Silent sprockets or not

[Wicky]

Just take the footpeg hanger off - remove swingarm nut (remember to torque it back up to spec) and and the chain will come off without need to break it. Installing pre revited chain is reverse.

To undo the sprocket apple a little heat to soften any loctite on threads and with the old chain on put a piece of wood between the wheel spokes and resting on top of swingarm to lock the transmission. Easy Peasy...

And even easier as VTR chain can be rivited off the bike using chain riviting tool as this DID video demonstrates.

[MacV2]

Remove the clutch lever before removing the sprocket cover and you wont have to bleed. As for the weight of the chain it comes down to whether you want something for race use so has less weight but is not as strong and does not have the longevity or whether you want something for street/touring use, more weight and more longevity. Whether silent sprockets make much difference or not is negligible especially if running loud cans.

For the front sprocket bolt you will need either a good breaker bar / torque wrench with long handle and have someone sit on the bike with the brakes applied, maybe put the bike in gear too though I'm not a fan of putting unnecessary stress on the gearbox or use a rattle gun. Use threadlock on the thread and don't over tighten it as you don't want to strip the threads when tightening back up.

The best thing about this job is being able to get in and clean all that crud out and having everything clean and shiny. I use Surfex HD along with a stiff brush. I cant recommend that stuff enough and it's eco-friendly. Don't unnecessarily use neat though...you can water down up to 90% water, a 60/40 or 70/30 mix should be quite sufficient for most uses.

Bilt Hamber Surfex HD

Consider fitting a Scotoiler too. They really increase the longevity of you chain and keep things lubed.

All your comments are really appreciated thank you.

Interesting that about taking off the clutch lever to avoid bleeding, i'll do that. How did you find that out? Also is it a left hand thread on the front sprocket bolt? Last year my engineer friend and me were trying to remove the harmonic balancer bolt on my 4wd and we were sure the picture in the manual showed a left hand thread; it wasn't. Our big bar and big hammer couldn't remove that bolt no matter how hard we tried. We did manage to make it really tight for the mechanic.

I have found a place in the UK that will supply the chain already cut to length, one kit they sell has a joining tool included. When removing the chain i have been reading that a lot of riders are taking to them with a grinder. Anyone grinding off?

Normal right hand thread...As Wicky said lock the rear wheel with a bar or a bit of wood. I use a long braeker bar on the nut, lever off at the top but snick into gear first 2nd or 3rd, I use a pry bar wrapped in a cloth to lock the wheel up. You want it on top of the swingarm when looseing the nut & under the swingarm when tightning...

As for splitting the chain to remove it, no worries with using a grinder but why bother you have to loosen off the foot rest to get the new one on so just take it off...

The only issue with this way of doing it is that you cant use an Abba stand or a padock stand as both will be in the way of taking off & refitting the chain...

So after I have loosend everything off I strap the bike to the rafters, remove padock stand, swap the chain, replace the padock stand, box it all back up.

[KatanaKid]

Right hand thread, got it thanks Mac. I guess it is easier to see once the cover is off than with the harmonic balancer on my car.

Great video Wicky. After watching that, 'Delboy's Garage, Motorcycle Chain and Sprocket Change' came up and I watched him swap a Triumph chain and sprockets. He made a comment that chains don't have the clip like they used to, that's what I remember, the old clip.

You've all been great thanks

[sirch345]

KatanaKid, are you going for a hollow rivet or solid rivet chain

Chris.

[KatanaKid]

Hi sirch,

Sorry for the late late reply, didn't see yours (still haven't changed the kit yet though). Looks like they are supplied with hollow rivet the one from UK. What's the difference? Which is better?

Cheers

[sirch345]

Hi sirch,

Sorry for the late late reply, didn't see yours (still haven't changed the kit yet though). Looks like they are supplied with hollow rivet the one from UK. What's the difference? Which is better?

Cheers

Funny you should bring that up, I was only talking to a local bike shop owner this week about this, apparently they are all hollow ended rivets now, so most likely no choice.

I didn't like the sound of hollow link pins, but I made the mistake of thinking the rivet pins were hollow all the way through. They are not, they are only hollow on the end of the link pins, the bit that get splayed out when riveted,

Chris.

[KatanaKid]

Tops, the thread lives on

Ahh yes that makes sense. Solid rivets would likely bend/snap/explode the cheap tool I'll be using. I have seen the Sealey riveter on wemoto and it is $65-70 AUD. There are sets on eBay that look identical to the Sealey for less than half that and I am thinking that there is potential here for the cheaper sets to be inferior. What do you reckon? Is the Sealey worth the extra? Or should i just say bugger it and go cheap?

Cheers

[sirch345]

I think buying a cheaper version riveting tool is false economy, although you my be lucky and get away with it if you only really need it for the one chain, the choice is yours

I'm not sure this will be of any use to you living in Australia, however I found this seller offering to rivet the chain together before dispatching if you ask on purchase:-

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Chain-Set-Ho ... SwmNxafIIN

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Chain-Set-Ho ... .l4275.c10

Chris.

[KatanaKid]

Yes, a bit of a lucky dip i guess.

Thanks for the links. I was emailing biketorque racing in UK and they supply a DID X ring with JT sprockets and riveting tool (single use from memory) for about $40 less than I get get here. If I'm nice he might rivet it for me. I seem to remember removing links last time I changed a chain, no need for that these days.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/D-I-D-JT-Ch ... Sw7rdadEQt

Cheers

[fulviogsx]

Yes, a bit of a lucky dip i guess.

Thanks for the links. I was emailing biketorque racing in UK and they supply a DID X ring with JT sprockets and riveting tool (single use from memory) for about $40 less than I get get here. If I'm nice he might rivet it for me. I seem to remember removing links last time I changed a chain, no need for that these days.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/D-I-D-JT-Ch ... Sw7rdadEQt

Cheers

yep the free tool come from the repacking of ognibene

[sirch345]

Yes, a bit of a lucky dip i guess.

Thanks for the links. I was emailing biketorque racing in UK and they supply a DID X ring with JT sprockets and riveting tool (single use from memory) for about $40 less than I get get here. If I'm nice he might rivet it for me. I seem to remember removing links last time I changed a chain, no need for that these days.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/D-I-D-JT-Ch ... Sw7rdadEQt

Cheers

That looks a better price for you
Rather odd how it can be $40 less from the UK good for you though,

Chris.

[KatanaKid]

Yes, it is odd that the item coming from our neighbour in Japan(pretty sure they are made in Japan) is cheaper when it is flown to the other side if the world, unpacked, packed up, and then flown back again...

[VTRDark]

Reminds me of that Guy Martin programme when he went to Shanghai and learnt that something exported from Scotland to England was cheaper to have it shipped to Shanghai and put on one of those huge container ships and have it shipped all the way back to England UK than to stick it on a lorry and drive down the few hundred miles. Now that's what I call insane becuase as soon as it gets to Southhampton and through customs it going to end up on a Lorry being distrubuted anyway.

[Wicky]

With my flange project I was quoted (in less than two hours) the cheapest price for getting them produced in China and flown to UK. Some local UK firms didn't even reply...

[sirch345]

With my flange project I was quoted (in less than two hours) the cheapest price for getting them produced in China and flown to UK. Some local UK firms didn't even reply...

How typical

Chris.