One often-overlooked area for improvement on almost any bike is the sprockets and chain.  My bike sports Renthal sprockets and an EK 530 gold chain.  Because stock YZFs use #532 chain, going down to a #530 means losing a little bit of unsprung weight, but it might not be as robust.  None the less, I've been very happy with the durability of the lighter EK chain and Renthal sprockets.

Perhaps more importantly, switching sprockets give you the choice of playing with gearing.  The stock gearing uses a 17 tooth front sprocket and 46 tooth rear.   I've gone up to a 47 tooth rear and am very happy with how fast the bike accelerates.  I might have lost a mile or two on the very top end, but how often do you go over 165 anyway?  Other choices include going up to a 48 tooth rear, or dropping the front down to 16 which is roughly equivalent to increasing the rear by three teeth.  This seems a bit extreme to me, but I understand it gives you great snap of the line, expecially for wheelies.  (The small stubs sticking out from the bottom of the swing arm are machined-from-billet stand mounts.)

Want to learn more?  Check out Renthal and EK Chain's Web sites.  For other sprocket and chain manufactures, check out my manufacturers and suppliers page.

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I no longer have a Thunderace, so these pages are updated as I have time.  They are an ongoing work in progress and reflect my own personal thoughts.  If you have any questions or comments, please drop me a line.

This page last updated: February 11, 2000