630 or 530

well it's finally that time I can't adjust my chain tension any longer, its stretched to the limit.
and the rear sprocket looks really wavy.

so now I am looking at getting sprockets and a chain and I am wondering primarily because of price if it is safe to go down to a 530 chain and sprockets, as far as chains i am looking at www.jcwhitney.com 's

Self-lubricating 530 Chain, 96 Links Each ZX023686A

or the

96 Links Custom-fit 630 Drive Chain Each ZX024936R $69.99


I know jc whitney's had a bad rap over the years but I am currently dirt poor.


if this is possible does a 530 and 630 chain with the same number of links the same length? and how do I order a 530 sprocket to fit??

I just converted my 630 to a 530. I got mine from z-1 enterprizes. Jeff had all the answers.

Me too, and me too. Jeff's your guy.

Just remeber, a KZ12 comes with a 530 chain. I'm sure that it is putting out more power than your KZ (no offense). Chain technology has improved greatly since your KZ was made. Don't forget that you will need to buy non stock sprokets for your 530 chain.

DL - PLEASE go to your profile and modify your signature so that it reflects your bike year/model. Thanks!

The 630 chain is no longer very popular and is getting progressively fewer styles to choose from. About the only choices now are O-ring and non-o-ring. The 530 offers far more choices and is sufficiently strong. I think it is FOOLISHNESS to buy a non-oring chain as they don't last as long as your rear tire plus they will wear out your sprockets. It is far more cost effective to get a top of the line 530 x-ring or other modern chain with a much higher wear index.

I doubt you will beat z1enterprises.com prices by using JCW but it is your choice. Check their shipping costs when comparing prices. You will also get no tech support when selecting your new 530 sprockets...

Had a Chain once from JC Whitney's would i ever install one from them again, not on your live or mine. I take great care of my bike being a Mechanic and had it break in the middle of a link for no reason at all. Spend the extra money for a quality chain from Z1Enterprises or www.cyclegear.com or one of the many online bike parts places. Installed a new 530 106 link on the bike after break and now have 10K on the new chain.

For most street bikes it is well worth switching to 530 chain.

Cheaper chain, less reciprocating weight (more power at the back wheel), more chain options and better chain availability.

For most models, the savings in chain and sprockets amount to $10-$20 by switching to 530 chain - also, many of the sprockets needed are readily available in stock sizes from other bikes. The exception is the Z1/KZ900 - these sprockets have to be custom made (but we have a few of them in stock).

this is a 93 kz1000p 12, what sprockets and chain would I need how many teeth etc? also what lenghth of 530 would I need, I'll have to rexamine my funds and see if i can afford ordering from z1.

the susuki hyabusa(hi-ya-buzzard,god theyre ugly)comes with a 530 chain and they push 160plus hp out of the box so i dont think it would be a problem.a 530 should free up a little horsepower to,just make sure you buy a good high quality chain and sprockets,compare the tensile strengh of the chains notjust the price.530 chain should be longer(shorter links)when you measure for your chain slide your wheel back farther in the adjusters you can pick up an extra inch of wheelbase,(poormans extended swingarm)goodluck

With a 1000cc engine with only mild upgrades you can even get away with a 520 chain but you would definitely have to buy a high quality chain like the EK 520 RXO (so far this is the strongest 520 chain I've found with 9300 lb tensile strength).

There are several 520 conversion kits for the ZX9 that use this chain.. the cool thing is most 650's and 750's use the same bolt pattern for the rear sprocket and the same spline for the front sprocket.

Going from a 630 to a 530 or 520 you just need to multiply everything times 1.2 to get the tooth count and link count right.

For instance, my KZ700's 630 chain setup is 88 links 13 teeth in front and 33 on the rear. 88x1.2 is 105.6 so go with 106 so we need a chain with 106 links.

The front sprocket is 13 teeth x 1.2 which is 15.6 I rounded down to 15 here.

the rear sprocket is 33 teeth which multiplies to 39.6 so here I'm rounding up to 41 teeth for a final ratio of 2.73:1 compared to the stock ratio of 2.53:1.

You can round up or down on the sprockets to get the desired ratio and I chose to lower my final drive for more aceleration. Going with the 520 chain and a Renthal aluminum rear sprocket I'll remove about 3 lbs of rotating mass which will be far more noticable than the lower gear ratio I chose.

Read this:
www.kzrider.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=28735
has all the math etc. to swap chains.