Dirt riders love getting dirty; the more soil, sand, dust, and mud the better. But, as they say, it’s all fun and games until somebody gets hurt. In this case, what’s getting hurt is your bike’s sprockets and chain. Here’s the rub; all that grit and grime gets into the drivetrain and works like sandpaper, filing away at those critical components that keep your bike “moto-vating” down the track or trail. Plain and simple, dirt kills conventional chains and sprockets.
Was that a joke? Somebody—namely an unnamed engineer at Sunstar—asked the question, “what if a sprocket could clean itself?” Surely, after the rest of the team stopped laughing when everyone suddenly realized this guy was serious, they began to give it some suitably serious engineering thought. That thinking ultimately led to the development of a truly unique rear sprocket that, indeed, manages to clean itself even as the bike plows through mud, dirt, and sand. They actually created a dirt-defying sprocket that has transformed the life and performance expectations of dirt-prone motorcycles. Sunstar called this the Works Z Steel sprocket. You’d be right if you just called it bitchin’.
How did they do that? Unlike conventional sprockets that have perfectly aligned gear teeth, the Sunstar Works-Z Steel rear sprocket has been engineered with a unique offset sprocket tooth design. What that offset does is effectively channel dirt out and away from the sprocket teeth and, at the same time, away from the vulnerable chain. That, in turn, reduces drag, minimizes all that nasty grinding dirt friction, and increases the life expectancy of the bike’s drivetrain components significantly. So yes, quite literally, you can play in the dirt and keep things clean at the same time.
A material advantage. In addition to that innovative offset tooth design, Sunstar engineers chose stainless steel as their sprocket material of choice. Why? For starters, stainless stands up to the elements and doesn’t rust. Plus, it turns out that stainless steel is three times (3X) more durable than a standard mild-steel steel sprocket. Compared to aluminum, stainless is as much as eight times (8X) more durable, yet is still about 50% lighter than a standard steel sprocket. With 100% heat treatment, the Works Z Steel rear sprocket also has an impressive lifespan.
What about the rest of the drivetrain? While the Works Z Steel rear sprocket does a great job of dishing the dirt, the best results come when this innovative sprocket is paired with a premium front sprocket and high-performance chain. The Sunstar Powerdrive drive sprocket and Sunstar 520XTG Works TripleGuard sealed off-road chain are said to be the ideal matches to the Works Z Steel rear sprocket.
Roost and Relax. With this advancement in sprocket design, matched with premium Sunstar drivetrain components, riders can roost away all day in the dirt, mud and sand without worrying about tearing up their equipment like they might with conventional components.
Check out the Sunstar Works-Z Steel sprocket and high-performance drive sprockets and sealed chains for your machine at sunstar-braking.com. Need help selecting the right parts for your needs? Hey, just ask!