TOPIC:

Hi all
I know this has been mentioned before but suprised just how soon after only 1500 miles the plastic cam gear is showing a lot of wear or could it be that the chain has sunk into the soft plastic.
I've attached a vid link to show the manual tensioner is NOT over tight, see what you think. Metal one next time I'm thinking,,
Cheers Pete

It is surprising. Where did the gear come from? Kawasaki? I seem to remember reading somewhere that Kawasaki changed the material of the gear to a harder material at some point in time. I wonder if you got old stock.
When you adjusted the chain, did you do it when the engine was running or??????

The side clearance is OK, as the sprocket will 'find its center' on the chain, from the other sprockets. Steel sprocket next, and, the first hundred or so miles, noisy as the steel sprocket 'beds in' to the chain. Please remember, the teeth on the chain do move as the chain conforms around the curvatures of the sprockets, and, when that happens, the chain teeth go against each other. To see it, flex the chain backwards while looking at the teeth. You can even see that in the video you posted of the plastic sprocket.

Hi kawboy, the plastic gear isn't a genuine kawasaki one but newly produced and from a dealer that I've used a lot for almost all my parts. I did notice that you could easily mark the plastic with a screw driver.
And no I wouldn't risk adjusting the tensioner while the engine was running.

Usakz1300, I think I understand what your saying about the teeth moving against each other, but isn't that more so with the cam sprockets where the chain raps around unlike the plastic gear where the chain is in a straight line as it moves passed the gear?
I'm hoping that the rate of wear will decrease now that the chain has spread it's contact area on the soft plastic.
Cheers Pete

I would say that your aftermarket gear is too soft. 1500 miles is nothing even for the oem gear.

Either find a genuine Kawasaki part or go with the Liska ( metal) gear.

The oem part should run 30,000 miles or more.

LOOK at the picture of the sprocket, the chain wraps around the sprocket, not travels straight past it. The chain tooth tenets are clearly seen in the indentations on the plastic sprocket.

You mention that this sprocket is "generic", what is it specifically from, and for???