. I posted on physics boards and over at thumpertalk asking the question. I ran a few experiments with bicycle chain, crunched a lot of numbers, and did a lot of head scratching. I'm telling ya, if you want more power to the ground, go with the smallest front sprocket you can for the gear ratio you want. Maybe you can't tell the difference on a raptor 700, but on a 230 you sure can... at least I can. If you like the 13/39 gear, a 12/36 is the same ratio, but will get more power to the ground. The problem is where to find a back sprocket in a size other than 39 or 41. I got lucky and found a 37 aluminum split-sprocket on ebay for $50 I think. Otherwise you'd have to shell out $75 or more for a custom sprocket over here SPROCKET SPECIALISTS-Sprockets for all makes of bikes. So I'm running 11/37 on 20 inch tires.

There are so many variables to this, I don't even know where to begin actually. A small front sprocket will decrease the influence of chain friction and chain weight on the engine. Also, a small front sprocket means you'd need a smaller rear sprocket and less chain overall... which is less weight to have to spin. So not only does a small front make chain weight/friction less of an issue, but there is less weight overall! The downside is 1) the chain will wear/stretch faster because its harder to turn the axle with a smaller sprocket on it (ie an axle with a 41 is easier to turn than an axle with 37... that should be obvious to see... so the chain has to work harder to make it go). 2) there will be more stress on the swingarm bearings (if the chain is pulling harder on the axle to make it go, it will put that much more pressure on the swingarm bearings). Well,,, I've beefed up my swingarm so much that I'm not concerned with the changed of force from a 39 to a 37 and as far as chain stretch is concerned.... the raptor uses the same 520 chain so I doubt the 230 can hurt it much lol.

So for me, the choice is simple. I gotta have the 11 on the front and figure a way to get what I need on the back to make it do what I need it to do, which is trail riding where I'm almost never going as fast as 50mph. 11/37 works pretty well for that, although I'd like to try 11/36, but not worth the money right now.

The questions you have to answer are: Where will you be riding? Flat? Hills? Trails? Do you need top speed? Or is acceleration more important? And you have the issue of 4th gear being too big of a jump from 3rd (since you have a 230s and not a 250s), so you have to decide if you want to gear-up 3rd or gear-down 4th. And then, how big are your tires?

 

Where do you live? I used to live in Toldeo. I miss the snow

 

about 75 miles east of Columbus in a small hick-town called Coshocton. not to sure of the true mileage but i know i can be in columbus in about an hour and 20 minutes, give or take 10 minutes for traffic.

 

Well i'd like to have options. 1) trails with lots of hills and ramps 2)ice racing ,which is due to come soon,3) acceleration is kinda important. and what can i do to correct the huge jump in between gears? and i prefer to run 22's but i am open to some 21 inch tires. like the CST Ambush tires.

and i have been apparently thinking like you for a while. damn buckeye state is too cold for my blood. and i dont see the purpose in spending $60-$80 for a chain and only running one sprocket combo when i can spend just as much for a few chains and have open options for whatever riding i plan to do on the weekend. i am still in the learning phase of jumping. so far the biggest jump i have is 8 foot off the ground and 21 feet out. and it doesnt feel good on 25 year old shocks. the warrior rear shock helped on the back but the front still kills me. next year i will have a vid of my 100ft plus hill climb with a ramp about 3/4 the way up on the climb. i am not sure of the degree of the hill but i know if i hit it in 3rd gear WOT it takes 3.5 sec for me to crest the hill and start my decent.

 

Yeah if we get a little snow here in N. GA, its something to get excited about and time to go clean out the bread, milk, and lunchmeat from the stores.

Here's the BIG SNOW from last year that everyone still talks about as if it was a life changing event:





I think it lasted a whopping whole 12 hrs before every flake was gone. Good thing everyone got all that bread. I, for one, wouldn't know what I'd do without a sandwich in 12hrs!

 

wish my QS was up for this winter. last year we had about 8" here. was fun to play in the truck but my QS is at my dads place. didnt have a chance to get up there.