Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Chain Question

I'm due for new sprockets and chain...master link or rivet link? I understand the better route here but I do not have a rivet tool for the chain. Does it really matter? I mean a master link is 5.99 and a the rivet tool is 45.00. Thanks

If you need to fix your chain on the side of the road during an extended trip, you still need the tool, even with a spare $5.99 master. If you intend to stay within pick up truck range of rescue, save the money. Then again, to repair the chain once your bike is home, you need the tool. It's Deja Vue all over again. No, you can use a abrasive cut off and a pin punch to repair the chain and insert another master, just not on the side of the road. Before I splurged and bought a cased chain repair kit, I just used a small bridge clamp to upset the pins on the riveted masterlinks, worked fine. Bridge_clamp

Chances are good that your chain will never break, go with the master link. If it does break, you needed to replace the whole thing anyway.

I have always run the clip type master link and still do. I have had 2 chains fail on me in my lifetime, both fixed along the road and spent the rest of the day riding.I carry a couple masters and a couple links.

Did they fail at the clip?

No, never had a clip link fail.Important to install the the right way though.

I actually ordered a new chain for my bike yesterday before I read this thread and will be using a master link again on it when it gets here. This will be chain #3 on this bike

If you got to repair broken chain on side of road don't you have to loosen rear wheel to get extra play in chain? Loosen tension etc, etc repair chain then realign wheel? Thanks

Depends on what you have and how tight the chain was to start. As long as you can get the ends of the chain on the rear sprocket in notches right next to each other you can slip the master link in with no attention to the rear wheel. That being said if the chain is loose enough to do that it may be loose enough to slap on other parts. In most cases re-adjusting the rear wheel would be , at least, a good idea if not needed. I have tools to do that with me.I carry an adjustable wrench and a pair of water pump pliers as part of my kit.