Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Hey Guys just changing the chain on the bike managed to get the old one out and now I have put the new one in and it seems to be 7 - 8 links too long.

I've looked at the links carefully and they are riveted in so it doesn't look like I can easily take out those links. Guy at the shop said that this is the right chain for my bike.

Is there something I can do or something I haven't done or does the guy just not know shit at all?!...

AFAIK you cut off the un-needed links with an angle grinder (grind the head off the rivet) then rivet your joiner link in place and Bob's your Aunty.

When you are doing the Grinding please make sure you grind off the right link pin My first encounter doing this I cut an outer pin not an inner pin & ended up having to use 2 links to relengthen the chain..... circa 1985... when I was a noob at cycle mechanics
as an alternative pop in at Sevo & we can get it knocked over

cool I got the links off, now how do I go about riverting it together? I've got a link here that came with the chain to join it together. Thats in, but now i have another link in a bag that i have no idea what its for. The poorly put together instructions don't say much apart from use pliers to put the safety clip on the link joiner, which I've done, and use some sort of machine to rivet the chain together. Will a hammer suffice?

MrWasabi wrote:cool I got the links off, now how do I go about riverting it together? I've got a link here that came with the chain to join it together. Thats in, but now i have another link in a bag that i have no idea what its for. The poorly put together instructions don't say much apart from use pliers to put the safety clip on the link joiner, which I've done, and use some sort of machine to rivet the chain together. Will a hammer suffice?

Owen there are 2 types of chain link, one with a circlip & one with a rivet, if you have a circlip the job is done, if you have a rivet link you want to use then you will need some help as it is not easy to fold over the pin. & just a hammer will not dpo the job as it is hard to get sufficient pressure behind the pin.

If you are going to use the spring clip link make sure the open end of the clip if faceing the opposite way that the chain rotates

well...it seems that i got a bit grinder happy and took off one extra link than i should have...

MCAS can sell me an extra link with a circlip to throw on there, but they are telling me that i shouldnt do this and just buy a whole new chain again...
in the interest of saving $90 should i listen to them or just piece it together with 2 circlips?

MrWasabi wrote:well...it seems that i got a bit grinder happy and took off one extra link than i should have...

MCAS can sell me an extra link with a circlip to throw on there, but they are telling me that i shouldnt do this and just buy a whole new chain again...
in the interest of saving $90 should i listen to them or just piece it together with 2 circlips?

The 2 links weaken the chain .....you could risk it but I wouldnt ... what a bugga

Fair enough. Thought they would be saying that to get me to buy another chain... but makes sense...
we all must learn one way or another, unfortunate for me i decided to do it the hard way

FS: brand new chain $50 posted