How To Change A Motorcycle Chain

How To Change A Motorcycle Chain – How to Change a Motorcycle Tire Every bike will need a new chain and sprockets. Once a motorcycle chain starts to wear, its tone changes and wears on the sprocket teeth. Here’s how…

Sooner or later, every bike will need a new chain and sprockets. Once the chain starts to wear, its pitch changes and wears the sprocket teeth. Then the chain begins to wear quickly. So it’s time for a new chain and a new pair of sprockets.

My bike’s rear wheel was misaligned (I used the wrong gauges on the swingarm – instead of a ruler against the sprocket – to set the wheel alignment) and I rode hard in the rough, salty winter. The rear sprocket was in rough shape and the chain made a lot of rattling noise as the bike went down the trail.

Heavy Duty Chain Breaker

Changing the chain is a simple job that requires a chain breaker/riveting tool and everything needed to remove the rear wheel and sprockets. It’s good to have a torch and torque wrench handy for this job.

The Terra-X smart device is made in Australia from tool steel and weighs only 150 grams. A large pipe screw threads into the two large holes and is used when pressing the outer plates onto the new main links. A small bolt with a pin can be screwed into the socket bolt and used to drive link pins in old chains or to cut the pins of new main links by pushing them through a threaded bolt in another hole in the metal body. That little screw with the round metal screws in the small hole of the chain breaker. It fits and closes the hole for the new main chain.

When replacing the chain, the first step is to loosen the bolts on the front sprocket. It’s best to loosen them while the chain is still on the bike, partly to avoid putting too much stress on the drivetrain and partly to avoid getting too deep into the work and getting the front sprocket bolts stuck. In this case, the smaller hex bolts need less heat to loosen.

After the bolts are loose, it’s time to disconnect the chain. With the Terra-X chain tool, remove the small screw and use the small screw with a pin to push one of the chain pins. No need to moan or curse.

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Next comes the pinion replacement. Six nuts on the rear sprocket, two bolts on the front sprocket, and that step is done. I had a torque wrench on hand so I could get the correct torque values when I put everything back together.

The next step is big: installing a master link that connects the ends of the new link. The master link comes in a bag with X-rings, master link, and sticky lube. Insert it into the pins and inside the X-links, then start connecting the main link around all the ends of the link, making sure to put the X-links in the right places.

Pressing the outer plate onto the main link is the hardest part of the job. I removed the stud bolt from the Terra-X tool and used a socket bolt to push the outer plate onto the main chain studs. It took a few tries, but I finally got it in the right place.

After the sprockets are on and the main chain is in place, the main chain pins must be driven. With the Terra-X, the nailer pushes the main nail into the steel ball of the bolt and fires the nail. It takes a lot of effort – mainly because it’s not easy to get a lot of power out of the gears when they’re under the motorcycle.

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Set the wheel to the proper chain tension, tighten everything to the correct specs, and get back on the road. The new chain is smooth, quiet and ready for thousands of kilometers of high speed driving. A motorcycle’s chain and sprockets are considered consumables by the manufacturer, meaning that those parts are expected to wear out and be replaced once or twice in the expected life of the machine. Add to this or any combination of neglect, overuse, poor maintenance and/or severe conditions and you will find that chain and sprocket replacement is necessary for your bike. Note that I said both chains

Feathers Like many moving parts that wear out over their lifetime, you should replace both at the same time to avoid causing an even shorter life for your new parts.

Replacing your motorcycle’s chain and sprockets is a simple task, but there are a few pitfalls to watch out for along the way. Here’s a quick photo tutorial at work to help you avoid these problems and get back on track quickly.

Here are the basic tools you’ll need to change your chain and sprockets. Highlights are full size breaker bar (third from right), breaker bar extension pipe (right), rear wheel stop block, washer countershaft pinion lock washer (left). only). hammer) and chain and rivet breaker (blue box). Equally important: proper factory torque specification for all nuts and bolts (page, top). Photo by Andrea Wilson

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1. After removing the countershaft cover, take a chisel and a mallet/hammer and bend the tabs on the lockwasher that holds the countershaft nut in place. Some lock washers have two tabs, so be sure to bend all the tabs back. And make sure they are folded back; if not, they will prevent the socket from seating fully on the countershaft nut, which can lead to a lot of tools being cursed and thrown in the shop. Photo by Andrea Wilson

2. Place a block of wood on the wheel so that the wood hits the swing arm and prevents the wheel from turning. Make sure the transmission is in neutral and nothing is stuck between the shaft and the shift arm. Carefully hold the socket/bar on the countershaft nut and use an extension cord to gain strength to break the nut. Do not remove the nut yet. Photo by Andrea Wilson

2a. An excellent tool that will loosen the most stubborn locknut is an electric impact wrench. There are many effective power cords on the market from $125 to $300 that will do the job. These are better than pneumatic impact wrenches because they do not depend on air pressure for their torque and there are no pipes to deal with. Photo by Andrea Wilson

3. To remove the old chain, use a chain breaker to push one of the pins of the chain (you can use a grinder or another method), keep in mind that if your chain is not stock and cut the main chain, you need to remove the ring and the main chain. It is best to do this on the rear sprocket so that it is stable while you work on removing the chain bolt. Remove the old chain, rear wheel, and both front and rear sprockets. Photo by Andrea Wilson

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4. Place the rear wheel sprocket facing up, making sure that the brake disc does not contact the ground; if so, place wooden blocks or tires underneath to prevent damage to the rear disc. Install the new sprocket and gently tighten the sprocket mounting nuts. Then use a torque wrench to tighten the nuts to factory specifications in a criss-cross pattern. Don’t make the mistake of collecting them “however”. Replace the countershaft pinion with a new one, install the lock washer and lightly tighten the countershaft nut. Photo by Andrea Wilson

5. Re-install the rear wheel on the bike and (unless you are a rider with specific needs) ensure that the axle adjusters are placed close to the front; this will give you the most room to adjust the slack as the chain wears. Run the new chain over the sprockets, pulling the chain to run over the sprocket. Don’t try to measure it otherwise. Where the chain meets the sprocket is where you will push the chain link. Photo by Andrea Wilson

6. After cutting the new chain to length (remember to measure twice and cut once), insert the main rivet chain, making sure that the O-rings are in the correct position (just inside the outer plates). We prefer rivet master links over the old circlip master links because high speed can cause the circlips to pop out (and, yes, this is despite glue, safety wire, silicone, etc.). Photo by Andrea Wilson

7. The tool for installing the main chain rivet will have a block that allows you to press properly on the chain plate and then the tool head used to drill the end of each chain of the main chain (note that the heads of the rivets)