Rear Chain Sprocket | Honda CB450 / CL450 / CB500T

Description

Rear Chain Sprocket | Honda CB450 / CL450 / CB500T

Sprockets are a wear item on any motorcycle, and your Honda CB450, CL450 Scrambler, or CB500T is no exception. This is a 35-tooth steel rear drive chain sprocket on the factory 530 chain pitch, available in the correct hub variant for your production year — because Honda changed the drive-stud design partway through the model run.

Why You Need This

Thin, pointy teeth are the sign that your rear sprocket is due. The rear is the driven sprocket and is made of softer steel than the front, and unlike a Honda front sprocket it cannot be flipped over for a second life — one direction only. The good news: rear sprockets last longer than most people expect when the chain is kept lubed and adjusted, because chain care is what preserves sprocket life.

When you do replace it, do the whole drivetrain at once. A new chain and sprocket set will make the bike feel tighter on the road and give great throttle response — and it keeps a worn part from eating its new neighbors.

Specifications

Note: A new drive chain cut to the correct link count should be installed with the new sprocket — and if you change tooth counts anywhere in the drivetrain, the link count changes with it.

Note: Sprocket designs may differ in appearance from those pictured.

Model-Specific Notes

• Which variant is which: The early and late CB450 / CL450 sprockets differ in how they are machined to seat on the hub and over the drive studs — the wider-lip style is found on earlier 450s and the narrower lip on later ones, and the change happened mid-production. Take a good look at the sprocket on your bike before ordering. If you are unsure, just email us with some photos of your original sprocket and we can help you figure it out.
• CB500T:The factory 33-tooth rear is no longer available — running this 35-tooth rear with a 16-tooth front sprocket puts the final-drive ratio very close to stock.
• CB350 / CL350 / CB360 / CL360 / CJ360: Different rear sprocket — see the CB350 / CB360 Rear Chain Sprocket.

Installation

Difficulty: Intermediate

Replace the rear sprocket, front sprocket, and drive chain together, and size the chain to your tooth-count combination — on the CB450 / CL450 the factory setup is a 15-tooth front, 35-tooth rear, and 92-link chain.

Use blue Loctite on the stud threads, torque the sprocket-retaining nuts to 400–500 kgf-cm (29.2–36.8 ft-lb) on the CB450 / CL450, and bend the lock tabs back into place against the nut flats. Keep the chain lubed and adjusted afterward.