Krause Racing's Siderwinder ProductsThe Sidewinder Story |
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| INTRODUCTION In the past 3 decades there has been a surprising evolution in the field of chain and sprocket power transmission systems for dirt bikes and ATV’s. The breeding ground for this explosion of technology has been centered around the sport of off-road motorcycle racing in the United States. For over 150 years, the state-of-the-art in sprocket & chain drives was stagnant. The basic designs, methods of construction, and even the types of materials remained virtually unchanged since the industrial revolution. In the late 1960’s this dormant state of development in the sprocket world was about to end. Motocross racing came to the USA in 1967 and captured the raw imagination of young enthusiasts throughout the country. The economy was good & this new Xtreme sport was full of energy and challenge. MX was affordable and a very “cool” thing to do. The stage was set. A young engineer, Vic Krause, fresh from the University of Detroit with a 5-year Bachelor of Science degree in engineering was first introduced to the growing sport of off-road dirt biking. Not long after completing his Masters degree in computer technology at IIT (Illinois Institute of Technology) he was swept up into the exciting world of motocross racing. Vic was to become the catalyst responsible for spawning a series of major patented design innovations in off-road sprocket & chain technology over the next 30 years. Even as we enter the New Millennium, Vic and the Sidewinder Products Division of Krause Racing Corporation, continue to innovate and bring amazing new products to the off-road market place. This corporate biography is a mini history of the evolution of dirt bike sprockets and chains and the key role Sidewinder has played in this growth process. Chapter 1 The Jurassic Age of Sprockets (1910-1970) From the early 1900’s up until about 1970 all motorcycle sprockets were made of low-carbon mild steel. They were obscenely heavy but so were the bikes - so nobody cared. As motorcycle racing evolved into a more technical era, racers realized the value of a lighter rear sprocket. A sprocket that weighed less than the standard mild steel, boat- anchor type, would obviously allow the engine to accelerate faster. Also, a lightweight sprocket would reduce the unsprung weight of the wheel assembly, putting less strain on the suspension and providing better handling. The OEM factories (Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, etc.) started to use lighter aluminum sprockets but only for their race teams. Production bikes continued to be sold with the cheap, mild steel sprockets because most were punched out of plate stock and cost almost nothing to make. Incredibly, many bikes today are still being sold with these dinosaur-type mild steel rear sprockets. For example; DR series Suzuki; KX & KDX 80’s; KL series Kawasaki’s; XT Yamaha’s, in fact, most on/off road bikes and, amazingly, all ATV’s & Quads, come with these archaic style rear sprockets. Besides the excessive weight of these mild steel sprockets, there are also a number of other less obvious shortcomings. Because they are punched out instead of precisely machined they are typically out-of-round and sometimes wobble quite badly. This causes a surging in the drive chain that severely punishes the chain, transmission gears, clutch, bearings and even the sprockets. Also, because they are stamped out in mass production there are not many optional sizes available. You are mostly stuck with the stock number of teeth. Chapter 2 Dawn of Sprocket Civilization As the racers demand for lightweight sprockets grew, a couple of small companies began making lightweight aluminum sprockets. In the 1970’s, Portco Sprocket Co. and Circle Industries were among the first manufacturers to provide them. Their sprockets were indeed light, but were made of a very soft grade of aluminum and they would last only a few rides before the teeth would begin to hook over & break off. Besides the flimsy material used, they also stamped out their sprockets continuing the undesirable tradition of the steel sprocket - bad wobble. Racers’ put up with them because there was no choice. However, many riders formed a very negative opinion of lightweight sprockets because of a bad experience with a Portco or a Circle. The big Japanese company “Sunstar” was punching out all the steel sprockets (they still do to this day) for every Japanese bike maker. They, too, began stamping out cheap aluminum sprockets for the factories to use on their new (at that time) line of MX bikes. As most veterans will tell you, these sprockets would wear out as you wheeled the bike off the showroom floor Chapter 3 Sidewinder is born By 1976, Vic Krause had been racing Amateur Motocross for 8 years. Like many other racers, he had spent considerable amounts of money replacing the short-lived aluminum sprockets of the day. The constant, expensive hassle prompted Vic to introduce a more sophisticated solution to the sprocket problem. The Sidewinder Sprocket was born. The 1st generation Sidewinder was made of a far superior grade of aircraft alloy designated as “7075”. It was heat- treated and hardened to 1.8 times greater than steel. Vic also chose an aircraft alloy supplier whose material was all Military Spec. Certified for the best consistency possible. The thickness of the material was also increased by 15%. These substantial improvements produced a sprocket that would outlast a standard mild steel sprocket by almost double the life. Every dimension of this new Sidewinder sprocket was 100% machined. Absolutely no punching or stamping. This eliminated the stress fractures common in the typical sprockets of the day. Wobble was also eliminated increasing the life of other components. The word began to spread throughout the off-road riding community. The new hardened aircraft alloy sprocket from Sidewinder was half the weight of the ancient mild-steel unit. It was 1.8 times harder and lasted twice as long under even racing conditions. Despite very little advertising, this new design was an instant success. The Sidewinder era had begun! Sprockets would never be the same again. Krause Racing (The parent company of Sidewinder Products) quickly outgrew the modest original facility, and built a new 5,000-sq. ft. building to house the new Sidewinder Products division. Chapter 4 Refinements, Experiments & Holes The next few years were WILD! More and more part numbers had to be created to keep up with the requests for different model bikes. As the old steel sprockets were falling out of favor, the demand for Sidewinders was growing daily. Even as these business challenges were being handled, experimentation continued to find ways to improve the product. Throughout the later 80’s, Sidewinder introduced many additional refinements. The first such running change was the provision of two sets of mounting holes, one from each side of the sprocket, so that the sprocket could be mounted from either side. This was the first “reversible” sprocket. A rider could extend the useful life of the Sidewinder sprocket even more by flip-flopping the sprocket at appropriate intervals. This would balance the wear evenly and give more life. Many of the existing sprockets of the day (steel, aluminum and even the 1st generation alloy Sidewinders) were solid except for the mounting holes and the inside diameter. These babies were all metal. Can you imagine a 60 tooth mild steel solid sprocket that came from the factory on a Maico MX bike? Any magnetic compass within 10 miles of a Maico would swing off course 20 degrees due to that huge hunk of heavy metal. Sidewinder engineers soon began conducting dozens of experiments to determine the best way to remove unnecessary material from the sprockets. Every conceivable hole shape was milled out of countless sprockets - oval, round, square, trapezoidal, rectangular, concentric, angles, H-beam, I-beam and many combinations of these shapes. The sizes of all these holes were also enlarged and reduced to every possible extreme. Each test sprocket was then subjected to compression load testing in a hydraulic press and taken to failure, noting the final yield point. After 17 months of experimentation, with hundreds of sprockets, the verdict was undeniable. The best way to reduce weight was to remove material in the shape of a perfect round circle. This is a result you could almost have expected. The circular shape is the only one that can distribute any load in an even manner. A circle will always transfer force evenly throughout the 360’ diameter. Any other shape has an inherent stress point, especially if there is any corner in the shape. Even the oval shaped lightening holes were far weaker than an equivalent series of small, round holes set side by side. From this point on, all Sidewinders were provided with round lightening holes for weight reduction. All of the bizarre shapes and styles of lightening techniques adopted by many competitive brands over the years have been chosen for strictly cosmetics and visual distinction. They are all substantially weaker and much more prone to failure than Sidewinder. Priority at Sidewinder has always been strength, durability and genuine improvement. Sidewinder’s philosophy remains; Style is important but not at the sacrifice of strength, safety or durability. Chapter 5 Challenge, Inspirations & the “Groove Thing” At the New Orleans Motorcycle Trade show in 1980, a dramatic event of inspiration took place. While attending the show, Vic engaged in friendly conversation with an exhibitor and supplier whose primary product was motorcycle sprockets. After the usual polite greetings, Vic posed the standard, friendly question…”What’s new?” In a somewhat humorous yet sarcastic manner, the exhibitor responded that the biggest new change in the past 10 years was that the color of the sprocket went from silver to gold. Bystanders chuckled, and the gentleman went on to proclaim that sprockets were the same as they had always been and nothing “new” was ever going to happen to sprockets. Even though the remarks were not intended to be mean spirited, Vic felt that mild sting of embarrassment as the people all around the booth laughed and nodded in agreement that “new” and “sprockets” were two words that would never be used together again. Vic swiftly retaliated to redirect the target of everyone’s amusement. In a heartbeat he seized the challenge presented by the supplier’s joke. In a flurry of extemporaneous suggestions, Vic proposed a host of absurd alterations to the typical sprocket. The litany of ridiculous recommendations included drilling holes through the sprocket teeth for lighter weight; elimination of every other tooth; a channel through the middle of each tooth around the entire perimeter of the sprocket, and other such comic lunacy. With each successive suggestion, the laughter grew louder. Everyone was enjoying the silly mental excursion through the bizarre possibilities of sprocket design. Then…Inspiration! In yet another wild attempt at violating conventional sprocket wisdom, Vic proposed tapered channels at the bottom of each tooth to clean away the dirt and debris. The laughter abruptly stopped. Everyone within earshot instantly understood the merit of the concept. Suddenly, serious conversation replaced the humor of the moment. The idea was simple, obvious, elegant, universal, and pregnant with measurable benefits to the end user. It took less than 40 seconds to transcend from sarcastic challenge to white-hot inspiration. The self-cleaning sprocket concept was given life. In a hotel room that evening, Vic documented his ideas, composed the patent application disclosures and his brother Mike witnessed and signed the documents. The commercial success of the self-cleaning concept is today a matter of record. Sidewinder products were an instant success. They were on an almost continual backorder status for the first 2 ½ years. After their introduction in 1980 the demand far exceeded supply as the consumers instantly grasped the obvious advantages. Many not-so-obvious benefits emerged. By eliminating a large amount of the clogging action caused by mud and sand in the sprocket teeth, a substantial horsepower increase could be measured at the rear wheel. Chain life tripled. Even extended piston life was recorded since less drag in the drive train reduced engine workload. It wasn’t long before off-road riders would come to insist on self-cleaning as a mandatory feature for any dirt machine sprocket. The new facility became immediately insufficient for the volume of Sidewinder business. In 1984 a new building with 10,000 square feet was selected as the new home for Krause Racing and Sidewinder products. Within a few short years Sidewinder captured the dirt bike sprocket market. Competitors scrambled to come up with copycat imitations yet avoid any possible patent infringements. Companies that refused to accept this new direction in the market would soon fail. Portco sprockets and Circle Industries went out of business. Vic’s self-cleaning idea proved itself a genuine improvement. Not a fad or a whim of the market, Sidewinder changed the way you make a dirt-bike sprocket. The “groove thing” was here to stay. Chapter 6 Chains – The Missing Link As Sidewinders’ popularity grew, customer’s clamored for a front sprocket equal to the performance and durability of the rear Sidewinder. Most countershaft sprockets are made of low-carbon mild steel. Broken teeth were common place and production tolerances were very loose. Sidewinders’ answer was a closely toleranced front sprocket matched exactly to the rear Sidewinder. The material selected was the first to be used on a front sprocket: chrome- moly alloy steel. This was the first truly matched sprocket system ever offered. To this day, Sidewinder remains the only source of both front and rear sprockets engineered together as a matched set. Every other company selling sprockets buy their inventory from Taiwan or Korea and then stamp their name on it. Not exactly your idea of a matched set. The development of the Sidewinder front sprocket was a natural progression. The real pressure in the marketplace soon shifted to a major concern – the lack of a drive chain suitable for hi-powered race bikes. Customers were also requesting a fully matched Sidewinder system that would include the chain as well as sprockets. Sidewinder engineers took up the challenge. In 1986 the final missing link in the Sidewinder trilogy was introduced. The first and only chrome-moly alloy steel chain with oversized pins for extra-hi tensile strength. This effort completed the quest for a 3-piece, truly matched drive-system made by one company, to one set of High standards, manufactured with the best materials. To the present day, Sidewinder is the only manufacturer that offers their own chain with their own sprockets. And to make life even tougher for the competition, Sidewinder backed up their chains with a 1-year breakage warranty. This is an unheard of policy for a dirt/race bike product. No one else would do it. Again, the market embraced a winning concept and Sidewinder’s matched system became the industry standard. Sales surged, and in 24 months the almost new 10,000-sq. ft. building quickly became inadequate. In 1988 Krause Racing constructed a new 20,000 sq. foot headquarters which is still home today to the finest drive-system manufacturer in the racing industry. Despite pressures to relocate in Southern California, Krause choose to remain close to its Midwest roots in the center of the country. BE A WINNER! The Winner - is always part of the answer: The Loser - is always part of the problem. The Winner - always has a program: The Loser - always has an excuse. The Winner - says “Let me help you with that.”; The Loser - says, “That’s not my job.” The Winner - sees an answer to every problem The Loser - sees a problem for every answer. The Winner - says “It may be difficult but it’s possible.” The Loser says “It may be possible but it’s too difficult.” Chapter 7 Déjà vu and The Laser The number 18 has always been a lucky one for Vic. It was his racing number for ten years. By pure coincidence, his birthday, license plates, and several other important numbers all add to 18! Exactly 18 years after the conception of the self-cleaning sprocket concept in 1980, an eerie replay of history unfolds. In the November issue of Motorcycle Industry magazine, an article appeared titled “Drive Train Consumables”. In the story, a well-known journalist writes, “There isn’t a whole lot you can do to dress up a sprocket. Substantial improvements are scarce.” As these words were being written KRAUSE RACING, INC. was launching the biggest Sidewinder campaign in 18 years, the introduction of the first Stainless Steel sprockets in the world. Stainless Steel is an incredible material, renowned for its strength and durability, but no one has ever succeeded in making a sprocket out of this metal. The conventional machinery used to produce a sprocket (i.e. CNC milling machines, lathes, etc.) would be reduced to scrap metal trying to machine stainless. The tensile strength of stainless increases from 85,000 psi to 300,000 psi as it undergoes the typical machining process. This unique property (called cold-workability) makes it a “dream” material for a product like a sprocket. The sprocket actually gets harder and more wear resistant under the working action of the chain. The more you ride the longer the sprocket will last. This same property is a machinist’s worst nightmare since it will literally tear up the tooling and bearings of every machine in the shop. This is why you have never seen a sprocket make out of stainless………………. until now. Only a year ago Vic’s patent on the original self-cleaning Sidewinder expired. Now, an all-new laser-cutting process, that permits the creation of Sidewinder sprockets out of plate stainless, will form the basis for a new array of patents. These new patents should maintain Sidewinder's position of leadership in the sprocket industry for the next 17 years. The state of the art, hi-energy laser is not hampered by the hardness of stainless. There is no tooling, machining or other typical metalworking processes to contend with. A powerful beam of light energy from a 10,000-watt laser cuts it like butter. And with “Star Wars” technology, it can do it with accuracy approaching ten thousandths of an inch. Once again Sidewinder takes a giant leap forward and brings the off-road racing community a true Innovation, Stainless Steel sprockets are a real technical break-through. |
| The Sidewinder Story Forty Years of Perfection Heavy Metal to Lasers & Diamonds |
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