so bare with me when i ask questions that elementry school bikers should know. what is a slipper clutch? and when it comes to sprockets more teeth = more torque? or opposite? thanks guys.

 

Hi Donvier.
The only dumb question is the one not asked, and yours were pretty freakin smart.
A slipper clutch is essentially the same as ours, except it limits the amount of torque the wheel applies to the engine during engine braking. So when you are rolling at speed and let off on the gas, the slipper clutch is actually slipping a little, which means your engine is doing less work to slow you down (but also wearing less).
The ZX9R does not have a slipper clutch as far as I know. The only bikes with slipper clutches have been the Ducatis.

More teeth = more torque? Well, if we're talking about the rear sprocket. More teeth will actually reduce your gear ratio and give you that torquey feeling. BUT at a cost. Your rpm will go up and so will your fuel consumption and engine wear.
Because the 9R has more than enough power for any situation that arises on public roads, I've actually gone the other way. I increased my gear ratio by putting a ZX10R sprocket on the front (which fits with minor modification) which is larger than the 9R sprocket by one tooth. The result is that I get slightly less torque, BUT now I can get better than 45mpg while cruising on the highway.

So more teeth on the back = more torque/less MPG
More teeth on the front = less torque/more MPG

Good luck and ride safely!
-Chris in Carlsbad
http://www.calamarichris.com/

 

Thanks a lot tons of good info there. now im looking at sprocket sets im wondering how does all of this add up. i would like a little more low end torque so i was looking at increasing the rear sprocket. my question is how does this relate to the size chain i am going to need to get? i see numbers on these sites like 520 525 not sure how to relate to a chain.

 

520, 525, 530 all is in reference to the width of the chain. And sprockets have to match this to work with a particular chain. For instance my bike came with a 525 chain which is wider and heavier than a 520. So when I converted to a 520 chain my front and rear sprocket had to match the width of a 520.

I don't know which year 9 you have but it looks like they came with 525 and 530 chains take a look at your chain. Normally the size is stamped on the links. You will also want to make sure you get the correct length for your bike. The number of links is always on the box for example 112 would mean the chain has 112 links.

I hope all that helps. I am in my shop M-Sat, so if you want to know the stock chain and sprocket sizes just let me know the year/make/model of your bike.

 

yeah sorry about that should have thrown that in. its an 03 now if i do somethin like up 2 in the rear and down 1 in the front wouldnt i need a slightly longer chain?

 

Okay your ZX9R Stock takes:
Chain: 525x110
Front Sprocket: 16T
Rear Sprocket: 41T

I would suggest to go down one in the front, if I remember correctly that equals 2 (possibly 3 in the back) someone correct me if I am wrong. You shouldn't have to change your chain if you just replace the front. But that way you ride it and determine if you want more of a change or if you liked it stock.

 

how about a 98, suprakawgirl?

Thanks

 

I am pretty sure you have the same set up but I will double check when I go into the shop tomorrow.

 

98-03 9's are the same gearing.

 

sweet, thanks