Riveting a drive chain

[silver]

Fair enough, however my breakage was definitely failure of the split link. I went back and retrieved all the bits out of the road afterwards. Fortunately it just spooled off and lay in the road, but they can wrap round the engine cases or your leg/foot.

[iansoady]

I can't imagine a SZR660 with 40 bhp or so could actually break a correctly fitted spring link unless there was some other mechanical fault.

And I take exception to being called lazy.

[welland99]

On a spring link, does the removable side plate have an interference fit over the pins, or is it a loose fit (sorry, forgottten the correct engineering terminology for the opposite of interference fit). 

[welland99]

great little thread this, thanks for all your comments so far.  Let's keep the language free from acrimony.... 

[themoudie]

Aye welland99,

With plain chain, no sealing rings, the side plate is a sliding fit over the pins of the connecting plate.

With some sealing ring chains the side plate is a sliding/slip fit over the pins of the connecting plate and the seals require compression to expose the grooves on the connecting link pins to the outside of the connecting plate, into which the spring link is then slid.

Finally, there are sealing ring chains that have a press fit/interference fit between the side plate and the connecting link pins. At the inner end of the interference fit pins there are machined shoulders that prevent the side plate from further compressing the sealing rings and yet allow the spring link slots to be exposed on the connecting link pins outside of the side plate, ready for installing the spring link. This greater degree of complication during manufacture and effort during fitting is an effort by the manufacturers to prevent the "tight link" syndrome that can also be readily achieved when rivetting links.

In the ideal world, with chain transmissions from the gearbox to the rear wheel, we would all fit endless chains that required removal of the swingarm whenever we wished to renew the chain. Users of the toothed belt final drive systems face this dilemma regularly, yet it doesn't dampen their ardour for the motorcycle brand.        However, that is another load of harrumphing for another thread! 

I'm sticking with plain chain on the Duke 450, no room for sealed link chain between the sprocket and the cases,and reducing the chain from 530 to 428. It just requires my attention, rather than the "Fit and Forget" mentallity and if you have seen the state of some sealed link chains being used, red with rust or buried in caked on grime, safety is down to the awareness of the user. If you don'know, don't ask or aren't told, why would you worry? 

Happy linking! 

My regards, Bill

[SteveC#222]

Last time I fitted a new chain I used the split link provided to take a steady ride to my local Bike shop where he fitted the riveted link with a proper link tool - only cost a few quid.  While you are fitting a new chain take the opportunity to fit a chain oiler - they make a lot of difference to maintenance .  The Loobman one works well and costs less than £20.

[Moto63]

I'm with silver on this one,
 having had a very, very serious accident (which I was very lucky to survive) and which is thought to have been caused by the chain coming off and jamming between the drive sprocket and the engine casing, which then had catastrophic impact on the engine which blew up like a grenade sending me into the path of an Audi Q5 which I hit head on. The impact speed they say was about 100 mph. The rest as they say is history.( fortunately for me I have no memory of the accident)  Like I said in my earlier post "trust me this is your main drive chain, you don't want it coming off while your riding along at 70mph" or any speed come to that. Buy decent quality chains, sprockets and riveting tools. ⚙️⛓.  You might not be as lucky as me
Cheers... Michael

[Propellor]

I'm running my gpz500 quite happily on a split link chain. It's done 5000 miles and one small adjustment. It's an o ring style branded by jt.

However when I ran more powerful bikes such as my fzr1000 the size and quality of chain requires riveting, which I've carried out myself.  Buy a decent quality tool and the job is straightforward. Mine is a built in hammer and anvil type. It helps to support the back of the anvil section with something of high mass, like a lump hammer. As pointed out by silver the pins are shouldered. The hammer section of the tool is "cupped" so, together with the pin shoulder you can't really go wrong.  I think the cup portion on mine is pentroof shaped from memory. 

[richardeblack]

Sorry to be a bit behind on this one but came across it and got me thinking.
Firstly I did many thousands of hard ridden miles on a couple of Tridents (not Hinkley) and Bonnie's all long before riveted links with no disasters so I am grateful to find that you can get them for X ring chains. I think I will get one for my next chain (hopefully not for another 15 or 20 thousand miles). I don't understand why they would be weaker than a riveted link.
I have only had a chain break once and that was on an XBR on the way back from Stafford a few years ago. I did write a piece about it in the old Thumperclub mag which still exists somewhere in the aether (incorrectly attributed to the other Richard).  It was very scary as I was doing about 75 and it locked up the back wheel.
I did find all the pieces and found that it fatugued from a small  rust pit. I have never used cheap a standard chain since.
But back to the original thread. As everyone who knows me can confirm, I will always try and find a cheap simple way of doing a job. For rivetting chains I use an old bolt splitter with the splitting head removed. This leaves a hole just the right size for pushing on the plate. I usually do this carefully alternating from one rivet shaft to the other until there is just the same resistance to movement as the adjoining links.  I then put a Phillips bit, that has been ground to a point, into the splitter and flare the rivet with that. Judging by the amount of force needed to get the plate on I think it is a fairly tight interference fit so it is unlikely to come off even without flaring so it doesn't need much expansion to be certain.
I got my splitter from an autojumble an is similar to this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nut-Splitter-/332391858439?hash=item4d64194107:g:QoQAAOSw8GtZUicI or this https://www.amazon.co.uk/BGS-Nut-Splitter-3-24-mm-9024/dp/B01HXRSGLM/ref=pd_sbs_60_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=MQEF88RVYKQEFW0HXEQE
You obviously need to be sure that the splitter is removable.
Sorry about rambling.
Cheers
Richard Black

[xbally]

This is a very interesting thread!Years ago when i was a spotty 17 year old the chain flew off my GT250 Suzuki up the local by pass.I don't remember at what speed and i think i may have had my then girlfriend on the back at the time!Fortunately we were ok as it flew off the back and up the road but i was totally ignorant of any maintenance requirements whatsoever having graduated from a pushbike and then a Fizzy.After what happened to Moto63 i often ponder what is the safest way to fit and maintain a chain and sprockets,especially on my RS250 and XBR500 as they both have split links and singles seem to wear out chains and need more regular adjustment than other types.I can relax when i'm on my Guzzi safe in the knowledge it has shaft drive!Michael i think you were extremely unlucky and what happened to you could happen to any of us! Well done for getting back on your bike with a positive attitude

[Moto63]

Thanks Martin, as I've said a few times over last couple of years (yes it's exactly that since it happened) I had positive feedback from a few different quarters all of which at the time helped me stay positive. Plus the way I see life is you could be one of the unlucky people who, say went to the Manchester arena on the night of the bombing. Or were walking across London Bridge when some low life decides to mow you down. It's all odds, fortunately the odds are generally stacked in our favour but from time to time they're not, that day for me they weren't. (Well I'm still here so in one way they were) I always have looked after my bikes, never really neglected any of them. BUT clearly it only takes one small thing and look what can happen. Keep checking them chains chaps, and keep them lubed ⛓🔧
Cheers...Michael