No master link / Clutch fluid leak

on my 86 vf500 I cannot find a master link. I called a dealership and they said it should have one. I was just wanting to take it off for inspection and cleaning. by soaking it in a cleaner over night then take a brush to the rust. The chain says something like DI 50v. Thats missing some letters and numbers but the 50v is on it. The guy at honda also said a new chain can be from 100-130 bucks.

Also im leaking clutch fluid somewhere behind the slave cylinder. Is it common for the piston seal to go out? And what should I look for if I take the slave cylinder off to look for the leak?

 

Don't buy it from the dealer, go online. check E- bay dime a dozen.

 

I dunno about your year/model but on my 1998 the slave cylinder gasket is easy to replace. It's just a paper one with some rtv.


You have an endless chain on your bike. Comes from the factory like that. There's no "specific model" that you MUST have for chains. All you need is the right length of links, pitch (530 etc), and choose whether you want o-rings or not. You will need a special tool to cut and rivet pins on the chain. You can use a grinder to cut the old chain off(since it's rusted, I'd pitch it) but on a new chain, if you need to cut it to the right length the grinder won't cut it unless you've got swiss watch maker hands. Search the site for chain rivet tool reviews.

 

Not all brand master links of the same size will fit...master links are not necessarily interchangable. It's best to find the RIGHT one. Throwing a chain will wreck your bike and could be painful to your body as well.

The paper gasket has nothing to do with the leak. If it's leaking brake fluid, it's either the piston seal or the pushrod seal in the slave cylinder. They're not hard to replace but sometimes bleeding the system can be a bit frustrating...sometimes it goes fine. Search the forums as I think there's some good threads on this. Are you sure it's not engine oil? If it is you need to replace the engine clutch pushrod seal.

 

I guess ill just cut off the chain and find one that fits with a master link in it. What is the advantage of having a chain with o-rings or not? Im just going to throw away the old chain since it has some rust on it.

 

Any aftermarket chain will come with a master link. You will need special tools to assemble it though. O-rings chains use rubber rings around the pins to seal in lubricants. They supposedly last longer and require less frequent maintenance intervals.

Other members will have suggestions for what's best for your application. Squirrelman and sebspeed are pretty well versed in the older bikes but not me.