Honda Shadow Spirit 750 Sprocket Mod - How to Replace Chain and Sprockets 

I installed my new DID kit yesterday by following your vid. Piece of cake thanks to you. One thing that kinda freaked me out a bit was, when I removed rear wheel, the drum brake hub almost fell off. I was careful to keep it in place through the process. God knows drums on cars are hard. I didn't want to end up with another project on top of the one I was already on. Everything came out okay, rear brake works fine. Thanks again

Bro without you I probably would've paid someone, I did exactly like you did and a year later I'm finally riding my bike after the chain broke off. I got my chain and sprocket set by D.I.D and my bike rides amazing. If anyone thinking of doing this DO IT! It was my first time doing it and I will do it 10x again!

excellent vid. short and straight to the point. no unneccessary info

Omg what a difference! At 50mph on my 02 shadow ace, i would be changing between 4th and 5th gear. Just rode with new sprockets and chain. Cruised at 50mph in 3rd! WTF! Thanks for the instructional. Read about it on shadow forums, but wasn't sure about doing it myself. Very helpful.

Excellent video! I have the same bike as yours, 2003 Honda Shadow Spirit VT750DC, but purple paint instead of red. I changed the chain and both sprockets just as you did, and I love it, it's like a new bike. Just wanted to thank you for providing so much detail that I felt comfortable with the mechanical work. Only one tip to add: just as you would with a car wheel, loosen the lug nuts on the rear sprocket while the bike is on its side stand and the wheel is on the ground, then raise the bike for the rest of the work. This also ensures you want start the job until you are sure you can complete the most difficult step.

Amazing video man this is super helpful, i bought 39T for the rear and ordered and a new front as well, this will make the installation super easy. Thanks

You're the man! I have the same year and everything, and was looking for the exact mod. Much appreciated.

Just did this today with my shadow. Feel more comfortable on the highway now. I bought the JT sprockets and a Niche gold x ring chain.

Great video ... I have a VT750CD 1999 , I'm going to replace front and rear sprockets and a new chain tomorrow, see how it goes, very professional !!

Honda needs to add a 6th gear to the shadow for highway cruising mabye use the gearbox out of he rebel 1100

I was wondering if you have a parts list of where you bought the sprockets and chain to complete this mod. Thanks!

Thanks a lot. A very good audio and video guidance.

I have the exactly same motorcycle, same year, same color... I'm gonna do this this weekend Justa question. Did you notice a difference after change the sprocket?

nice detailed DIY... BTW, i have the shadow rs750 and we have the same platform of shadow and the difference is just the seat between our bikes... jus asking, what and where did you buy your rear stand?

Did your gas mileage change after you made did this?

The speedometer operates by the spinning of the front wheel. So no, a sprocket change won't affect its accuracy.

only problem i have with your video is that you are working on a bike with sandles on.imagine if that bike slipped off your stand for whatever reason and slammed down onto your foot.

@zaraa03 hey hows the clip type chain master link doohicky holding up?. i got a new chain for mine but i got the rivet type. dont have a riveter so i got the clip type was thinking about throwing a tack weld on the clip to keep it from falling off

Just finished your vid and immediately wanted to give you praise. Awesome awesome video for people like myself who are at beginner level on routine bike maintenance. I have an 03 Honda Shadow A.C.E vt750 and am going home to change out the sprockets after I finish work. Your video is explained extremely well and easy to follow step by step instructions from start to finish. Well done and want to thank you. Have an awesome day and happy riding. ✌

thanks for the info man, I just ordered 525 Pitch 17 Tooth Front Drive Sprocket for Honda VT750C VT750DC 1 $19.95 Tooth Rear Drive Sprocket for 525 Pitch 38 Tooth Rear Drive Sprocket for Honda 1 $26.95 NICHE 525VM-X Drive Chain NICHE Drive Chain Ultra-High-Performance X-Ring High-Tensile with 120 Links

just remember to lubricate the actual chain link before you put it in. Great video though

Video was helpful for me. Thanks for posting!

Excellent video! Helped Me trough the process made it easy except the rivet, I only have a chain breaker but mamaged it.

I want more performance from my shadow, so I spent hours researching sprocket ratios, and your video was the clincher, I'm gonna do it !!! then my son says...I thought your bike was shaft drive.....oh ya....

I just ordered my sprocket, master link and clutch springs for my 03 custom spirit, your video will be extremely helpful i am sure!

if I change the sprockets will I need to change clutch springs? and does this affect the speedometer reading ? also how does this affect the of the line performance vs the Top end? Thanks for your help and great videos

what jackstand do you use for the bike? i need to get a jackstand for my honda shadow phantom but i don't know much about bikes, i work on my cars but still new to to working on bikes

Yes indeed changing rear sprocket to 38 teeth was the best idea it should have been 38 when it was made or they should have a 6th gear now I go 50 60 70 and the engine is not revving do change it , it accelerates just fine all the gears are longer , and it sound better too

so if you wanna do sprocket change in rear, the front also must be changed? any idea what would happen if someone just changed the rear sprocket?

Just got my chain and sprockets today, thanks for the informative video!

thank you. very helpful as i have an 03 spirit as well. just got a new subscriber man!

I don't quite remember how much everything cost... probably around 100-120 bucks for the sprockets and chain in total... took a couple of hours but it was my first time too.

i cannt find a 37 tooth sprocket

Why do they make the gearing low from the factory

I found my 38 tooth sprocket on ebay. It affects the low end a little bit but nothing really noticeable.

Excellent Vid!

great video. Thanks. Where would be the best place to buy the parts?

I haven't experienced any unusual sounds. Make sure the chain is tightened properly.

Dude, I gotta tell u that u saved my day. I was looking for some solutions to lower my rpm as my vt750s making way too annoying sound at 120-130km/h (guess it's 70-85mp/h?) Any advice on which sprocket pick for more highway riding?

Did that help you get more speed and low you rpms so the top end is screaming ? I jetted my carbs and got open pipes and it gets up to 60 mph pretty quick. Now I’m stuck doing 55mph 60mph with high rpms I’m thinking about a T39 or T38 maybe a T41 . I’m looking to hit the 80mph with high rpms.

I'm happy the way it is. I like that it's not quite as loud and vibrating as the stock. But I didn't want to lose too much on the low end with 37 teeth. Personal preference I guess

thanks for the video. Perfect. 1st time bike owner, still learning about bikes in general. I have an '03 spirit as well.

Nice job..huge help for me..thank you!

Watched your video again and was wondering on the rear sprocket, why you would not use "thread Lock " on the bolts prior to using the nuts? or is it because you torc them on? just wondering.l

Great Video Very nicely done...Much appreciated....

What about a 39 tooth? I can't find a 38 tooth on any websites?

www.gearingcommander.com/ will show the actual difference you will have in the gearing ratios. Stock setup @4000 rpm you will be at 70 mph, with a 38 tooth sprocket @4000 rpms you'll be going 77. Pretty cool. Great video, doing the swap out right now. Wish you did the installation of the wheel, I had to try and figure out which way the wheel spacers went lol.

You make this seem real easy! I think I may end up doing this because like you said I'm always looking for 6th gear! lol.....thanks

what i do is screw nuts and stuff were i take them off that way do not have to look for them

Will be changing the back sprocket to a 38T and keeping the front as stock, as well as a new chain on my 98 Shadow VT750 C3 for my long trip in 2022 up the mountains. Shadow is presently in hibernation for the winter.

Just a little update on the performance of the Shadow after the sprocket change out and ya, I do notice a difference in from 4th to 5th on the RPMS. Only went up to the yukon from Lethbride. Presently doing a route mapping from Alberta to Newfoundland and back. Great video as I said before..

With the original 42 you have to be at 3600 rpm to be at 100km/h. With the 38 you only gained 11km/h for the same rpm. So now you drop from 3600 to 3250 rpm ISH.

Good time to clean the rim and things haha hard to get to it all when it's together

Great video. Thanks so much for sharing. Would be good idea to also replace the rear wheel dampers as they have a limited life.

Great vid man, really appreciated, definitely going to do this mod to my bike for sure.

Hey I am unsure if I need to replace sprockets. I am hearing a sound in tha

Great explanation on how to change the sprocket. Question: how many teeth does the new front sprocket Have?

How many teeth on the new and old front sprocket?

Thanks a lot. Really helped me

We have same bike man haha same color and flames

Wanted to know what ratios did u use. I have an 06 vt750 shadow... Needs a new chain soon and this mod looks helpful.

Awesome video. I'm totally using this tomorrow to do my first chain and sprocket replacement. Thanx, man!

It's cool of you to do this video for everyone. You're a good speaker and well organized. Thanks for being generous!

Thanks great video

Awesome video thanks for the post I also did this mod but cut the old chain off with a grinder and cutting wheel took 30 seconds

Just did this on my '03 Shadow Spirit tonight. Great video, helped me a lot. I loosened both sprockets before jacking up the bike and taking the wheel off tho. Test rode it and it definitely should've came this way from the factory. 38 tooth sprocket lets me go down the expressway without the bike screaming and didnt notice any low end loss. Definitely worth doing. Total was about $120 and only a couple hours to install.

just changed mine to 38t rear and 17t new front and nice new chain! thanks for the turorial!

It's good to make a mark with a sharpie where the nut was for your back breaks so it's back in the same spot when you put it back

ok I'm only running into 1 problem, it seems that my chain is a link short but the chain I bought is a 525-120. I see that in your video it was about a link short to begin with so, how did you get it to fit?

Very nicely done.

I pulled them in all the way to where the axle is all the way fwd. I still have the stock sprokets on. Rear has 41 teeth and the front has 17 teeth. Do I need to change these?

ridiculously helpful....thanks bro

Hey great video! Just like you said I'm looking for a gear past 50. Just curious how it worked out with 38 gears? Does it sound good at 65-70, MPG improve at all and hows the acceleration power? After riding it for a while would you recommend more or less teeth or is 38 a perfect fit for you? Thanks!

@zaraa03 Hi. I'm looking into doing this mod. Are you happy with the 38 tooth or would you have rather done the 37 since you say it's not a gigantic difference? Thanks

@jks728 It's definitely less buzzy at 65-70 mph but it's not a gigantic difference. Not a lot of loss on the low end. The stand is just a regular rear stand that I bought used from a motorcycle gear store.

Did you bring the chain tension adjusters in all the way? That pulls the axle in towards the front of the bike and should give you enough slack to get the chain to connect once you add the clip link.

@spidez8407 Haven't had any problems with the clip. If you install it right, it shouldn't come off at all.

@rrtsmom Go for it. In concept it's easy but actually doing it was still a challenge. It just takes a lot of elbow grease and grunt work... you didn't see all the parts I cut out of the video where I was grunting and swearing. It's very doable though, anyone should be able to do it with the right tools. Good luck!

Thanks for sharing, In a dealer cost around $400 to 500 for this. Thanks again

Yea you have too few links. If you have the 120 link chain you need to be using a 38 tooth sprocket

these nuts are kinda hard

Looks pretty basic, thanks very helpful

This is great bro! Thanks! I was looking to put a license plate relocator on the axle bolt but then realized that it would have to completely completely out bc the nut is on the exhaust pipe side. Can that bold be put through either side.?

Someone help sorry im a newbie on doing this procedure and i followed ur instruction but i dont know where a part goes, on the axle there that part that goes in the middle part of tire u said a collar well i have two one thats long im guessing goes on the left side of the bike taken out after you pulled the axel out but i have another one shorter just like the one on the left..idk know where it goes it fits the same side on the left but i watched the video again and saw the long collar goes left

What type/brand is the chain you sied? Thanks.

i justed posted a link to a kit im going to try from ebay. great video. cant wait to try

@zaraa03 ok cool. i had a dirtbike chain fail it was the master link and i highsided. the chain wrapped up. guess im just paranoid. lol im changing it right after this. thanxs for the input. i really appreciate it. thumbs up. hows the bike running?

Wtf! Sorry about that. I hear a sound from the front left side. I think it sounds like the front sprocket is slipping from the chain. Can you tell me if you experienced the same sound. Please help.

Can you tell me where you got the sprocket and the chain to do that I have the same exact bike I found online these chains for $60 I'm leery about buying. they are all O ring i have a rivet chain on it can u help

Good stuff man, the only thing I'm skeptical about is the clip style master link. I'm going to be changing out my 3rd chain on my VLX soon so I gotta change out the sprockets too. How is the power at low speed, and hows the rpm at high speed? I got 54,000 miles on a 600cc and it's obvious enough that I ride my bikes ALOT. lol My other one is a C50 Boulevard.....

@king-how many links was the chain that you installed? if you have too many links on a smaller sprocket, it will be way too loose even with the chain slack adjusters as tight as they will go

@zaraa03 Im use to doing alot of grunt work and using elbow grease...Im a mom lmao...and if need be I can always call my baby brother! lol thanks!

vt 750 got rivet chain right. the manual said we gotta put the rivet master link but u had the clip master link. is there any difference

Is that going to effect my Top end speed or the git up and go?

Yeah, I realized that after I posted the question. If you dont mind me asking, what was the total cost and approx time for the change? Thanks again.

And I'm changing the chain on a 2002 Honda shadow ACE Deluxe

I filled up the Honda Shadow's tank to store it for the winter but started to leak from the overflow tube. Is that normal?

Awesome video series on shadow... I'm hoping to get one myself soon. This might sound a little odd but is there much difference mechanically between the 750cc and 125cc models i.e. changing spark plugs and disassembly are they the same or is there a differences in the layout ?

easy cake.... my bike need a new sprocket ... good video

I got mine on ebay, so far no issues with the chain or clip link.