Ok guys, I've searched to find an answer but couldn't come up with anything. I went to take the factory chain off today to put a new one on and couldn't find a master link anywhere, so I got my grinder and got it off. Thought that was a bit odd but ehh, oh well. So I go to put the new one on with the new master link and after about 30 minutes of straight confusion I finally realize that I have a "rivet master link" that came with the chain. I have more experience with older bikes and I have never seen that type of link before. After more searching I found out that the tool to put the link on is quite pricey. Also come to find out.....apparently "clip master links" are not recommended on our bikes, ok I can understand that. Well, my question is....does anybody have a cheaper solution to put this new master link on? Maybe a diff type or something or a cheaper tool? Or even an extra one someone wants to sell? I know I probably could've made this post a lot shorter but I wante to be detailed lol

Here is what I use http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/partno/08-0470/. It's a press, break, rivet tool all in one. Works good. Anything worth even owning is going to cost ya. If you search around you can prob find one for a decent price. Don't buy shit, it's a tool you can't skimp on. There might be others just as good or better out there for less.

1. I want to push my plate so far before I press the o-rings too much. So I want a cheap tool to read the spread or the squeezing down there of is that one plate and its distance pushed onto the pins.

2. See the photos of the pro tool? See the ball end adapter? After you get the plate distance figure out you don't bind that one link meaning, you now spread the pin's end out so far.

3. This is where the same vernier caliper is used again to match the wide squeezed or the mushroom end of the pressed out pin. The instructions say it should be this wide a mushroom and stop. Spread that pin end any farther, she starts to crack and chip off. So there is a spread of the pin head and stop. There is a distance down the pins with the link and stop.

Power to the pin squeeze. Master link clips pop off due to the power output. Ask me how I know?

Thanks guys. When I first searched for the tool, all the prices I found were around $180.00. I'm ok with spending around $90.00 so I think I'm going to order it. Hub, I take it that you used the clip type and had a little mishap? Thanks again ya'll

YW. Yes, someone put me on the front row with a Triumph twin I was running at the time and all these Z1's are behind me. Flag drops, I pop a link and throw a chain. The field from the back has all this speed coming up where I'm stopped on the grid. One guy on a Z flies by me and takes out a buckle to my boot. If you ever saw Mr. Daytona or 5 time, I call him, how he was collected when he stalled or whatever happen to his mount at Daytona. That incident retired his ass. I walked away with a boot bill. Not a chain reaction you want to experience.

Not a story I wanted to hear. I'm currently, but temperaily, running a clip type master cause it was all I could get right away in town after I accidently cut off one link too many on my new chain.

Well Hub, glad it wasn't worse. Makes you want to change that link even faster now, huh cornelius.

Cool bike, do you still have it? And I called up a friend at the local shop and he's going to let me borrow it. I'll just save a little on the side then buy it.

Sadly no. It's a backdoor gray market bike they had to take back. Had Triumph sponsor me on it on the QT: before they went belly up. Told the reporter I won with the top end going up and down. Someone said it makes more HP with the head steady bar removed. The reporter said I was so far ahead it wasn't a story. Best handling bike I ever rode.

After more searching I found out that the tool to put the link on is quite pricey. Also come to find out.....apparently "clip master links" are not recommended on our bikes, ok I can understand that.

You won't find a clip masterlink on anything but a dirtbike. Not safe enough for a road bike. There was one company (EK, i think) that was making a masterlink with screw knobs on the ends of the pins in the master link. you just unscrew the knobs ans pull the outer plates apart with the pins which are secured to one plate. NOt safe enough for extended use---just a risk factor to worry about. I wouldn't use one of those unless it was a dedicated race bike that I intend to remove the chain very often on.

I never used a cheaper chain tool but I have heard of them breaking. riveting takes a lot of force. I spent about $180 on mine. Pretty hard to justify for how often you change a chain but it will all start to pan out the second time you use the tool.

For a bigger stronger chain tool, you will need to fork over 100, at least. Never used the DID cutting and rivetting tool but it looks like it's strong enough. Compare the $100 DID KM501 to the $200 updated 500. The 500 is stronger. ..so IDK what that is telling us....the older one breaks??? IDK? Either one will be stronger than one of those motion Pros which are not really designed for a 530 pitch chain.

The Motion Pr Jumbo chain tool is just $118. Looks like a copy ofthe one I bought. I'd try that.

Check out the three tools I mentioned here on this page.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/3008/d/dirt-bike-chain-tools

chain/sprocket replacement how-to

https://zx14ninjaforum.com/messages.cfm?threadid=EB2E6BDC-D56B-84E2-1D17B62DAE7BB066

* Last updated by: Rook on 4/7/2014 @ 1:10 PM *

I still used the grinder on the pins before I broke it. It's just easier and quicker to do it that way.

I bought this one... heavy duty!

I've used it once so far and I'm very satisfied. If the replacement master is quad staked instead of center ball you need to purchase the quad anvil separately... ~$10.

Like Cara said, grind the heads on the old chain first. It's a big help.

* Last updated by: hagrid on 4/7/2014 @ 3:06 PM *

Was that flat track racing hub? Maybe not by the looks of the back tire? Good info guys. Rook you're always very thorough and helps alot. I ended up grinding the pins to get the old one off. Thanks Hagrid.

Negative, BusaK. This is pre Goop days. 3-M yellow weatherstrip glue kept the m-link from popping off. This was Laguna AMA roadrace national. 5th in class. Gray market T-140 w/dual discs. Zero miles, brand new and now strip it to run without a battery. Rewire the bike Old Style using the Lucas capacitor. I've never seen another 750 like this. So you bet I wish I still had this puppy.

That is cool hub. I may be younger but I'm into the older bikes. I only have a couple but would like to add to my collection. So that would be a real "cafe racer"? Or am i wrong about that as well? lol

Put lights on it and it would pass as a cafe racer. Ported, balanced, cams degreed, dyno'd, hi comp pistons. Gotta run race gas or detonate the engine with anything less, maybe? After that national we took it to a 4-hour endurance, ran out of race gas, thought pump gas would work? I don't know how my co-rider was treating that bike out there, but between the club shakedowns, the National, the enduro hours spent, add that altogether, I should have torn it down [before the 4-hr] to freshen up the rod inserts and to check things in general. The cranks would flex and take out the bottom end. I had a backdoor warranty claim crank that was damaged. That's what I was told about the cranks. If I were to take out a crank, I'd have this as a spare after I had it checked for cracks, weld it back up and throw a clearance finish on it. After that seized bike came in, the sponsor retired the bike. I never asked where it went? I was onto my next race bike.

I still used the grinder on the pins before I broke it. It's just easier and quicker to do it that way.

i can't imagine trying to push those pins out without grinding the heads. Even that requires a LOT of force.

No telling where it is now hub. Maybe it's been recycled and it's a part of your 14 somehow lol Yea rook, I grinded the pins flush with the link and broke 2 screw drivers before grinding the pins down way more and then finally getting it off.

You can't really reuse the side plate so grind until you're grinding into the plate and pins are flush. They slip out right out. Been there done that. Lol

just my luck. So I borrow the tool and get the new link pressed on and of course when I try to "mushroom" the pins, both of the rivet parts are missing so I still have not finished installing the link. I guess I'll have to quit being cheap and buy the damn tool. lol

bummer.

Yea but a coworker actually had one the whole time and he brought it in today to let me borrow it. It's a D.I.D. tool and it doesn't have the instructions so I was looking online and printed some up. They said to only use it on D.I.D. chains but I'm sure that's just for advertisement. I guess we shall see!!

What DOES suck though is......I finally got the mrs's to start riding a few times and she wanted to go riding this weekend while we look at houses. Well of course it pisses me off because I may not have time to finish it now because of the whole tool situation.

Better not to rush it. You have all summer. Serious house hunting is better done in the cage anyway.

Yeah, I'm sure that tool will work on a EK or a DID or any other chain. There might be a slight difference in the inside diameter of the pins in the master link but you'd think that would be fairly standard....Never heard a single comment to the effect that one needs to procure a tool of special design to rivet pins of a like design.