Chain missing an O-ring.

[Nessism]

I don't have a grinder per se. But I do have a dremel (type) tool. I have a large assortment of bits but not sure what to use to attack a chain rivet head. Clues?

A dremel will work well. Use a stone or fiber reinforced cut off wheel and grind the head off.

[dorkburger]

Yep, spacer on the outside when doing the 530. I did mine last year.

[Gorminrider]

If you're going to buy the rivetting tool, you could also buy a single "master " link and replace the bad one...

[Rich82GS750TZ]

If you're going to buy the rivetting tool, you could also buy a single "master " link and replace the bad one...

That's a good thought too. But I believe the 630 chain on the bike is at the end of it's life, and it's my own fault. (things that go wrong with my bike typically are). While the kinks are not that bad yet, the chain does hop about at a few places as I look at it run in gear on the center stand. The more reading I do, I've come up with a theory. When I had the bike completely disassembled a few months back, I put the whole chain in a pan of kero and promptly forgot about it for a few days (at least) while I spent my days and nights prepping/painting the frame, scraping gaskets, rebuilding the top end of a donor engine, ordering parts, ignoring my family. I had every intention of cleaning the chain as soon as I took it off the bike, but.... I Have no idea exactly how long it was soaking in that pan of kerosene. I think I'm just now starting to see the orings go bye-bye. So. It's time to change.

[bwringer]

That chain needs to be replaced ASAP. When one o-ring goes, the others aren't far behind. At best that one link is going to wear out very prematurely. I mean, if you were 500 miles from home, you could certainly finish the trip, but I wouldn't leave the garage with a chain in that condition.

Personally, I'd move to a quality modern 530 x-ring chain and sprockets, which will probably be the last time you'll need to fool with them for many years, if ever; with only a little cleaning and lubing once in a while with that DuPont spray (it's great stuff), you will easily pass 30,000 more miles with no adjustments.

Modern x-ring chains are amazing feats of engineering, and it's rather senseless not to take advantage of 40 years of advancements in chain technology, metallurgy, and manufacturing.

But if you're 100% certain the sprockets have no detectable wear, then you could buy a new 630 o-ring chain and enjoy for however much longer it lasts.

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Thanks Brian. Yeah, I’ll be ordering the 530 xring and new sprockets that Ed recommended, and the breaker/riveter tool.

[Rich82GS750TZ]

While new sprockets and chain are in transit, figured I'd get ready for them.

Old 630 chain, lub-dubbing along.

Now I know why. There were lots of links at least this stiff:

[Rich82GS750TZ]

OK, I’m back with the final report. New 530 X-ring chain and new sprockets installed. All went well. erm.... mostly.

I found what I thought was the most thorough video tutorial for using the chain tool I bought. Happens to be from Delboy’s Garage. I know Andy of Andy’s Motorcycle Obsessions has no good words for Delboy, but anyway, here that is.

I forget to measure the head of the pins to be flared before I started flaring so I measured the pins of one of the removed links at 5.2mm. When I got the pins flared to where the flaring tool seemed to bottom out, I reached 5.475mm. I believe that should be more than adequate, but please someone tell me if it’s not. This is my first time doing this. Prior to flaring, I pressed the plate on exactly as far as the neighboring links. And after flaring, measured that as still good.





I’ll explain my “mostly” remark. From the chart above that gave me the 530 conversion numbers, rounding up to the next even whole number of links should have put me at 116, meaning I’d have to take 4 out of the 120 link chain I bought. Having practiced with the chain break tool on the removed 630 chain, I set to work on shortening the new 530 chain. And immediately started dremelling the wrong pin. Welp, 114 it is, I guess. 114 was doable, slack is set properly, but it definitely puts me at the tight end of the chain adjustment range. Chains stretch though, right.

So, hopefully the worst part of this is maybe the first time I change rear tires, I have to take the front sprocket off it’s shaft to give me enough slack to take the chain off the rear sprocket? We’ll see, I guess.

Chain came out of the package all greased up. Should I just run it like this, or clean all that off and re-lube it? Is kerosene still the best thing to clean a chain. I promise not to soak this chain in a pan of kero for days or weeks.

Time to go for a ride. Thanks all!

[GSXR7ED]

Nicely done, Rich!

I have a donated 630 chain from MrBill on my bike. We were attempting to do the 530 conversion when the forward sprocket would not budge. We didn’t have a air compressor to zap the sprocket nut off so MrBill gave me his old 630 chain which was in better shape than my original...the links were tight like you showed in the video.

I still need to do mine...but watching you quickly do yours makes it look so simple. We have a drum rear brake on our “T” so that did not hold as well as a disk. What/how did you get from sprocket off if not without an air gun?

Ed

****

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Nicely done, Rich!

I have a donated 630 chain from MrBill on my bike. We were attempting to do the 530 conversion when the forward sprocket would not budge. We didn’t have a air compressor to zap the sprocket nut off so MrBill gave me his old 630 chain which was in better shape than my original...the links were tight like you showed in the video.

I still need to do mine...but watching you quickly do yours makes it look so simple. We have a drum rear brake on our “T” so that did not hold as well as a disk. What/how did you get from sprocket off if not without an air gun?

Ed

****

Having just recently torn this engine down, (Remember, it's the donor I bought from Norm back in April) Both of the front sprockets on my blown up engine and the one on the donor came off with very little effort after hammering back the locking tab of the lock washer. They were both just barely snug. When I remounted the front sprocket after the rebuild and today, I put the bike on its wheels and had my wife stand on the brake pedal. Had no problem torqueing the big nut to 90 lb-ft (IIRC). Then peened over the lock washer tabs on 2 sides. Is 2 sides overkill? I don't know. But I can't think that it would hurt. Any Objections?

[Brendan W]

Then peened over the lock washer tabs on 2 sides. Is 2 sides overkill? I don't know. But I can't think that it would hurt. Any Objections?

To be sure to be sure

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Just went for a 2 hour ride and...Wow! I can’t describe the overall handling improvement from the new chain and sprockets. Just...Wow! The rear end is just so tight and smooth and sure-footed. Just...Wow!

[GSXR7ED]

Having just recently torn this engine down, (Remember, it's the donor I bought from Norm back in April) Both of the front sprockets on my blown up engine and the one on the donor came off with very little effort after hammering back the locking tab of the lock washer. They were both just barely snug. When I remounted the front sprocket after the rebuild and today, I put the bike on its wheels and had my wife stand on the brake pedal. Had no problem torqueing the big nut to 90 lb-ft (IIRC). Then peened over the lock washer tabs on 2 sides. Is 2 sides overkill? I don't know. But I can't think that it would hurt. Any Objections?

Oh yeah! Good ol Norm!

MrBill and I put a crowbar in the rear rim and still couldn’t get it to budge. That sprocket is definitely factory torqued.

Ed

****

[GSXR7ED]

Glad you feel the difference. My rides were always without glitches like you described.

Ed

****

[Brendan W]

Just went for a 2 hour ride and...Wow! I can’t describe the overall handling improvement from the new chain and sprockets. Just...Wow! The rear end is just so tight and smooth and sure-footed. Just...Wow!

I daresay there are more than a few things on mine that are sub-optimal to put it mildly. Gradual degradation is hard to detect until it's fixed