Front Countershaft Sprocket Replacement

I've been experimenting with front sprockets lately. The first time I changed it, I broke that chain and loosened slave cylinder. What a friggin process.

So I'm getting more efficient now. I don't break the chain anymore but I'm wondering if there's a better way.

My procedure:

1. Remove CS cover
2. Remove c-clip
3. Loosen rear axle
4. Loosen chain tensioner adjusters and turn them in about 15 turns.
5. Push rear wheel in. This puts alot of slop on the chain
6. Remove chain from rear sprocket
7. Loosen the clutch slv cydr and set it back about an inch and a half
8. Remove chain from CS sprocket
9. Remove CS sprocket

Has anyone figured a better way? Removing the master link is more of a pita with o-ring chains than running in the chain adjusters, which have to be adjusted for the new sprocket and tension anyway.

Changed the front sprocket on mine without breaking the chain. Followed much same procedure as you except I slid the sprocket off before removing chain and vise versa.

Does your process require bleeding the hydro clutch due to removal or is that not necessary?

Slide the front sprocket off with the chain still on it, then put a sprocket back in the chain and line up the splines and slide on. I also do not loosen the adjusters, instead I remove the axle block on the nut side and tap the axle out a little to let the other axle block come forward past the chain adjuster, this usually creates enough slack to do the job. Good luck.

huh, i could not slide my 15t off with the chain on. Easy enough to separate the master link though...I use a zip tie to hold the end links together when it come time to relink the master plate.

Believe or not, I've been drilling out the master link plates on chains for 30yrs. Find out the size of the master link pin, get a drill bit that size that will handle hardened steel, drill the plate out, and now it goes on and off with your fingers. Makes it easier to fix on the trail as well. In case you're wondering, I've NEVER NEVER had a problem with my chains set up like this. Just my 2cents again.....

Shouldn't be as much of an issue on bikes like ours as it would be on a 200hp streetbike.

I like This
And the pin just stays there, no need for anything else?
Would you do it to an SM too, or is there more room for error on them with worth demising options?

same here. The 15t wouldn't slide off, and it wasn't the slave in the way, it was the case lug where the slave bolts on.
The 14t slides on fine past that piece of the case.

I'm using clip type master links. If you're using press fit master links with no clip, you must immediately forget
my post ! With an o-ring chain I still need to use pliers to hold the plate down far enough to start the clip, then push on it hard while you squeeze the clip on and you're good to go. I wouldn't worry so much about it on a SM because you probably won't need to do any chain work on the street. The idea for me is, that if something happened in the middle of the desert, I could easily get the master off and on and get going again. So far I haven't had to but..........