Author Topic: Recommended chain rivetter  (Read 930 times)

Offline andy120t

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Recommended chain rivetter
« on: April 23, 2018, 08:32:05 PM »
Hi, does anyone know / use a chain riveter they can recommend?.....at a reasonable price. So certainly sub £50.

Initially it's for the drive chain on a Kawasaki Zx6, so a fairly beefy chain. But I also want something that will last forever and for all bikes.

Wemoto tell me that they don't do a split link anymore which is a real pain.

Also, any other ways that you've all used to fit chain rivets would be interesting to hear.
Thanks!


andy120t

CB550f/k
Zephyr 550
ZX6R G1
GSXR 7/11 - I need to sell it
Triumph 5TA - and this..

Offline Trigger

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Re: Recommended chain rivetter
« Reply #1 on: April 23, 2018, 09:31:48 PM »
They all break in the end, maybe it will last 10 times or 100.
Whale CBT480R pro is a very good make but, a rivet tool for 520,525, 530 and 532 comes in around £116 plus. You still will break the pins but, at least you can get spares for a Whale.
You pay for what you get and at over £100 you will have to do a lot of chains. I have had cheaper ones that you can pick up for under £20 that have lasted 10 rivets and I have had a Oxford one £50 that only lasted 17 rivets.
« Last Edit: April 23, 2018, 09:53:26 PM by Trigger »

Offline Green1

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Re: Recommended chain rivetter
« Reply #2 on: April 23, 2018, 09:47:03 PM »
I buy cheap and either break the pins after a couple of chains or lose the tool forever.
I'm the same with impact drivers I'm beginning to think someone keeps helping there selves to tools in my garage as stuff just disappears.
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Offline Trigger

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Re: Recommended chain rivetter
« Reply #3 on: April 23, 2018, 10:05:33 PM »
Just had a look in my trade book and it is listing a ZX6 as a 520 which you can still get a spilt link for. Different ZX6 have different size chains so, it depends on what model yours is ?

Offline Green1

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Re: Recommended chain rivetter
« Reply #4 on: April 23, 2018, 10:09:37 PM »
Would you trust a split link in a bike that big?
Saying that I did buy a bike and ride it 2 hours home to find the link wasn't clipped together properly.
Current bikes
Honda CB750k1 Valley Green Metallic
Honda CB750k1 Candy Gold
Honda CB550k Candy Jade Green
Honda CG125
Aprilia Pegaso 650
Moto guzzi 1200 sport
Kawasaki EX650R (Mine until dave pays for it)
Kawasaki ZXR400 J

Offline Trigger

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Re: Recommended chain rivetter
« Reply #5 on: April 23, 2018, 10:20:55 PM »
Would you trust a split link in a bike that big?
Saying that I did buy a bike and ride it 2 hours home to find the link wasn't clipped together properly.

Drag racers used them years ago  ;)

Offline K2-K6

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Re: Recommended chain rivetter
« Reply #6 on: April 23, 2018, 10:31:51 PM »
The loading (shear plane) of the plates is the same,  it's just if they are held in place by a fish plate or peened ends of rivets. If chain is big enough for the loading it shouldn't matter.

I usually set them and peen with a hammer by hand for the soft link type.

Offline Trigger

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Re: Recommended chain rivetter
« Reply #7 on: April 23, 2018, 10:40:42 PM »
One that bugs me is, they recon that a X ring chain is better than a O ring chain so, why is it that the king link on a X ring chain come with O rings to be fitted and not X rings ?

Offline Green1

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Re: Recommended chain rivetter
« Reply #8 on: April 23, 2018, 10:48:22 PM »
Makes sense chain brakeage is the least of my worries with my Pegaso as there known to spit the front sprocket off the shaft as there only held on with a circlip

I have always used the tool to peen them and never had any issues

Never noticed that with X & O ring chains
Current bikes
Honda CB750k1 Valley Green Metallic
Honda CB750k1 Candy Gold
Honda CB550k Candy Jade Green
Honda CG125
Aprilia Pegaso 650
Moto guzzi 1200 sport
Kawasaki EX650R (Mine until dave pays for it)
Kawasaki ZXR400 J

Offline UK Pete

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Re: Recommended chain rivetter
« Reply #9 on: April 24, 2018, 06:56:46 AM »
Cheap ones  are shite the metals way too soft

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Offline Tomb

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Re: Recommended chain rivetter
« Reply #10 on: April 24, 2018, 01:06:56 PM »
Drag racers used them years ago  ;)

Drag racers use them now, we run in Funny Bike class doing 7.1 second quarters at 184mph. All the lads in FB use them, we use outrigger bearings and extended drive shafts/sprockets so have to use split links to change engines fast.

For road bikes I simply angle grind the rivet link to remove it, and two hammers, one of them a small ball pein to rivet the new soft links. For camchains I copied the local Yamaha dealers splitter/riveter.
Tom
'73 CB550 with CB500 engine café racer
'62 CB77 Sprinter
'70 CD175
'78 CB550 with sidecar
'80 Z50R
And a load of old Yamaha 1100's

Offline matthewmosse

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Re: Recommended chain rivetter
« Reply #11 on: April 24, 2018, 05:00:01 PM »
Another vote for angle grinding the heads off and knocking pin through with a pin punch and 're riveting with a ball pein hammer from me, I prefer split links if available. Soft links and a hammer work just fine, just check the joint is not stiff and don't go over the top with hammering the soft link. I imagine it would be easy to overdo hammering one closed and either ruin the link or make it really stiff.
Got a 500/4 with rust and a sidecar and loadsa bits. nice and original and been round the clock

Offline andy120t

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Re: Recommended chain rivetter
« Reply #12 on: April 28, 2018, 07:41:50 AM »
O hadn't of looking elsewhere for a splitlink., .just assumed when Wemoto said there wasn't one that I would have to use the other type. My preference is a split link so I'll try and match up one on ebay.....should have looked there to start with. Thanks all!
andy120t

CB550f/k
Zephyr 550
ZX6R G1
GSXR 7/11 - I need to sell it
Triumph 5TA - and this..

Offline andy120t

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Re: Recommended chain rivetter
« Reply #13 on: May 31, 2018, 03:45:02 PM »
Thanks for all the replies. In the end I decided to just replace the chain with one with a split-link which I know I can fit myself. Feeble really, but it seemed the easiest route to go as I was slightly concerned about fitting the other typpe...so I was back on the road the next day!
andy120t

CB550f/k
Zephyr 550
ZX6R G1
GSXR 7/11 - I need to sell it
Triumph 5TA - and this..

 

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