Hi Folks,
I have a 2001 Superhawk with 22k miles and the chain is looking a little tired… any recommendations for a good replacement? Should I replace the sprockets as well? they dont look so bad. I am a rookie at working on in bikes but I bet I can take this on, rather than pay a dealer. Where is a good place to buy parts? There are so many websites.
Thank you,

 

The short answer is if you replace the chain you replace the sprockets. The real question is what do you mean "the chain looks tired".

Is rusty, does it have tight spots, excessive slack. Have you tried to adjust it, lubed it?
Please understand I'm not looking at it so photo's would be helpful.

 

You will hear a lot of different advice on what gearing to run.... there are enough threads on here to prove that.....

I would say stick with a high quality 530 chain (I run D.I.D. and are happy with them) and the stock 16\41 gearing with a steel rear sprocket.

What brand sprockets really isn't to critical.

Also you will need to buy a chain riveting tool if you plan to do this job yourself, as I believe a rivet master-link is the best choice for this bike.

Where to get them..... where ever you can find them.....

 

Always replace chain and sprockets as a set. Worn sprockest will wear out a new chain prematurely as will a worn chain with new sprockets.

A good tell tale sign of a chain being worn out is if you grab it at the back of the rear sprocket and pull out. If it pulls off the sprocket a fair bit, say half the height of the teeth on the sprocket, it's worn out. If it's nice and tight it's probably still in decent shape.

D.I.D. makes great chains. I run their highest quality chain as with the torque and stresses these bikes put on chains you don't want to skimp. The previous owner put a $50 chain on it and it litterally pulled the pins out of the side plates within a month of me owning the bike.

There are a couple places around you for parts. Hinshaw's Honda where Hwy 18 and 167 intersect is a decent place. I'd steer clear of I-90 Motorsports in Issaquah.

I can help you out with getting the parts and I have a rivet tool for the install. Let me know if I can help.

 

Great offer, take him up on this. Rivet master links are great, but for some people (me) tricky to install the first few times.

 

Thank you for your offer and I have had good experiences at hinshaws. Are you from south king county? Sounds like chain and sprocket are a package deal and it is slightly out of my comfort zone to instal a set of sprockets.

Ben

 

More mid King County. I spend most my time in Duvall, though my condo is in Issaquah.

BTW I sent you a PM.

 

I just got a new set of JT sprockets and an RK OZ1 X-ring chain off of a couple different vendors on Amazon.com for cheap... I installed them with a $9.00 chain tool from Harbor Freight after watching a video on youtube illuatrating how it's done... It's good to have a digital or dial caliper to check the specs of your rivet if you go that route. Also remember a superhawks chain can be installed without having to remove the swingarm IIRC, so you might find a shop to rivet it for you and you can slip it on yourself without a whole lot of hassle.