Seca 550 owners, help me out: Is your rear sprocket black?

Or is it silver? (This only applies if you are reasonably sure you have the original one.) If it's silver, do me a favor and count the teeth, will you? I suspect a production vs spec mismatch (trivial but important in doing an accurate restoration...)

 

The stock one's were steel and in silver color. Not sure if it's the actual stock one but I do have a sprocket that would fit on the seca hub. It is steel and it's 45 tooth sprocket.

Sean

 

That's why I was asking. My bike, which I thought had the original sprocket on it (and may, but equally possible not) has a silver one, with 45 teeth. According to Yamaha, it's supposed to be 46T and black. I have an NOS Yamaha replacement which IS black and has 46T. I'm wondering, based on a lot of pics I've seen of Seca 550's, if the silver (and possibly 45T) sprocket equipped bikes were what came off the line even though the parts book (and the specs) say 46T.

 

My bike has a steel (silver) 45 tooth rear sprocket.

The owner's manual spec sheet also states a 45 tooth rear sprocket

 

46 tooth is correct for 1981 XJ550 Seca models, while the 1982-83 models got the 45 tooth version (according to the parts books). Both versions should have been finished in the #33 Yamaha Competition Medium Gloss Black colour.

All the XJ550 Maxim models also used a 45 tooth sprocket, and I assume that they would have used a bright version, although again, the original parts books call for a black sprocket even on the Maxim models........

 

Weird. My '81 also has the silver (not the least bit "bright" or shiny, just silver) 45T. Yam parts fiche says it should be a black 46T. The '83 550 Seca I just bought (7K miles and all original) appears to have a silver sprocket as well (can't count the teeth, bike's not here yet) I'm asking because there seems to be a proliferation of silver-sprocketed Secas in conflict with what Yamaha SAYS they should be...

 

Well, that's a parts department for you!

Or it may be that the REPLACEMENT sprockets (sold thru the parts division) were/are black. The parts department numbers (and parts) do not always translate into what a bike was ORIGINALLY equipped with. I know the few original ads and sales brochures that I have show the 550 Maxim and Seca models all picture a bright (non-black) rear drive sprocket.