Chain Breaker / Riveting Tool

[HughiusMaximus]

Afternoon Gents,

Can anyone recommend a good chain breaker & riveting tool please.

I have never done this before but want to change the gearing on my track bike.

I figure that if I can do it myself once then the money I have saved in garage labour will pay for the tool and I'll have learned a new skill.


Any other tips also greatly appreciated to help me avoid mincing a new chain...!

[spoodler]

Can't recommend one as I've had mine for decades - will say that it's a doddle with the right kit tho, and a faff without it.

[dern]

I bought a tool to do this a while ago from ebay and it broke almost immediately. Since then I use an angle grinder to remove the old chain and use a ball pein hammer to form the new rivet using a lump hammer as an anvil at the back of the chain. Never had a problem using this method.

[HughiusMaximus]

Any thoughts on this one?

https://www.sportbiketrackgear.com/motion-pro-pbr-...

[mckeann]

Just Make sure your tool matches your chain rivet. Did chains have a hollow link and need a tool that goes into the middle and pushes it out.

Renthal chains use a solid pin, and need a tool that mashes over the outside of the link to ovalise it

[mckeann]

And two top tips. The first one is stolen from bikers nemesis, buy a few extra links when you buy your chain (make sure they are the correct matching link) so if you fk it up, you can have a few goes at it


Secondly, it’s much quicker and easier to use a grinder to remove the top of the old link, even though technically the tool can do it without.

[HughiusMaximus]

Thanks, that's solid advice.

Looking at this chain:

https://www.sportbiketrackgear.com/vortex-suzuki-g...

I figure the HFRS -1 +2 kit with the steel rear sprocket will do me.
Any more than that will be overkill for my power / pace.

[tris88]

You can use a cheaper tool, it's important not to stress it more than need be - https://youtu.be/6Yj4sKsguvU

[leighz]

I use one of these to rivet DID soft links:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Motorcycle-Bike-Chain-B...

which is similar to the tool you linked to

I also use a micrometer to try and get the plate width as close to other plates in the chain and to measure the flare (a little at a time) of the soft link pins

angle grind couple of pins off the old chain when you've replaced the front sprocket (big breaker bar to get that off, gearbox in neutral and bar through the rear wheel/swingarm with plenty of rags to stop scratching the paintwork)

[Sea Demon]

For breaking the chain, I cut the chain with a grinder - takes 2 secs, like a hot knife through butter.

[mckeann]

Are you in the USA??

[HughiusMaximus]

Yup,

Over in Chicago on a 2 year placement with a return to the UK penciled in for July this year.

I managed to hit a fair few of the smaller regional club tracks like Grattan Raceway, Blackhawk Farms, Gingerman Raceway and Autobahn last summer, with the highlight being a weekend at Road America in Wisconsin.

This year I'm trying to tick off as many of the larger tracks as possible - already booked in for Barber Raceway in Alabama at the end of this month, NCM in Kentucky in May, Laguna Seca in June and will try to do COTA as well if possible.

Picked up a 2011 GSXR 600 that has been race prepped that I'll ship back to the UK when I leave... I'm wary of noise regs in the UK though as there are none enforced at the tracks I have been running at in the Midwest (At Gingerman they take an early lunch so that the local Church can hold service on Sunday without the noise of bikes in the background...!)

[mckeann]

I reckon you’ll need to sort out the noise anyway for Laguna seca. They’re meant to be pretty strict.

[HughiusMaximus]

It is, apparently stock R6's have to roll off at the testing corner pass the on track noise limit

I'm renting a track ninja 400 for Laguna Seca because I don't fancy the 4500 mile round trip drive...

it means I can just fly in and out and not have to worry about noise regs.

Edited by HughiusMaximus on Monday 11th March 17:14

[Biker's Nemesis]

I use a DID heavy chain breaking/rivet tool



https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DID-HEAVY-DUTY-CHAIN-BR...

[HughiusMaximus]

That looks like a beast.

Any particular reason why you see breaking the chain on the sprocket other than the sprocket holding it stable while you work on it?

[7w7]

Motrax do a good one for the price.