Cush drive rear sprocket

[danketchpel]

I decided to ante up for the Mox cush drive rear sprocket setup. As my planned use includes extended dual sport and light ADV rides I wanted the benefits of a cush drive system. I did some research into a cush drive front sprocket like those used on DRZs and KLRs but couldn't find one with a matching spline count. Just recently a company in the states started distributing the Mox cush drive so I didn't have to place another overseas order. In fact they were super fast to ship it out.

I got it mounted up last weekend and took it for a spin on the pavement. It is noticeably smoother at lower revs and I'm sure the shock loads on the transmission will be reduced. It's heavier than a simple sprocket but lighter than a traditional cush drive hub setup. 

Here's a shot of it on my bike. This has a 50T sprocket mounted.

[ballisticexchris]

Looks good Dan. Thanks for the link!

Edited April 25, 2017 by ballisticexchris

[hammer41]

Great product but I sure didn't expect a $300 price tag.

[ballisticexchris]

Kind of pricey for sure. OTOH just about the same price as a cush hub. And not having to re-lace the wheel is a huge plus. I wonder how much the replacement sprockets and rubbers are? I was doing some calculating and the 46/15 tooth combo will be perfect for mine. That way when I switch to offroad trim it's a quick wheel/gearing swap (13/48) with no chain adjustment or flipping chain block.

Right now I'm using 15/45 which is perfect for 300+ miles a day. It also yielded me over 50 MPG when keeping speeds below 80mph.

Edited April 25, 2017 by ballisticexchris

[ballisticexchris]

Are the sprockets steel or aluminum?

[FUHL]

I couldn't find what material they are made from but I did read the owner rides a Xtrainer.

[Johnny Depp]

Wow 24 sprocket bolts to torque up. If you get them torqued right you could really feel the HP difference...?

That's a little ongoing joke over at VitalMX forums, it's advice given to all the newbies.

Seriously, with the Beta engine on the 4t's having and inherent jerkiness when out of it's comfort zone on gearing and creating excess chain gyrations, this product may help in that respect which can't hurt drivetrain longevity. Let us know if you can feel less of the pulsing with each power stroke?

 

[Matthew James Scott]

6 hours ago, ballisticexchris said:

Kind of pricey for sure. OTOH just about the same price as a cush hub. And not having to re-lace the wheel is a huge plus. I wonder how much the replacement sprockets and rubbers are? I was doing some calculating and the 46/15 tooth combo will be perfect for mine. That way when I switch to offroad trim it's a quick wheel/gearing swap (13/48) with no chain adjustment or flipping chain block.

Right now I'm using 15/45 which is perfect for 300+ miles a day. It also yielded me over 50 MPG when keeping speeds below 80mph.

The replacement sprockets will be under $50, and the bushings are covered under warranty for 10,000 miles or 5 years. 

[Matthew James Scott]

5 hours ago, FUHL said:

I couldn't find what material they are made from but I did read the owner rides a Xtrainer.

The sprocket itself is made from steel. We're going to offer an aluminum sprocket once we get a few units sold to recoup our initial costs.

EDIT: I should have been more specific, while the sprocket is steel for longevity, the rest of everything (hub mount, side rings) is aluminum. 

Paul in NZ who designed the sprocket is a Beta rider, and I ride a Beta 300 Evo Factory here in the US.

We've installed one on my girlfriend's Dad's Xtrainer over here and he loves it. Lets him run gears lower and makes the bike smoother. 

Edited April 25, 2017 by Matthew James Scott

[ballisticexchris]

1 hour ago, Matthew James Scott said:

The sprocket itself is made from steel. We're going to offer an aluminum sprocket once we get a few units sold to recoup our initial costs.

EDIT: I should have been more specific, while the sprocket is steel for longevity, the rest of everything (hub mount, side rings) is aluminum. 

Paul in NZ who designed the sprocket is a Beta rider, and I ride a Beta 300 Evo Factory here in the US.

We've installed one on my girlfriend's Dad's Xtrainer over here and he loves it. Lets him run gears lower and makes the bike smoother. 

Thanks Matthew. This is on my get list. I prefer the steel sprocket for longevity.

 

2 hours ago, Johnny Depp said:

Wow 24 sprocket bolts to torque up. If you get them torqued right you could really feel the HP difference...?

That's a little ongoing joke over at VitalMX forums, it's advice given to all the newbies.

Seriously, with the Beta engine on the 4t's having and inherent jerkiness when out of it's comfort zone on gearing and creating excess chain gyrations, this product may help in that respect which can't hurt drivetrain longevity. Let us know if you can feel less of the pulsing with each power stroke?

 

I have no problem whatsoever with jerkiness no matter what gearing I'm using. Proper jetting is the key. 

[Johnny Depp]

1 hour ago, Matthew James Scott said:

We've installed one on my girlfriend's Dad's Xtrainer over here and he loves it. Lets him run gears lower and makes the bike smoother. 

Some people do Chris.

[ballisticexchris]

1 hour ago, Johnny Depp said:

Some people do Chris.

I wonder if it's the FI models? I even have the quick turn cam on my G throttle.

[Johnny Depp]

It's the power pulses with each stroke on a low revving engine. The effect is negated by shorter gearing like you run in the dirt (except highways). 

[ballisticexchris]

8 minutes ago, Johnny Depp said:

It's the power pulses with each stroke on a low revving engine. The effect is negated by shorter gearing like you run in the dirt (except highways). 

What's really intriguing about this sprocket is the ability bang gears when hitting the pavement. With no cush drive I take a different approach on shifting when on the highway. If you ride your dirt bike on the street without a cush hub and don't change your throttle/shifting habits from dirt mode it's very doubtful your tranny will last more than a few seasons before it's toasted

Hell, I jump from my 300 2T to my 498 4T back and forth all day and never noticed anything more than the raw bottom end the 4T has over my 300. I tend to run a gear high in most technical riding situations and have never noticed the phenomenon you speak of. I do run my idle a hair on the high side to take advantage of engine braking. Lots of chain slap at low RPM but nothing more than any other bike running proper chain tension. For me, there is no jerkiness from the low RPM power pulses regardless of gearing choice.  I run anything from a 12/48 (hard core singletrack), 13/48 (for almost everything off road and connecting trails), 14/48 (for long pavement between hard core trails), and 15/45 (adventure style riding when doing 300+ mile days).

BTW, just as general info the 498 motor will top out over 100mph with the 12/48 gearing and still not hit rev limiter. I tested this upwind and downwind on the dry lake a few years back just for fun. The traditional low 4.00 gearing it provides is practical on hard technical trails. It is not a good hill climb gear ratio. I found myself screaming in 3rd, shifting and bogging down in 4th. 28/19 3rd to 24/20 4th is a huge jump in gear ratio. 

13/48 gearing is the gold standard for 90% of varied offroad terrain. You can pin 3rd and climb almost any serious hill without having to shift.

[FORMA MOTO]

7 hours ago, Johnny Depp said:

Wow 24 sprocket bolts to torque up. If you get them torqued right you could really feel the HP difference...?

That's a little ongoing joke over at VitalMX forums, it's advice given to all the newbies.

Seriously, with the Beta engine on the 4t's having and inherent jerkiness when out of it's comfort zone on gearing and creating excess chain gyrations, this product may help in that respect which can't hurt drivetrain longevity. Let us know if you can feel less of the pulsing with each power stroke?

 

Beta jerkiness? Have you ridden one? There is no smoother 4 stroke.

Chain gyrations? 

 

The cush hub has nothing to do with throttle feel, is it there to save the trans components from tarmac harshness.

 

[Johnny Depp]

9 hours ago, Krannie McKranface said:

inherent jerkiness when out of it's comfort zone on gearing

It is especially noticeable during the break in period, but it doesn't go away completely if you get below it's happy space of around 2500 rpm and need to downshift. 

2015 500 RS here. 15/48 (3.2 ratio) stock gearing and 15/45 (3.0) with 50/50 tires. Of course the Beta 4t is the smoothest power delivery on the market, but it does begin to buck at super low rpm's.

One day when we enjoy the advantages of electric bikes the vibrations and thump thump will be a memory.

[ballisticexchris]

3 hours ago, Johnny Depp said:

It is especially noticeable during the break in period, but it doesn't go away completely if you get below it's happy space of around 2500 rpm and need to downshift. 

2015 500 RS here. 15/48 (3.2 ratio) stock gearing and 15/45 (3.0) with 50/50 tires. Of course the Beta 4t is the smoothest power delivery on the market, but it does begin to buck at super low rpm's.

One day when we enjoy the advantages of electric bikes the vibrations and thump thump will be a memory.

Are you using that 15/48 and 15/45 gearing in technical offroad? I've tried both combinations  on the nasty steep rocky trails and it simply is too high of a gearing. Those ratios are only to be used for long pavement and fire road applications. 

I like to run a gear high but it sounds to me that you are struggling with proper gearing selection. Even fast desert racers don't use those ratios. My suggestion is to grab a 14 and 13 CS and experiment with what works best for you. The 45 and 48 rear sprockets are good choices. You can swap from 13/48 to 15/45 with no chain adjustment. Just flipping the chain block

The stock gear ratios are only on the Beta to meet noise emission standards. The gearing chart that Beta has laid out is pretty darn accurate. As you can see the 15/45 is nothing but high speed gearing. Most of all the really fast desert racers run 14/48. 

http://betausa.com/sites/default/files/pdf/GearingChart.pdf

 

 

 

[Ben500RR-S]

Thanks for posting this Dan.  As I will be commuting the 11-12 miles to/from work, I want to minimize any possible damage to anything on the bike.  

My next mod/buy for the bike is going to have to be that Mox cush drive rear sprocket.  

I have the stock, 15/50 I think it is.  I might go to a 51 rear for a little better slow speed riding.  

 

$275.  

[danketchpel]

5 hours ago, Ben500RR-S said:

Thanks for posting this Dan.  As I will be commuting the 11-12 miles to/from work, I want to minimize any possible damage to anything on the bike.  

My next mod/buy for the bike is going to have to be that Mox cush drive rear sprocket.  

I have the stock, 15/50 I think it is.  I might go to a 51 rear for a little better slow speed riding.  

 

$275.  

You're welcome Ben.

Stock gearing is 15/48. I'm currently running 15/50 which seems like a good compromise between trail/freeway speed capable. I tried 14/48 and it's not bad either.

I prefer to run larger diameter sprockets as it gets the chain away from the swingarm and less chain wear.

When I bought my setup they offered 2 sprockets for the $275 price, I chose a 48 and 50T. I have the 50T mounted right now. I might consider a 45T also for ADV riding but the stock gearing isn't bad for that which is why I opted for the 48T. I have 13, 14, and 15T front sprockets already.

I had the same thoughts you did which is why I ended up with 15/50 gearing and honestly think it's a great setup unless you ride a lot of goat trails, then I'll drop the 14T front on to get 14/50.

[Lennie]

wouldn't it be easier to get a cush drive rear wheel from a ktm and make custom spacers?