Chain riveting..

OK, so have nice new shiny DID 530ZVM2 Chain sitting here, ready to go on
bike with pair of nice new sprockets.

Now, never having chnaged a chain before, is it necessary to spring for a
rivetting tool?.. Or does one use a hammer and punch? Or is that just too
much hassle for the 50 quid a tool would cost?..

Advice please people!

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Spike

Hammer, punch and a delicate touch is all that's required. You just want
to disrupt the rivet head enough to keep it in place, without "freezing"
the link, or destroying the 'O' ring.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - To stay young requires unceasing cultivation of
the ability to unlearn old falsehoods.

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Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha GTS1000

 

A hacksaw will chop through the old chain in a couple of minutes, and
then just attach the new to the old and roll it on.

For riveting it up, yes, hammer and punch, used carefully, will do.
I've also used a G-clamp, tightened up on the soft ends of the joining
pins.

If you use a hammer and punch, remember to support the other side of
the chain with something large and solid.

If you bugger the joining link entirely, you can always use a modern
spring link. seriously. The pins are tapered, and you force the
sideplate on (using a G-clamp again!) against the taper. Properly done,
it ain't ever going to come adrift even if the spring clip does fall
off.

 

Huh, coincidence, I've been looking at rivetting tools today. Then I
realised they only go up to 530 and the chain I'm planning on fitting is
going to be a 630 :-( I'll probably pay a man to do it.

 

630? are you sure about this

 

IMHO a good make/break chain tool is a lifetime investment and worth
every penny for convenience and peace of mind.

 

Not on an 350LC that's for sure. 70/80s GS1000/Z1000? Can't think of any
recent bikes with 630. Bastard heavy and expensive too.

JB

 

OK youve persuaded me, inasmuch as Im a hamfisted **** and dont trust myself
not to knacker something whilst wielding hammers..

Are the 50 quid jobbies any good?... or do I really have to soend over a
hundred notes on a DID one?....

 

AndrewR and I bought a 60-ish quid one (between us, in a fit of
pikey-ness), and it's survived removing and fitting quite a few chains,
including some where one of the two of us didn't grind the head off the
chain rivet before he used the tool to pop it out[0]. Seems to be
surviving so far, and it's a damn sight easier than pissing about with
hammers and stuff.

YMMV, no warranty is expressed or implied, &c., &c.

[0] No names, but guess which one of us doesn't have an angle grinder,
the weirdo.

 

Eddie said...

2lb ball pein hammer, a parallel pin punch, an old cats-eye found at the
side of the road and a 10 quid angle grinder is about all that I use to
remove and fit chains.

 

You're right. I've got one, had it for years, and it is, as you say,
worth every penny for the convenience.

It's like any decent tool: you might wince at the cost, but once you've
got it, you have it for life.

Some of my decent tools are decades old.

 

Been there, done that (except I wasn't so posh as to have an old cat's
eye). Having the proper tool makes life much easier.

 

Not far off. GPZ Turbos use a 630, although a lot of people go for a 530
conversion for exactly the reasons mentioned above.

I think the RDs all use 530.

 

I reckon I'd be OK with a cheap one, myself.

 

This £50 Motrax one seems just fine. I'm careful with it and grind the
rivet heads off the old chain although it will push them out anyway.

Just watch out when you buy new chain. Make sure they have the hollow
point soft link. The solid end type, which need to be peened over,
require the more expensive chain tool or it's back to the ball pein
hammer.