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It's always something with used bikes. I noticed the front sprocket was abnormally loose, so I ordered a new seal kit thinking there was side-to-side play on the countershaft. It turns out the end of the countershaft is notched and worn. I'm sure the inside of the sprocket is worn too because its teeth were bent worse than a late night Wal Mart shopper.

There's a new sprocket on the way, but I know what everyone's going to say: replace the countershaft. I happen to have a spare one that's in much better shape, but you can tell it's still barely notched. Two questions:

How much of a pain in the ass is it to replace? Do cases have to be split?

Is there a temporary workaround in order to make the current countershaft work for the season? I really don't want to do this job.

Thanks!

I replied to a similar post awhile back. I wish this sprocket was secured with a locknut and tab washer instead of just a snap ring, but that's the way it is. Not a good design IMO.

Loctite makes various products designed to take up clearance like this. If you try this route, rig up some way to hold the sprocket tight against the splines in the direction of rotation while the Loctite cures. That way the Loctite material won't be under compression under normal operation.

Another dodge would to be to try to peen the sprocket grooves so they're a tight fit on the shaft spines. Successful peening will depend on how soft the sprocket is in the area of the grooves. I suppose the build-up of solder, braze, or weld in this area might accomplish the same thing.

Can't tell you anything about changing out the countershaft, sorry.

The cases would need to be split to replace the countershaft.

I am on my 2nd one. The next one I get I will have it Cryogenic harden to see if that helps.

Thanks, I will try the loctite. It's a stupid design to rely solely on a snap ring. I wish there was some sort of thin metal sleeve that could fit between the shaft and inside of the sprocket.

The condition you have stated is a result of using cheap aftermarket parts.

kdx633 wrote:The condition you have stated is a result of using cheap aftermarket parts.

It was a SunStar. Not sure if it was aluminum or not, but I am replacing with a JT steel. I'm sure the inside of the sprocket is worn significantly and the new one will be tighter.

It turns out the sprocket was more worn than I thought. There was very little play with the new sprocket on, so it'll be fine to run for at least a few seasons. It's still a terrible design though!