Replacing a Chain on the Cheap w/ Motion Pro Mini Tool

Alrighty...

You guys may have seen that I posted a thread about a week or two back in regards to the somewhat outrageous costs for chain tools... Well, the chain and sprockets are on the bike and I've got a very cost effective solution for those looking to save a buck.

You need to be able to do three things to change the chain... 1) Cut the old chain off 2) Press the new master link together and 3) Rivet it to secure it.

Rather than spend a hundred bucks on a chain tool, here's a way to do it for under $25.00.

Motion Pro sells a "Mini Chain Press" tool for around 15 bucks. Three metal plates, two of them with a cutout for the rivet master link and so on... It looks like this.



This tool is supposedly only able to press the chain on... But it turns out it's a little more useful than perhaps motion pro had intended...

To start out... A lot of you guys take a dremel and shave down the rivets prior to using a chain cutting tool to push the links apart. Why? If you've got a dremel, cut through the chain. You're throwing it away. What is the point of shaving it down?

Take a hacksaw and cut through the chain. It'll take about two minutes. If you don't have a hacksaw, you can buy one for 7-8 dollars at Lowes / Home Depot etc...

Replace your sprockets and thread the chain on. Here's where the Motion Pro Mini tool becomes a little more useful... There are two plates. The one in the middle has a section removed to accommodate the master link as it is pushed on. Remove that middle plate. The tool should now look something like this...



If you'll notice, the large screw in the center which pushes the master link together has a divet in the center of it. One way to rivet the chain is to use a ball bearing and a C-Clamp, rather than spending money on a tool designed for that single task. Although MP didn't necessarily intend for this to be the case, they've allowed this tool to perform the very same function. You'll notice that it fits in there quite nicely...



Take the tool and assemble it around the chain. Position the center screw hole over the rivet that you intend to... well.. rivet. I've found it is easier to hold the tool against the chain, put the bearing in, slide it around a little and THEN put the center screw into it... As we've only got two hands, it is the way to go for sure.



Here is what it'll look like when you've got the entire thing set up. This is a little enlarged so that you can see the detail... Center screw has the BB pressed into the rivet.




Next, use a *gasp* adjustable wrench to grab on to the tool while you tighten it down. I used a small pipe on the allen wrench to give myself a little more leverage. You'll need it.



Crank that motherfucker down... End result?



A beautiful rivet. Do the same for the other rivet.

In conclusion... I spent $8 bucks on a hacksaw, $14 on the tool, and $0.20 for the ball bearing. A steel BB would work as well. Lowes / Home Depot didn't carry the bearing, but I was able to find it at Ace Hardware.

If you're pinched for money, this is likely the way to go. Again, there's no point spending money on a chain cutting tool if you're just going to throw the chain away anyway. If you need it for other reasons, removing or adding links and so on... then so be. But for the average guy just looking to ditch his old chain and replace it with a new one, this works wonders. The rivets are damned pretty, too.

Nice!

much nicer alternitive to the 100$ rivet tool!

very smart!

looks like a clean pressed rivet too!

cool.. thanks for the pics, too.

sweet!

no cracking around the rivet and it looks perfect!

Thank you for the write up

I've had that tool for more than ten years.. they must have just started including that ball because mine doesn't have one.

Ironbutt said:

I've had that tool for more than ten years.. they must have just started including that ball because mine doesn't have one.

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I spent $8 bucks on a hacksaw, $14 on the tool, and $0.20 for the ball bearing

Appearantly it dont...

Ironbutt said:

OOOoooh, look at da purty pictures

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RTFP

Kestrel said:

A lot of you guys take a dremel and shave down the rivets prior to using a chain cutting tool to push the links apart. Why? If you've got a dremel, cut through the chain. You're throwing it away. What is the point of shaving it down?

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Can you give me a next time you see me? That never occurred to me...

Hooli said:

Can you give me a next time you see me? That never occurred to me...

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The point is to not break the tool.. What's a few more seconds to shave down the mushroom, if you have the time?

Ironbutt said:

The point is to not break the tool.. What's a few more seconds to shave down the mushroom, if you have the time?

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You missed the point that he missed

So let's say you've got a dremel or air powered cutoff tool - whatever. People use those tools to grind the end of the rivet off so that you can press it out with a chain tool.

Why?

Use the dremel / cutoff tool and just cut clean through the chain, and then pull it off. You're throwing the chain away. Why bother with taking your time to use a chain cutting tool? It creates a completely unnecessary step. If you need a chain tool to take chains on and off, add / subtract links, that sort of thing... So be it. In that case, it is justified. But if you're never going to cut a chain other than to replace it, what's the point of doing a clean job? Cut through the fucker and pull it off. A chain cutting tool is the middle man here. People dremel the mushroom off so that you can push it through easily, but again... If you have a cutting tool, just... cut the chain off. Don't waste time with shaving the rivet down. Let sparks fly and the cutoff tool will have you through that chain in under 20 seconds.

If you don't have a dremel or cutoff tool, spend 8 bucks and buy a hacksaw. Cut through the chain anyway. Takes just a minute or two to do so.

I posted an earlier thread in regards to the best chain tool for the buck. I didn't want to drop a hundred bucks on a motion pro / DID / RK chain tool that will be sparingly used. For under 25 bucks, you can score yourself a hacksaw, a motion pro mini tool (which will press & rivet the chain using a ball bearing) and the BB/bearing itself. Done.

Anyway,

You guys are quite welcome. You could arguably do the same thing with a C-Clamp and a ball bearing, but the plates on the motion pro mini tool has cutouts so that it stays in place and the pressure is more evenly distributed.

You're likely going to want a chain pressing tool anyway. The mini tool functions as a glorified and over-engineered c-clamp, allowing you to not only press the master link together, but also to rivet the link so that it stays put. For the budget conscious motorcyclist, this is likely the cheapest way to do the job if you don't have the tools on hand. I've read reports about the other Motion Pro tools snapping the handle, breaking the pins and so on...

With proper use, a chain breaking tool probably isn't going to break the pin... But I can't understand why somebody would spend extra money to make the task more complicated.

Saw + Chain = Chain removed... No tool required. In that case, all you've got to worry about is pressing the master link together and pushing out the rivets. As demonstrated above, it's cheap and not all that difficult to do. Can I justify spending a hundred bucks on a tool when I can do it for a fraction of the cost using an incredibly simple tool made of three plates of metal and a couple screws? Sure as hell can't.

Hopefully this will save a couple of you some time (In Hooli's case ) or a couple of bucks. Enjoy!

I don't know how people break the chain removing piece on some of these chain tools. I have the jumbo motion pro chain tool (removal, plate press and riveter) and I don't even bother grinding down the side of the pin,.. how people break that piece is beyond me. Then again I've never used any of the cheaper chain tools, so I'm sure it's possible.

I'm sure this is obvious to many, but popping out the pin is easier done on any link besides the master link.

most chill.

ballin' on a budget!

Ironbutt said:

The point is to not break the tool.. What's a few more seconds to shave down the mushroom, if you have the time?

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The point is that the chain is trash. Unless you are breaking the chain, and the chain is still good, you might as well just hack-saw it. Saves you all the trouble.

Nice hack. On a sort of unrelated topic:

Kestrel said:

Replace your sprockets and thread the chain on.

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I have yet to do a moto chain, but I've done many bicycle chains- and the idea is to replace the chain before it wears to the point where it causes sprockets to wear with it.

Do folks always replace the sprockets along with the chain on motos? If so, why?

rama said:

Do folks always replace the sprockets along with the chain on motos? If so, why?

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If it's economically feasible to do so, yes. Chains and sprockets usually wear together as a set. It's not the end of the world if you use a new chain with old sprockets, or vice-versa, but be advised the wear will be accelerated if this is done.

To add on, the sprockets are always going to wear down along with the chain. Friction is a bitch, but without it I suppose we'd be even more screwed The chain doesn't wear (the metal, that is) as much as it stretches and loses its internal lubrication. The sprockets do wear down over time, however... And there is a loss of metal.

Wear in the sprockets, and to a less degree the chain, is going to create looser tolerances in the chain and sprocket as a system. Loose tolerances will increase the rate of wear. Aluminum sprockets will wear much faster than their steel counterparts. If you use them, you will likely have to change sprockets before the chain is actually stretched and worn down. A good chain and a good set of steel sprockets wear are relatively the same rate. On something like the SV, it is common to expect 15-20k out of a good chain & steel sprocket combo.

If you haven't done it before, do it and save yourself some money. I had to buy the 32mm sprocket for the SV's crankshaft bolt (yours may vary), but aside from that, I already had most of the tools on hand... Aside from the tool & hacksaw. Entire process took me a lazy 2.5 hours of work time the first time around, simply due to becoming more familiar with the process. Next time around, I'd bet I could have the entire thing finished in about an hour and a half. Worth saving a hundred bucks versus paying somebody to install it? Absolutely.

thanks for the tip!!

Ok, another dumb question..........

Need to replace the chain the 10r

I assume that you can over do it when you "crank thatmotherfucker down" How do you know when it is not enough or too much?

its enough when the riveted tip is flared out to the diameter specified by the manufacturer. It is too much when the riveted tip cracks.
FYI the cycle gear chain tool is on sale for 29 I think.