630/530 chain/sprocket conversions...

This is simply an opinion thread, to get varying opinions of peoples own personal experiences of the advantages/disadvantages...gains/losses of power, torque, speed, engine response, handling etc., regarding various uses of 630/530 chain/sprocket conversions on larger (900cc or larger) KZ's. Wheteher it be stock engines vs big bore, street, dragstrip, roadrace, highway, whatever use it may be. I've seen a cpl brief threads in the past, but none with an array of peoples own personal experiences regarding their use of the conversions. Thanks...........Mike

Meh. 530 is a little quieter. You will not notice any performance difference if maintaining the ratio.

I found it rather frustrating and expensive to switch to 530 and have a low ratio. In retrospect, I should have stayed with 630.

So, IMHO, it's a case of whatever's cheapest or more convenient. The difference is so slight. I wouldn't consider either one to be an upgrade over the other...

I'm going to change. I need 530. But I built a swing arm 15 years ago. with all stock dimensions and offset the rear with 3/8" Also the front sprocket is 3/8 also. So I had to use an aluminum sprocket as to let me countersink sprocket bolts flat for clearance. So I can only use a 32 tooth max. for the rear. I even notched out the swing arm. Gives me a 2:13 final ratio. Stock Z1-KZ900 are 2:33. I have to make or find a conversion 530 sprocket to equal a 630 - 32 teeth. Which is about 39 teeth in 530 for drum brake Z1 or H2
Gary larson sells all kinds of PBI sprockets. He has a website and ebay store.
They make 16-17-18-19 for the front. This will bring back some low end.
I was not thinking many moons ago. To make it worse I mocked it up with HD EK chain for drag bike. weighs about 10 pounds.
This bike won't be driven much. If I convert I can increase the rear tire from 150 maybe get a 180 in

But to answer your question. If you want less weight and less energy to turn the wheel go for it.
Good quality chain is better than stock 630. Pro Stock drag bikes ran 530 for years.

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationNo eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationI've changed to 530, haven't got it back together yet as it was in conjunction with a rear wheel swap and there were a few unexpected snags and I'm waiting on some additional parts that would be here today, if not for it being Veterans day and no mail delivery. A salute to all Veterans though, thank you for your service, waiting an extra day for my parts cannot begin to compare to the sacrifices that have been made by so many.

My reasons for changing were mixed, but in the end I was able to get the gold colored chain I wanted and it is an X ring chain with sprockets for about $35 less than a 630 DID O ring and sprocket set at $160 which was the best deal I could find in 630. I don't personally believe it's a big issue one way or the other. I wanted a gold chain, I like the idea of anything that reduces weight and the chain I bought has a tensile strength of 10,694 pounds so I don't believe I'm losing anything by going to 530. In reality it's very much a case of six of one and half a dozen of the other IMO, unless you have a clearance issue or something driving the need for the smaller chain. Price and availability will likely be the deciding factor for many.

I got my stuff from these people on ebay, they were very helpful when I contacted them and shipping is free in additon to their competitive prices.



I ended up buying the gold version of this chain from them, it's a great price and I figured I'd try a JT chain, after all they make the sprockets so why not a good chain? - time will tell, but on looks alone it's a winner.



From JT's website they show the 530 Z1R chain being able to handle just about any CC and power even in 520.

www.jtsprockets.com/chain/

Ratio wise 18/40 is equivalent to 15/33 in 630 and 17/40 is equivalent to 15/35 in 630 or you can do 18/42 to achieve the same, albeit with longer chain. So there's no need to compromise on ratios, the selection of 530 sprockets is huge. To calculate equivalent sprocket sizes in 530, multiply you current size in 630 by 6/5. i.e. (15 x 6) /5 = 18. To calculate chain length it's the same, a stock 630 is 92 links (92x6)/5 =110 links in 530. If you keep the sprocket sizes the same diameter (not teeth) using the formula above then a 110 will fit. If you went with something like 18/42 the you'd need an extra link most likely.

I went with the smaller chain 3 years ago , 25,000 plus miles and I like it a lot .
After the first adjustment I haven't had to tighten it up much at all.
They are lighter and is suppose to help with performance.
I replaced a very old chain and could seriously tell the difference in pickup and vibration.
I am running a stock engine but would trust it with a 1075.
I clean and wax it around every 1000 miles and it still looks nice and shiny.

Finally got my 530 chain sprockets and Police 18" wheel fitted. I'm pleased with the outcome, I hope I went for the right gearing choice, I will be able to "light the blue touch paper" tomorrow weather permitting and see if my modifications work as well as they look.

Looking good redhawk! Is that JT chain & sprockets? Gearing changes are a matter of preference and easy as long as the sprocket sizes you want are available. I'm keeping one of my '76 900B's with stock 630 setup, but I went with highway gearing...from stock 15/35 to 16/34 (16" Morris rear mag) and wow what a difference. I gained 700 rpm at 75 mph. I was running about 5200rpm's at 75mph, now I'm running just at 4500rpm's same speed...which translates to easier on the motor in the long run, runs cooler and the gas mileage gains are a no-brainer...with still plenty of bottom end power when I want it...OH and my mirrors aren't so blurry now! lmao. My other '76 900B is the one I'm building to 1327 big block and going with the 530 conversion eventually. However finding '630' sprockets for those '76 Morris mags is NO easy task. I can imagine what finding 530's will be like. Quite alright tho'...I have a set of Enkei's waiting if need be.

Thanks, I'm pleased with the outcome, for me the gold chain just says about the bike "Hey I'm a little special".

Yes that is the JT chain and both sprockets are JT ones too. Rear is part number JTR488.40 a 40 Tooth front JTF513.18, an 18Tooth.

I got the front sprocket from Z1 Ent. the 1.5mm spacer washer they sell is spot on to align the front sprocket, it's just the equivalent of the boss that's on the original, whereas the 530 front sprocket is flat. The chain is the JT Z1R chain, based on appearance the perceived quality is certainly high and I don't imagine JT would put their name to a duff chain given their reputation with sprockets. It was certainly a great price, time will tell how good a value it was, but given the high tensile rating and the suggested applications JT have for the Z1R chain it should have a relatively easy life on the KZ .

My gearing will be equivalent to 15/33 in 630, with the 18" rear that will be pretty much your 16/34 equivalent with the smaller rear tire, I'm hoping with the 1075 kit, larger carbs, 4-1 and freer flowing air box it will pull this well. The gearing the bike came with turned out to be 15/36 when I got the rear sprocket off, not a 35 as I thought, but as it came I was in 5th at 40mph riding gently and constantly trying to find a 6th gear once hitting about 55+ mph. In Utah we don't generally have very twisty roads, the curves are pretty open and there are a lot of long straights so you need to be able to cruise at 70 mph comfortably (more if no ones looking ), if you dare to hit the freeway then you are going to have to do 75-80 mph to have any chance of survival, so I think this will get me sufficiently into the power band. I'm going to try it out today, it's starting to warm from 28 degrees over night.

While it's referred to as a 530 conversion, in reality if you have the correct parts it's just the same as changing your chain and sprockets at any other time, so in terms of the work involved it's not really a "conversion" there are no other modifications etc. required and obviously you can go back to a 630 setup at any time.

I'm not familiar with Morris Mags, what's different about the sprocket setup?

The (19/16 grayish) '76 Morris mags were a 1 year wheel that Kawasaki produced the '76 KZ900 LTD's with. That's the mag wheels that pretty much started the mag wheel trend of that era. The sprocket carrier is different in that the ID of the rear sprocket center hole is much larger than the Enkei wheels of the following years. The design of these wheels is completely different than any others. Anyone that has ever disassembled one can attest to that. It was probably so different makes and models cld be converted to fit respective bikes. I don't currently have any pics to post but I can have some posted within a day or 2.

redhawk4 wrote: Thanks, I'm pleased with the outcome, for me the gold chain just says about the bike "Hey I'm a little special".

Yes that is the JT chain and both sprockets are JT ones too. Rear is part number JTR488.40 a 40 Tooth front JTF513.18, an 18Tooth.

I got the front sprocket from Z1 Ent. the 1.5mm spacer washer they sell is spot on to align the front sprocket, it's just the equivalent of the boss that's on the original, whereas the 530 front sprocket is flat. The chain is the JT Z1R chain, based on appearance the perceived quality is certainly high and I don't imagine JT would put their name to a duff chain given their reputation with sprockets. It was certainly a great price, time will tell how good a value it was, but given the high tensile rating and the suggested applications JT have for the Z1R chain it should have a relatively easy life on the KZ .

My gearing will be equivalent to 15/33 in 630, with the 18" rear that will be pretty much your 16/34 equivalent with the smaller rear tire, I'm hoping with the 1075 kit, larger carbs, 4-1 and freer flowing air box it will pull this well. The gearing the bike came with turned out to be 15/36 when I got the rear sprocket off, not a 35 as I thought, but as it came I was in 5th at 40mph riding gently and constantly trying to find a 6th gear once hitting about 55+ mph. In Utah we don't generally have very twisty roads, the curves are pretty open and there are a lot of long straights so you need to be able to cruise at 70 mph comfortably (more if no ones looking ), if you dare to hit the freeway then you are going to have to do 75-80 mph to have any chance of survival, so I think this will get me sufficiently into the power band. I'm going to try it out today, it's starting to warm from 28 degrees over night.

While it's referred to as a 530 conversion, in reality if you have the correct parts it's just the same as changing your chain and sprockets at any other time, so in terms of the work involved it's not really a "conversion" there are no other modifications etc. required and obviously you can go back to a 630 setup at any time.

I'm not familiar with Morris Mags, what's different about the sprocket setup?

Just a note to add to the '76 Morris mags...the rear brake rotor had a 6 bolt mounting pattern, and the Enkei were mounted with 4 bolts. Well the Morris rotors were designed with more than 6 holes and can thus be bolted to Enkei wheels 4 bolt design. But not vice-versa lol. Figure that one out. I will post some pics comparing the 2 when available if anyone cares to see the differences.

Rockranch wrote: Just a note to add to the '76 Morris mags...the rear brake rotor had a 6 bolt mounting pattern, and the Enkei were mounted with 4 bolts. Well the Morris rotors were designed with more than 6 holes and can thus be bolted to Enkei wheels 4 bolt design. But not vice-versa lol. Figure that one out. I will post some pics comparing the 2 when available if anyone cares to see the differences.

I had a hard time finding a 530 sprocket for my 76 LTD Morris mag a couple of yrs. ago I got the chain & front sprocket from Z1E. Z1E. ended up giving me a couple of phone #s to call & the only place that had one was Sprocket Specialists & It cost me 109.00 with tax & shipping,...OUCH, that hurt
Pete

I also get many of my parts from Jeff at Z1E. I've also priced rear sprockets at Sprocket Specialists at well over $100 for 630's too. I found an outlet for them on ebay and can get any size 630 rear for my Morris mags for around 60(ish). That's where I ordered my 34T. It was goldish in color and really lightweight and supposedly aircraft grade aluminum. So far so good. We'll see how long it lasts. I'm checking through past emails so I can remember who it was so I can see if they can get them in 530 versions also. I'll give you an update when I find out who it was if U wish. $$.

pete greek1 wrote:

Rockranch wrote: Just a note to add to the '76 Morris mags...the rear brake rotor had a 6 bolt mounting pattern, and the Enkei were mounted with 4 bolts. Well the Morris rotors were designed with more than 6 holes and can thus be bolted to Enkei wheels 4 bolt design. But not vice-versa lol. Figure that one out. I will post some pics comparing the 2 when available if anyone cares to see the differences.

I had a hard time finding a 530 sprocket for my 76 LTD Morris mag a couple of yrs. ago I got the chain & front sprocket from Z1E. Z1E. ended up giving me a couple of phone #s to call & the only place that had one was Sprocket Specialists & It cost me 109.00 with tax & shipping,...OUCH, that hurt
Pete