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Sorry, couldn't resist

I bought this chain riveter a while ago, and only used it once when the chain on my Honda Bros snapped. Given my recent chain exploits, I'm thinking of putting a new chain on the Falco (it's got 12000 miles on it anyway, and I haven't treated it that well). Does anyone have any decent experience using these, as opposed to the fancy chain breaker/riveter kits? As I say, I've only used it once, and wasn't 100% convinced by it - using a hammer to knock the pin to flatten off the rivets seems to have disaster potential written all over it, especially given the Falco has a bit more torque than a 650

Thanks

Sorry - this is not going to help you much

I bought one - a slightly different style to yours - but I guess they work much the same.
I used it to break and re-join the chain when I swapped to the Mille swinger.

TBH, I was not 100% sure that I'd got it joined right - It just seems very hard to tell. Anyway, gave the link a bit of a lever to see if it would all fall apart - it didn't. I've kept an eye on it ever since and it doesn't seem to have moved (other than round the sprockets).
So far, so good.

Agree with D-Rider.

The only way to tell is if the "squashed" end of the rivet is roughly the same size as the other pins on the chain. I snapped the handle off my Motrax chain tool but the second one stood up to the job.

It must be several 100% better than just a hammer and punch.

Thanks guys - hopefully get the chain re-aligned tonight, then might nip to Demon Tweeks at the weekend (didn't know they were only in Wrexham!) and pick up a new chain & sprockets (and some sort of chain alignment aid). Then gotta decide whether to fit the 15t front...

Firestarter wrote: Then gotta decide whether to fit the 15t front...

Well that's an easy one

Fitted the new chain - got an Afam one from Demon Tweeks. Removed the old chain with a combination of angle grinder and a screw-driver to lever off the plate, and fitted the new chain with the Whale tool. But wasn't very happy with it - the master link was a hollow rivet (rather than solid rivets with a soft head) - as the Whale tool has a v-groove cut into it, it was sort of flattening the rivet out, but I think it was filling in the hollow part as well, and only putting a lip on the rivet that wasn't going all the way to the plate (kind of a mushroom effect, with the lip of the mushroom not reaching the side plate). Thanks to PaddyZ1 for the second opinion (good timing at riding past his place yesterday )

So, got a proper rivet/breaker tool (Motrax, I think), which has a ball-bearing to press into the hollow rivet - worked a treat. Not cheap, but worth it for my own peace of mind. Looking at the pre-made rivets on the chain, they would seem to match the Whale tool groove

So, my suggestion - use the Whale tool for solid rivets, but use something else for the hollow ones (centre punch followed by ball hammer, or a rivet tool)

Oh, and the new chain seems to have fixed my "misfire" problem, which on retrospect seems to have been caused by the tight spot continually upsetting the swingarm position. Got a lot worse after I, ahem, "adjusted" the chain but didn't notice that it either slapped the swing-arm, or was drum-tight

Must remember - check chain before going off half-cocked thinking about spark plugs & leads, filters, throttle body sync etc

Well, I'd have never suspected a chain to be the culprit !

Have to check mine over as mine's backfiring too (not as bad as it was before I changed the PCIII map to a Tuono one though)

Discovered a tight spot when the cibber was on a dyno once. Gave some most peculiar readings.

Firestarter wrote:Oh, and the new chain seems to have fixed my "misfire" problem, which on retrospect seems to have been caused by the tight spot continually upsetting the swingarm position. Got a lot worse after I, ahem, "adjusted" the chain but didn't notice that it either slapped the swing-arm, or was drum-tight

Must remember - check chain before going off half-cocked thinking about spark plugs & leads, filters, throttle body sync etc

I'm sorry but can someone explain..... Tight spots = misfire

I think it's the biking equivalent of alternative medicine

The chain was so tight (and I hadn't noticed it ), it was actually causing the bike to lurch as it rotated, causing me to think it was misfiring - started off mild, but got a lot worse when I mis-adjusted the chain

Firestarter wrote:The chain was so tight (and I hadn't noticed it ), it was actually causing the bike to lurch as it rotated, causing me to think it was misfiring - started off mild, but got a lot worse when I mis-adjusted the chain

Had exactly that coming all the way back from Monza. Imagining all sorts of expensive problems, turned out to be a knackered chain with a big tight spot.