One of the messiest jobs involves getting the
new chain around the front drive sprocket. I've
done this numerous ways previously, and all
them got me up to my elbows in dirt and
grease. But if you use the old chain to pull the new one through and over the front sprocket, one can almost do this in a suit coat and tie.
Position the old chain so that the master link
falls somewhere in the top middle of the rear
sprocket. Remove the link clip and cover. You
can then either use the old master link or inset the new one. Leave off the clip and cover for now; you don't need it on for this.
Now keep tension on the new chain by
holding it and applying slight backwards pull
to keep it from falling off the open master link. Pull the old chain through and over the front sprocket until the new one emerges an easy distance from the engine, and then disconnect the old chain.
All that's left is attaching the new chain ends
together and installing the link cover and clip. Be sure the closed part of the clip faces in the direction of chain rotation.
You can do this even with most chain guards
on, but might want to remove it anyway to
easily check if alignment is correct after
adjusting for proper tension.
1. To swap a chain the easy way, the first step is to remove the master link. Shown in Figure 1
2. Attach the new chain to the old one using a new link. You don't need to put the clip or cover on for this; just keep some tension on the chain. Shown in Figure 2
3. Now pull the old chain to guide the new one over the front sprocket. Next, remove the old chain and attach both ends of the new one with the master link. Shown in Figure 3
Mike Brown is a contributing editor for Cycle Trader and Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader. He can be reached at CycleMarketing@TraderOnline.com.
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