Hi there,

I'm stranded in Coyhaique, Chile with a round front sprocket. Rear sprocket and chain also appear at the end of their lives. I received the new replacements but no one here has a chain riveting tool and replacing just the sprockets wouldn't get me too far. Can't get a clip type master either.

Would appreciate if you'd let me know should you pass this way with the solution.

Cheers,


Serdar Sunny Unal

LOS ANGELES to BUENOS AIRES : a photographic expedition with unlimited legroom

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LOS ANGELES TO BUENOS AIRES
A photographic expedition with unlimited legroom.

This might be a long shot, but it might just work...
The chain tool is pretty much just a spike that pushes into the pins of the chain to expand the end and therefore 'rivet' it over the link.
I reckon that if you were to take the old chain, along with the new one down to a ferreteria (sp?!) or whatever an ironmonger is - my spanish is awful! they might be able to cut the chain to length by grinding off any excess links, then using a sharp punch and big hammer, rivet the chain to the correct size.
Obviously check that the chain will come off the bike whole, otherwise you'll have to get all this done whilst its on the machine...
I know the pins are made of some pretty hard steel, but the ends are designed to deform like this.

Practice on some excess links first if you have the option!

Good luck!

Awesome photos by the way. I really enjoyed your site.

Thanks a lot Kipp,

I was quite reluctant to try doing it without the tool as I only have one master link, but I think it's better than sitting around here. Off to find a center punch and a hammer now...

Best,

Sunny

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LOS ANGELES TO BUENOS AIRES
A photographic expedition with unlimited legroom.

Good luck ... you'll need it!

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

you've probably already spotted this too.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ue-chile-32968

in case the centre punch idea didn't work...

Namaste Serdar,

You are probably already off fixing things, and don't know what bike you have, but in the most likely case you will have to remove by breaking it on the bike and attach it in situ as well.

In regards to removing a chain, you can grind it off, or if power tools are in short supply, all you need is a basic metal file and with a bit of patience you can file off the two rivets on the master link flat and one side of the link will pop off.

When it comes to pressing a master link, it can be pretty tough to press fit the one side of the master link evenly, especially when you are trying to hold the bike upright and the chain from swaying. Most chain break tools act as a chain press tool as well and that is where it adds real value as it holds the link flush while you press the one side over top of the two rivets (sorry for the bad description).

If you are having trouble pressing the link on evenly, you can take the old master link and drill out the two holes where the rivets used to protrude before you filed them off. This will fit over the new master link and allow the
rivets to protrude a bit without encountering with whatever you are using to squeeze the link on (eg, pliers, vice grips, teeth)

The next part can be a bit hit and miss (pun intended) as if you had a tool, it holds the link steady while you mash the rivets. You'll note that the original chain has four "sides" to the rivet where it was simply mashed over the sides to hold it flush.

As posters have mentioned, a center punch will do the trick, but it can be hard to hold the whole thing while all this going on. If you can, lay the bike down, get a block of wood as a surface, get someone to hold onto things and work away. You will likely mash the master link too tight or leave it too loose first go around. You'll be able to tell is it's too tight as it won't work as freely as the other links.

Eventually all is possible. No, pedal bikes chain breaks won"t work as the dimensions are not close enough. And remember, one doesn't really need an actually chain break as they are easy to get off, but the tool is pretty useful for the link press and rivet punch portion. All the best

Thanks for taking the time to reply guys.

I had already spoken to Pablo, before I ordered the kit, but turned out he had assumed that it would be a clip type chain when he said "no problem". He didn't have the tool, but surely would've improvised the same way.

I had ordered my chain the correct length (OEM), so cutting that was not necessary, and cutting the old chain was no problem. I was in a town nevertheless and a grinder was available. Old rivets had to be punched out with quite a bit of force even after their heads were completely ground.

Without a proper tool, pressing on the master link plate turned out to be harder than the riveting part. Pliers, vice grips, etc. could not exert sufficient force. I had a C clamp with a fidgety end (wood work type), and was worried that I'd bend the pins of the only link I had. Anyway, improvised and got it on with exactly the same spacing as the other links. A couple of small nuts between clamp and plate allowed the pins to stick out when pressed. Then, with a heavy hammer firmly held in place from behind, we punched the rivets with a hammer through an appropriately pointed bar to flare them. The rivets were quite strong although hollow type, but I had a helping hand and it's not necessary to mush them a whole lot anyway. All was done with chain wrapped on the old sprocket. My bike has a center stand.

The right tool, or any good clamp with flat steady ends would've made everything ten times easier. With such a clamp, one could also use a ball from an old bearing for more precise flaring. Ultimately, it was no brain surgery, and I think we did a good job with some luck.

The hardest part was stopping people who wanted to help from opening the sealed master link bag! They all wanted to show me that it "of course" contained a C-clip. I'm sure they'd also do me a favor and clean all that "junk" on the link, lol.

Yo, Patrick... I ride 'em like I stole 'em, 'now whaddam sayin'? LOL.

Well, ok, if I have to make up excuses...

I replaced the original front sprocket at 18000 miles with an aftermarket item, in Rosario, Argentina. The chain and rear sprocket, which also were originals, still looked fine and I wanted to see how far a chain could take me without any maintenance. At this point, I had adjusted my chain maybe twice since I bought the bike, and both times it barely needed it. You're right, I was neglecting it completely. <plug>What happens when you have Scottoiler... You forget you HAVE a chain. Brilliant stuff.</plug>

Anyway, this POS new front sprocket, probably with the help of the old chain, went downhill much faster than expected. You're right, I wasn't keeping an eye on it, and it lost whatever teeth it had on my last fully loaded wheelie, lol

So, I ended up using my original chain and rear sprocket for 24.500 miles, not ever touching it, riding like a twat, and torturing it on the crappiest roads of the continent that make Ruta 40 look silky smooth.

But please don't be mad. I truly appreciate your C/S sprocket tip and have taken it to heart

Cheers,

Sunny






LOS ANGELES TO BUENOS AIRES
A photographic expedition with unlimited legroom.

__________________

LOS ANGELES TO BUENOS AIRES
A photographic expedition with unlimited legroom.

Great to hear your having some fun.
Good luck with the rest of the ride.

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

I'm impressed too. I'm on a KLR. Kawasaki's sticker says the chain's life expectancy is 4000 to 28000 miles depending on yabadabadoo and we know what that usually means. My bike weighs 290 kgs loaded, not your average KLR tourer!

Click on the signature for the complete ride report and pics. Well, up to BA for now, hopefully will post the remainder soon. I'm on my way up from Ushuaia now and am clueless as to what's next.

Thanks again...

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LOS ANGELES TO BUENOS AIRES
A photographic expedition with unlimited legroom.