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Replacing front sproket

2053 Views 9 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  capitalletterman
I have a 2012 DL1000 with 8450 miles on it. From what I have gathered from this forum, changing the stock front sprocket to 16 teeth makes the bike a bit easier to live with. I know that when your sprockets are worn you replace as a set along with the chain. My question is, with 8450 miles on the bike and the sprockets do not look worn, would it be alright to just replace the front sprocket?
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yes. you can save the present sprocket and switch back if you do not like the 16
Yes. Chances are that there is little degradation of the chain & rear sprocket. Watch for kinks or tight links going forward.
Thanks for your reply's......looking forward to see how much of a difference it makes.
Thanks for your reply's......looking forward to see how much of a difference it makes.
Thanks for your reply's......looking forward to see how much of a difference it makes.
I‘ve done the swap on my 650 and will never go back. It now feels exactly the way I want it to be.
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When you do change the front sprocket, read up on the correct technique and steps to remove the nut. Without the right procedure you could be struggling a lot.

In order not to loosen spontaneously, the nut is held in place with a bendable lockwasher that you need to bend back (flat). And there could also be some loctite on the threads.

  • Remove covers and everything to get access.
  • Take a good look at that lock washer, bend the ears flat.
  • Leave chain on the sprockets, put a piece of wood on top of the swingarm through the wheel.
  • Secure the bike well or have somebody hold the bike firmly. You'll be putting a lot of force on the bike and it won't be aligned with the wheels so there's a real risk of it toppling over.
  • Use the appropriate socket and a long breaker bar to break the nut loose. Use the handlebars and the footpegs to get leverage. Alternatively, use an (electric or pneumatic) impact gun. This is one of those jobs where improvised or inadequate tools simply do not work.
  • If it doesn't work, carefully put some heat into the nut to soften the loctite. But be careful, don't overdo it. There's a lot of rubber and plastic parts nearby that could melt or otherwise get damaged.
As an aside... A 2012 with only just over 8000 miles on it? 800 miles per year average? That's not a lot. There could be loads of neglected areas on a bike like that. Use the opportunity to take a good look at the chain for instance. If it has dried out, you could be missing a lot of o-rings. This is the perfect opportunity to change the chain as well.

Also, you may find that the front sprocket area is full of dried road gunk mixed with whatever was used to lubricate the chain. This sticks on the covers, but also on the clutch pushrod. Now is a great time to clean all that stuff out, and put some protection on that pushrod. Haven't done it myself yet, but other forum members have reported success with a Shimano Y8AA42000 cover.

Last, this is also a perfect time to take a good look at the clutch slave cylinder and give it a service. At the very least, if this hasn't been done regularly, replace the hydraulic fluid. But DL1000 owners also regularly report issues with the seal between the piston and the cylinder. This could be caused by an old seal, but it can also be caused by corrosion/pitting of the cylinder wall. The seal can be replaced individually, but if the cylinder wall is pitted you'll need a complete new slave cylinder assembly.


The pushrod is #21
The slave cylinder seal is #24
The whole slave cylinder assembly is #23

When you're done, read up on the proper procedure to fit the slave cylinder again. The service manual omits the step of releasing the tie from the clutch lever. This means you're putting the slave back under pressure. Which is bad, leading to crooked installations, misaligned clutch plates and other misery. Whatever you do, always make sure the piston is free to move in the cylinder when you remount the slave. You need to be able to push the slave cylinder assembly into place, flush against the cover, completely by hand. Only once the cylinder is properly seated should you put in the bolts and do them up.
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When you do change the front sprocket, read up on the correct technique and steps to remove the nut. Without the right procedure you could be struggling a lot.
Thanks, will check this site for the information.
When you do change the front sprocket, read up on the correct technique and steps to remove the nut. Without the right procedure you could be struggling a lot.

In order not to loosen spontaneously, the nut is held in place with a bendable lockwasher that you need to bend back (flat). And there could also be some loctite on the threads.

  • Remove covers and everything to get access.
  • Take a good look at that lock washer, bend the ears flat.
  • Leave chain on the sprockets, put a piece of wood on top of the swingarm through the wheel.
  • Secure the bike well or have somebody hold the bike firmly. You'll be putting a lot of force on the bike and it won't be aligned with the wheels so there's a real risk of it toppling over.
  • Use the appropriate socket and a long breaker bar to break the nut loose. Use the handlebars and the footpegs to get leverage. Alternatively, use an (electric or pneumatic) impact gun. This is one of those jobs where improvised or inadequate tools simply do not work.
  • If it doesn't work, carefully put some heat into the nut to soften the loctite. But be careful, don't overdo it. There's a lot of rubber and plastic parts nearby that could melt or otherwise get damaged.
As an aside... A 2012 with only just over 8000 miles on it? 800 miles per year average? That's not a lot. There could be loads of neglected areas on a bike like that. Use the opportunity to take a good look at the chain for instance. If it has dried out, you could be missing a lot of o-rings. This is the perfect opportunity to change the chain as well.

Also, you may find that the front sprocket area is full of dried road gunk mixed with whatever was used to lubricate the chain. This sticks on the covers, but also on the clutch pushrod. Now is a great time to clean all that stuff out, and put some protection on that pushrod. Haven't done it myself yet, but other forum members have reported success with a Shimano Y8AA42000 cover.

Last, this is also a perfect time to take a good look at the clutch slave cylinder and give it a service. At the very least, if this hasn't been done regularly, replace the hydraulic fluid. But DL1000 owners also regularly report issues with the seal between the piston and the cylinder. This could be caused by an old seal, but it can also be caused by corrosion/pitting of the cylinder wall. The seal can be replaced individually, but if the cylinder wall is pitted you'll need a complete new slave cylinder assembly.


The pushrod is #21
The slave cylinder seal is #24
The whole slave cylinder assembly is #23

When you're done, read up on the proper procedure to fit the slave cylinder again. The service manual omits the step of releasing the tie from the clutch lever. This means you're putting the slave back under pressure. Which is bad, leading to crooked installations, misaligned clutch plates and other misery. Whatever you do, always make sure the piston is free to move in the cylinder when you remount the slave. You need to be able to push the slave cylinder assembly into place, flush against the cover, completely by hand. Only once the cylinder is properly seated should you put in the bolts and do them up.
Thanks for the reply, very good information, will print out and save for the future.
I have a 2012 DL1000 with 8450 miles on it. From what I have gathered from this forum, changing the stock front sprocket to 16 teeth makes the bike a bit easier to live with. I know that when your sprockets are worn you replace as a set along with the chain. My question is, with 8450 miles on the bike and the sprockets do not look worn, would it be alright to just replace the front sprocket?
You should always replace both sprockets and the chain together. Even if a sprocket does not "appear" to show wear, it is worn. The chain and sprockets wear together. We're talking thousandths of an inch. What will happen is at minimum your drive set-up will become noisy. It will be difficult to accurately adjust the chain as the chain will ride up and down on the sprockets. You'll get away with it for a short while, but ultimately you'll have to replace everything. If you are making a gearing change, then it's not a bad plan. For less than $25 you will be able to try out the new gearing and see if you like it!
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What I did was that I switched the front sprocket fairly close to when my chain was up for replacing, just to see if I liked that ratio.

After that, I used gearingcommander.com to find the same ratio but with a 17 tooth front sprocket when I changed the chain and both sprockets.
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