Ironman sprockets - damaged my engine??

[stay_upright]

Please see the letter I have emailed to dirt tricks..

Sir/Madam,

I hope I am contacting the manufecturer/designer of the ironman sprockets. If not my apologies but could you reply to let me know this is the case.

I purchased a front ironman sprocket for my Gas Gas EC300 (2005) and when replacing the chain after about 1 year of light use with the sprocket fitted noticed that the front sprocket appeared loose. The sprocket could be rotated quite noticeably and also moved up and down approximately 1-1.5mm. This was not the case when the sprocket was fitted. Also it is possible to remove the fixing circlip and slide the sprocket forward onto the countershaft splines that do not normally carry any load and when positioned here there is very little or no movement up and down or rotationally. Inspection of the sprocket and countershaft splines show that there is only wear evident on the countershaft splines.

I had also purchased a second front ironman sprocket and tested this - the movement was the same rotationally and up and down.

I believe this sprocket has worn the countershaft on my bike which may be possible due to the hardened nature of the entire sprocket. I normally run renthall sprockets and have not had a problem in the last 3 years of using the bike, and there was no wear noticeable after the first owner had the bike either.

Have you had similar problems with other Gas Gas' bikes or other manufecturers enduro bikes?

I would urge you to investigate this issue as I am now facing an engine strip-down to replace the countershaft along with all the associated expense.

Myself and the Gas Gas Riders community forum await you reply.

Regards

[SpeedyManiac]

Weird. I've been running an ironman sprocket on the countershaft for years with no issues.

[Rick]

I'm not sure that this should have been posted here until you received your response from Dirt Tricks. Give Dirt Tricks a chance to investigate your problem. Did you contact the Euro importer? If your still not happy with the results, then take it to the next level.

From what I"ve seen here on this board, alot of guys use Dirt Tricks products and have been happy with their products.

Hmmmmm, not good, if you had such good luck with Renthall why did you change to Dirt Tricks?

I've used Tallon c/sprockets with excellent results! We all have your own taste, much like pre-mix oil!

[gasgasman]

Any "slop" between the sprocket and the splined shaft will accellerate wear.

On my 2001 GG, I had to replace the front counter shaft due to wear from mud etc.

There's a lot of force on that shaft.
I don't think it's a Dirt tricks issue.

[MattR]

My new countersprocket is loose on my shaft. My old sprocket had slop too. Both are Ironman sprockets. I'm not saying Ironman parts caused my wear or that their sprockets fit incorrectly. Sorry, I do not have an OE GasGas sprocket to compare with.

In my case, any wear could have been there from the previous owner, for who knows how long, and it could have been from dirt, mud, etc.. like gasgasman mentioned.

I agree with Rick that you should have not posted the complaint here until Dirt Tricks had adequate time respond to your inquiry. Any wear to your countershaft is suspect and could have been caused by a variety of reasons.

[sierrarider]

I run Ironman sprockets because I feel they are the most durable available. I have never heard of this happening. If the fit was loose when you put the sprocket on, I feel it would have been your responsibilty to verify a tight fit.
I would be upset if this happened to me also. However, I do not feel that a company making a good and durable product should be liable for your damage. The case hardened nature off the sprocket could possibly be harder than the countershaft. For example, I just purchased a Hammerhead Designs shift lever that is very stout. It is possible that if it hit a rock a certain way, I could potentially damage the gear selector shaft upon impact. It is not likely the lever would bend, thereby transferring damage to the bike.
I accept that risk when I chose such a stout part and hope I don't sustain damage. I certainly will check to see that there is no slop on my front sprocket. I have a number of rides on the new Ironman stuff and hope to not find slop like you are describing.
I wish you the best and thanks for the alert.

[Ud_luz]

I have found that as soon as you get any slop on the countershaft it will start wearing even more rapidly.

I've run Iron Man sprockets for quite a while and have had no issues. I believe what you're experiencing is probably normal wear. I've been sending batches of sprockets to this guy for treatment. If I were to replace a countershaft I would probably give it a try. I believe there's no question sprockets last longer doing this.

[GMP]

There is a certain amount of normal play when new. All of my three GGs ran Ironman CS but none have had any noticable shaft spline wear. What I do however is shim the sprocket for a tight fit when the circlip is installed. This will not limit axial play under load but it does help with some movement.

[PEB]

I have been securing the circlip with permatex blue which also seems to limit the amout the sprocket wobbles around.

[sierrarider]

I checked mine today and noticed more free play than I really like to see. It is just as loose as my kickstarter shaft. I guess I need to find a way to shim both of these so I don't have issues.