Master links

Are master chain links frowned upon?
The "manual" says to NOT use them.

 

Big frown, use a swadge type link. I decided that the DID tool was worth the price to do it at home. Some bikes can get away with an endless chain so it's already done for you.

 

There's nothing wrong with using a master link. Especially with the lower hp of the VFR. They got a bad rap for years because people didn't install them properly. I've run master links for years with out one failure. I've carried a spare in my tool kit for years and it's still unused. I just installed a new Tsubaki 530 o-ring Omega with master link. I sleep good at night also.

 

I have used them on my 6th gen for the past 3 years and never had a problem.

 

Get the RK chain tool. Mine came from Japan in a nice blue metal box, quality tool that will last ur life time. Clips we used to use on TZ race bikes and chit, heavier bikes we always staked the master.

 

Had to many loose clips for me in the 70s. takes a bit of work to install new engine cases I did a few for unlucky rollers. But you can roll them and see if your lucky or not.

 

Read this and draw your own conclusions. Chain Master Link Selection - 13x Forums

 

The best thing to run is an endless chain but if you must use a master link chain use only the rivet style.
Clip link is kept in your tool kit only for emergencies.

 

What a bunch of hooooeeey!!! There is NOTHING wrong with a 530 chain with a master link.
I have been riding bikes since 1968 until 2010 all with chains and master links. Except ONE motorcycle I had was a driveshaft style.
i did not like the driveshaft weight of 60 lbs. !!!! Got rid of it.

Of coarse you have to put the master link on facing the right direction and installed right. Is that too hard??? Cheeeeesssshhhh!!!
Wake up people.

BTW way i see broken rubber drive belts from motorcycles on the freeway all the time. No chains.
And I know it had to get towed home to remove the swing arm to replace that belt.

Also if a chain did break (highly unlikely) once in a lifetime deal, almost every town in America has #530 chains available. They are everywhere. If you want to SPEND money then buy the fancy O ring chain and the fancy expensive tools. That is if you have extra money and you just want to spend more money.
Or just buy a regular chain and have $150.00 in your pocket to spend. Those rich men just love you giving them all YOUR money.


Whats next??? Extreme chains? Smart chains, E chains, GREEN chains??? cheeeesssshhhh!!!
Spend spend spend on stupid stuff. "But so and so has that on HIS bike"

 

so whats the verdict ? good or bad?

 

I think it's a toss up. If your racing a big hp bike then a staked chain would be the way to go for the simple fact of one less thing to possibly go wrong. I'm just picking a number here, for street bikes under 100hp a clip will be just as good. Like I said before you have to know how to install them properly. PLUS use a good quality clip! There are junk clip master links out there. That could be were some of the failures are coming from along with not really knowing how they are installed. If a clip type is that bad, then why do chain companies like Tsubaki, RK, DID etc include them with a lot of their chains for street bikes? My Omega came with one. Which is what I wanted. Plus having the ease of removing chain without taking swing arm off if it's still good and will be used again. All the clip type I have used the side plate still needs to be pressed on.

I guess it's personal preference and fear factor. What ever floats your boat. I've been riding since 1975 and have never had one come apart. That's just my experience and 2 cents.

 

There are never absolutes here. This thread will go on for eternity. When something becomes a personal choice type question, then getting a definitive answer is more like herding cats, it will never end until people just get wore out by it and move on. If you really want an answer, the best course of action is to email this question to the technical departments of DID, EK, RK, and Regina and see what they come back with, take each one of their answers, mull over each one, then do what you think is best. Around here, cheaper and easier always seems to win out over accepted practices.

 

Chains are like guitar strings.

There is only a hand full of companies that actually make roller chain but hundreds of companies that sell the chain. (Different brands)
Guitar strings -same thing, about 3 manufacturers of the wire in the USA, but over a hundred choices of guitar strings .

Diamond Chain was one of the first and best chain making companies in the USA. If you want a good chain get a Diamond chain.

In the industrial world # 530 chain is used for all kinds of drive systems but they call it #50 chain, Same as #530 .

The master link does have to have the outside plate pressed or tapped on to make sure that the clip gets all the way down in the GROOVE.
But you CAN put it on without fancy tools. Just use channel locks or a small tube and a small hammer.
They did not use to have special tools to do that until the last 7 years or so.
And the clip has to be facing the right direction.
The closed end of the clip HAS TO BE facing forward when looking at the portion of chain on the top of the sprockets.

They made "O" ring chains because people did not like oil coming off of the chain and getting everywhere, BUT that is not a problem any more with modern
motorcycle chain lubes. The lubricant gets sprayed on and penetrates into the rollers and then within a short time (overnight) it coagulates (thickens) so the lube will not fly off the chain.

Out in the desert chains would sometimes come off from getting loose or the master link clip
was facing the wrong way and some shrubs would knock the clip off.
Very rare though.
The great thing though was if your chain came off , you could walk back get your chain take your
master link out of your pocket and ride home. Only happened to me once in all the years I was growing up.
We did not have modern chain lubes back then ( 1969) so we would take extra thick oil and STP oil treatment and put the chain in that
in a pan and heat up it up on the stove until hot. Then let the chain cool off and the next morning wipe it off and install it.
Do that once every couple of months.

Now we have all of these great modern chain lubes. But you have to follow the directions and let the lube dry overnight before riding.

 

"If your racing a big hp bike then a staked chain would be the way to go"

Well there have been BIG HP bikes around since at least 1960 even with double engine drag racing H-D's and they did not have staked chains.
Just master clips.

 

I bought this tool, worked good for me:
Chain Breaker Riveting Tool Kit Drive Cam Rivet 520 530: eBay Motors (item 160433808683 end time Jun-10-10 13:54:00 PDT)

 

Good price!!!

I have used this style which I bought when I was 16 years old and I am still using it 40 years later!

 

I have a lot of years and miles on street bikes, and I have never had a problem with a clip-style master link. Some people have, for whatever reason, so it will come down to what you are personally comfortable with.

I finally bought a riveting tool when chains stopped coming with a clip-style master link (only the rivet-style). I live out in the sticks, and found out the hard way that my brand new expensive X-ring chain did not have a clip-style link. I drove back to town and had to pay about seven dollars more for a clip-style link. That annoyed me so much I just bought the tool to save the hassle and time in the future.

And I have heard that some people use a dab of silicone adhesive on the clip (after it is installed) just to be on the safe side.

 

Yes..... Why take something simple and inexpensive and f%&%#^ it up. A simple roller chain with masterlink. End of story.
Do you want a chain to start costing 2 OR 3 hundred dollars????? NO- So why buy complicated unnecessary things.
Just because it says EXTREME or something on the box ???
Because it has a ROCKSTAR energy drink logo on it! HAhahhahahh

 

Yes, corporations never lie to us, EXTREME is teh betters.

 

It depends on the application. I think riveting the chain on (even though it costs more) adds a lot of reassurance and piece of mind. Cracking a hole in the engine is not a fun, cheap, or safe, experience.