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Countershaft Wear

O

OldNewbie

Joined Jun 2010
216 Posts | 0+
Anderson, Indiana, USA
I sent for a titanium countershaft sprocket which was guaranteed never to wear out. Harder than stainless, etc. It's definitely good stuff.

My concern is for my countershaft. The sprocket is held on by the circlip, and there will be relative motion, and fretting, between the sprocket and shaft. If the sprocket is that hard, there will be wear, and the hardest part wins.

Furthermore, titanium tends to be abrasive, and once it gets a coat of oxidation .... isn't titanium oxide used as an industrial abrasive?

Replacing countershafts would make a lifetime sprocket very expensive.

Anyone have any knowledge or experience about this?

Thanks,

Rob
 
ya, but the cs sprocket is guaranteed! :roll: sounds like snake oil to me.
 
Hmmmmmm. Titainium valves are quite soft under their thin hard coating.....
Wonder how thick the coating on the sprockets is.
what viscosity is the snake oil? bet it works good with no wear sprockets......
 
Guys, the question is, has anyone heard of countershaft wearout?

&/or, does anyone know the hardness of a countershaft so that I can compare it against the sprocket?

The sprockets are good, I have no doubt about that, their reputation is top notch. My fear is that they're too good. I don't know if I should name names here, but you've all heard of them, probably used them. Their

I think I'd rather have the sprockets be tough enough to last until the chain wears out, and replace everything at once.
 
The splines on the countershaft will not be damaged in normal use by a sprocket. Titanium would be a poor choice for sprocket material. I imagine you bought a Sidewinder sprocket by Krause Racing. They market some sort of "ti-moly" sprocket they say they guarantee for life. It's not really titanium.

Buyer beware. Krause and Sidewinder have a bad reputation. Do a Internet search. Overwhelmingly bad feedback. There are many better alternatives out there.
 
OldNewbie said:
Guys, the question is, has anyone heard of countershaft wearout?
Click to expand...
Yes, not on a 'Berg but on my previous Husky TE450. That had the circlip arrangement so there was always a little play anyway, but it got worse and worse and made more of a rattling noise until eventually you could turn the sprocket by more than a tooth without moving the shaft. Looking at the splines on the shaft they were down to about half the original thickness. This was after 7 months / 2,300 miles but the sprocket had last been replaced around 800 miles earlier and it hadn't been too loose when it was fitted so most of the wear happened in that last 800 miles (I'd guess once it starts to get worn the sprocket moves about more and the wear accelerates). Only ever fitted with standard sprockets from the dealer/UK importer BTW. Luckily the Husky had a 2-year warranty so the countershaft was replaced under the warranty, otherwise it would have been expensive!

They said it's the first one they've seen where the shaft itself wore out, which makes sense as you'd hope it was harder than the sprocket so the sprocket wears out instead, but it didn't seem to work that way on mine (maybe a one-off badly made shaft, not hardened properly?). Didn't keep the bike long enough after that to see whether it happened again on the new shaft.
 
OK, I guess it is snake oil, I stand corrected!

I wanted to get it by the weekend (last weekend, not this one) so I went ahead. Their return policy is fairly airtight, I'm probably spittin' in the wind there, I'll see. EDIT: after a little internet research, I won't bother trying to return it. I usually do a search for reviews before buying anything off the internet, but, again, I wanted it by the weekend...

Thanks guys for the tips.
 
bump.... old topic but thought i'd update it in case anyone does a google search and hits this thread. some of the katos and bergs are rumoured to have countershafts that aren't hardened all that well.

an FE570 rider had his countershaft splines worn out. his post starts on this page: [url]http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=639366&page=212

possible reasons and solutions discussed:
- countershaft sprocket was a hardened type, possibly too hard for the countershaft
- bike was dual sported but with no cush hub, so road miles possibly created too much wear
- chain too tight?
- stock sprocket washer too soft, maybe the dirt tricks one would hold the sprocket more firmly
- moly grease may help to lessen wear?

some pics if that's any help:

fe570 12000 miles or 19000km dual sported, 50% road use, no cush drive hub
i-hNhK45s-X2.jpg




a dual sported ktm 530 with a cush drive hub at 11000km or 6500 miles.
165513_1400472230650_1797631977_766-3.jpg




fe570 cush drive hub fitted when new, 10000 miles or 16000km, dual sport riding (25% road)



a stock ktm countershaft, only 100 hours so fairly typical still of a new unworn shaft for comparison
 

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