front drive sprocket lock washer

I'm in the middle of replacing the front sprocket and the old one has a hole in it next to the input where the tab for the lock washer goes. The new one that i have to replace it with does not have that hole but fits in every other way. My question is does anyone know if it is safe to not have that lock washer with the tab bent against one side of the nut ? Or is there some other method I could use for securing the input shaft nut?
Thanks for any advice!

Its a '78 KZ 650b if that is helpful

drill the hole in your new sprocket

oh yeah duh, good idea I'll try to get my hands on a drill

I'd say get a good cobalt drill bit, a low speed drill like a 1/2 inch, plenty of good cutting oil, and go to it.

Keep the rpm's down to prevent the bit from over heating. The best way would be to mark the location and do it in a drill press as the pressure going down will be greater than trying to push into it on the bike.

De-burr the hole and re-install it on the bike.

rkan wrote:

I'm in the middle of replacing the front sprocket and the old one has a hole in it next to the input where the tab for the lock washer goes. The new one that i have to replace it with does not have that hole but fits in every other way. My question is does anyone know if it is safe to not have that lock washer with the tab bent against one side of the nut ? Or is there some other method I could use for securing the input shaft nut?
Thanks for any advice!

The old style lock washer used a tab which stuck into the hole in the gear, the new washers don't have that tab. On my '79, Kawi switched to a different lock washer type: it fits onto the splines of the shift and you then bend one edge over the face of the shaft nut after it is torqued. The new kind are better..

flht1997 wrote:

drill the hole in your new sprocket

You would not believe how hard the steel is on the new sprocket I got from Z1. I could not find a drill that could cut it. I used some diamond faced cutting cylinders that fit on my dremel. Probably took me 1/2 hour and I went through three of them to put a hole into the gear face.

If you do have one of the old lock wshers that require the hole in the gear, it is easier just to get ahold of one of the new style locking washers that align with the shaft splines and then you flatten the edge of the washer onto the flat of the shaft nut. No hole needed.

Yea to me any sprocket without the hole should be regarded as trash aftermarket junk. Yes I agreed with Jeff at Z1 to not tag all aftermarket parts as junk, but here it applies. How much effort does it take for an aftermarket company to drill the hole that "YES" is needed? Very little. That tells you not to use this manufacturers junk, and yes it is junk. If you must use, use loctite to secure the nut or it will come off over time every time, then at the least you have no gears to drive, at the worst, who knows? Not worth the risk, get better parts.

i have the sprocket from z1 as well, i drilled it with a POS black and decker 12 volt cordless and a cheap drill bit, took about a minute, had no trouble at all.