Chain and sprockets, valve shims and headstock bearings

[blackgpz at rochester.rr.com]

I agree with Bill, they don't call 'em BikeBANDIT for nothin'! $35 for 
a headstock bearing set is pretty reasonable. You can get them on ebay 
for about the same price. One of the bearings is standard, the other is 
not so after buying one cheap std and one expensive OEM bearing, it's a 
wash buying the set.

I like Sprocket Specialists (www.sprocketspecialists.com) for my 
sprockets. They don't have a listing for the coutershaft sprocket for 
the GPZ. The one for the ZRX1100 is the same as ours. They have both 
steel and aluminum rear sprockets. I get a steel C/S sprocket and Titan 
Tough aluminum rear sprocket for a little more than $100 shipped to my 
door.

As for the chain, I prefer the DID brand, 530ZVM2 (about $150) for the 
best, 530VM (about $110) for a HP OEM equivalent.

Good advice from Bill on the valve adjustment as well. Measure 'em up, 
see what you've got, and swap around the ones you can. You may end up 
only needing a couple. See if your local dealer will swap you the ones 
you need instead of buying new ones.

Steve

----- Original Message -----
From: William K Denton <wkdenton at verizon.net>
Date: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 2:16 am
Subject: Re: Chain and sprockets, valve shims and headstock bearings
To: GPz List <gpzlist at micapeak.com>

> Jeff,
> 
> 
> Um, don't use BikeBandit.com.  They're named that for a reason.  
> Slow and 
> expensive, IME.  Go with thriftyrider.com if you must buy OEM.  
> For the 
> tapered roller bearings, I'd go with CRC2 at 
> http://tinyurl.com/32xglh Item 
> #1023 about 2/3 of the way down the page.
> 
> Regarding valve clearances, get in there and map clearances and 
> current shim 
> sizes before you buy anything.  Most times, you can move existing 
> shims 
> around to minimize the number of new ones you'll need.  If you 
> want a valve 
> clearance worksheet blank, ping me at wkdenton at verizon.net and 
> I'll send you 
> one.
> 
> For chain and sprockets, if you're planning on keeping the bike 
> long enough 
> to wear out another set, go with Sidewinder products 
> http://www.sidewindersprockets.com/index.html .  If you're going 
> to sell it 
> soon, go somewhere else.
> 
> Finally, IMO the sidecar wasn't a dumb idea (there are no dumb 
> ideas, just 
> dumb responses to ideas).  Sidecars are awesome if you take the 
> time to 
> learn how to drive one.
> 
> http://www.chairintheair.ca/
> 
> http://tinyurl.com/2llboc
> 
> http://www.texassidecars.com/sidecars%20we%20sell.htm
> 
> 
> Bill in Yardley, PA
> wkdenton at verizon.net
> '96 GPz1100
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jeffrey Walker" <walkerjl at charter.net>
> 
> 
> > Alright, so the sidecar was a really dumb idea...
> 
> > Anyway, I need some information:  I need to replace the steering 
> headstock> bearings
> 
> > So since I'm going to be replacing the steering bearings, I also 
> need to 
> > get
> > in and check the valve clearances.
> 
> > Also, since I need to regrease the rear suspension bearings, I 
> may as well
> > replace the chain and sprockets. 
>