So... after removing my inner primary from my 79 Kick & Electric FXE Rotary Top 4-speed and finding my inner primary, and starter gear housing fubar from a 24 Tooth Front Sprocket and a O-Ring Chain... I also found that my rear sprocket was a 49 Tooth one...

No dough for a belt drive... so while I have things this far apart I am at a quandary as to what I should do with my final drive before I put it back together with a new OEM primary...

The O-Ring Chain & 24 tooth front sprocket & 49 tooth rear sprocket are like new... but I know they are the cause of my fubar inner primary...

So I am wondering what if any front & rear sprocket combinations folks here would recommend?

I have conceded that I have to buy a factory style diamond chain or OEM equivalent...

AND drop the front sprocket down to a 22 (OEM FL) or 23 (OEM FXE), but I am not sure if I should go back to a 51 on the back which apparently both the FL/FX used... OR keep the 49 or do something different?

Basically, when weather permits its a daily rider... (Just about year round) Although I do go on a lot of 100-400 mile one-way rides and most of them traverse long stretches of 75 mile an hour posted speed limits, which means pretty much 80-85 mph minimum or you are impeding traffic or getting run over... I live in the South West (Vegas Baby)...

AND it is my understanding that stock FL/FX final drive 22/23 - 51 is best for cruising at about 65 MPH...

So I am ideally looking for the best of both worlds (City & Highway Cruising) if there is such a thing with a 4 speed chain final drive shovelhead...

Thanks in advance.

 

Was the FUBAR from a loose chain that broke and was crammed up into the space between the tranny and the inner primary? If money is tight just get a new inner primary and a good new O-Ring chain and put it back together as long as the teeth are not too thin on the sprockets. if the sprocket teeth are getting thin you should consider going back to the stock setup.

I would stay with the stock setup. I had an '81 FXRS for a little over 10 years and never moved away from the chain setup. Replaced the sprockets and chain a few times and the best I can say is get a good O-Ring chain and a new set of sprockets. Cheap chains stretch, stretched chains wear out sprocket teeth and worn teeth bend over.

My 81 shovel 4-spd had a leaky front tranny seal and I solved that problem with a new nut for the front sprocket. I believe it was call a Jims Super Nut and it was made for the sprocket on the 4 spd trannys. Anyway while you are in there replacing your sprocket you should inspect for oil leaks and repalace seals as necessary. If I remember correctly that was a common problem on those 4 speeds.

 

I went with 47 rear in the desert (Barstow) and loved it on the Freeway.

 

what were you running in the front?

thanks in advance.

 

24 motor 22 tranny -- 49 if its a heavy bike -- 48 if ya have a chain primary -- 47 if ya have a belt drive --

 

ALSO (yes i know its dirty) I USE A CHAIN TENSIONER

 

Final Drive Chain had about 5/8" worth of free-play vs. the 1/2" the HD manual says to have...

Has not been out of adjustment very long, maybe a month since I checked it last, probably less than 2000 miles, no chain breakage either... nothing wrong with chain or sprockets...

Local HD gurus tell me it was due to three things...
1. O-Ring Chain... (which is by design wider & taller than a OEM Chain, they avoid them like the plaque...).
2. 24 Tooth Front Sprocket.
3. Extra 1/8" of free play in chain. (which would have been a non-issue with a 22/23 or smaller front sprocket vs. a 24 tooth one).

Things could have been a lot worse if I was not planning to pull the inner primary from the get go, I would not have noticed the problem...

Since changing the tranny sprocket is not something I want to do again real soon, I want to get the front & rear final drive sprockets and chain where I am going to be able to cruise 80-85 plus on the highway & still be able to get through a intersection in the city faster than I can walk through it...

 

23 most of the time

 

Interesting, is that a skate-board wheel? how do you have this set up?

thanks in advance.

 

More info here ... http://lbvengchaintensioners.com/