[piercems3]

I am generally very meticulous with the maintenance of my motorcycles, and in particular my chain. I had inspected and lubricated the chain about 300 miles prior, but yesterday on my ride home from work the chain broke off and few into the ditch (taking my carbon fender and rear brake line with it).

Admittedly, I was riding a little aggressively, but I have never had a chain break on me before. I ordered new high quality chain, sprockets, and cush, along with new hardware. Anything else I should check while I am working on it? Is there something that could cause an otherwise ok looking chain (from the outside) to snap?

I bought the bike last fall and I don't know how long it had the aftermarket chain on, but the whole bike only has 3000 miles. They kept the stock sprockets it appears, and just added a gold chain (unless they came with the gold chain?)

Bike is a 2000 996.

 

[BurnR8]

YIKES! Unless you can find the chain you may never know, but it sure could have been an improper master link installation. I have beaten the daylights out of chains and never had one come apart....that said, I have snapped the occasional kevlar belt....

glad you, or anyone else, were not hurt when she came undone.

 

[davy.j]

Did the chain have a proper rivet joining link like the original had or a bicycle chain type clip link?

 

[duc96cr]

What’s wrong with a clip type, anyway ? If your wheel is in alignment and the clip is on correctly I’ve never seen an issue with them .

 

[Monster4Lee]

Got pics? How did it fail? It cannot just "blow off".

 

[duc96cr]

Rivet type master links, on the other hand, if not done correctly, are almost guaranteed to fail. I had one recently on which the pins cracked as I attempted to press them. Had I not noticed it would probably have failed. The cracked mushroom end was brittle and came off easily.

 

[duc96cr]

Those case guards sound better all the time, don’t they ? Sounds as if he dodged a bullet.

 

[piercems3]

Did the chain have a proper rivet joining link like the original had or a bicycle chain type clip link?

It did not have a circlip style master link, it was a rivet type. I have to admit I didn't inspect the link to see how well they had fastened the rivet.

Those case guards sound better all the time, don’t they ? Sounds as if he dodged a bullet.

I purchased the case guard today with the rest of the kit. It was on my "to do list" but I hadn't installed it yet. I got super lucky and it didn't damage the case at all. Just a scratch under the countershaft sprocket.

Got pics? How did it fail? It cannot just "blow off".

There isn't much to take a photo of. The chain is gone, the sprockets look fine. Trust me, when it snapped it went flying. I could feel a slap by my left boot and I looked in my side mirror just in time to watch it go flying out the back.

Luckily no one got hurt. I have never had such a thing happen to me, but I have top shelf components coming to make sure it never does again!

 

[Thumper580]

Just how I feel, but after 44 years of riding I've never thrown a clip style master link chain. I just don't feel confident in the rivet style... seems more likely it could be done "poorly"... I'm an old fart, I know.

 

[duc96cr]

D.I.D makes good master links if you’re going with the rivet type. I haven’t been comfortable with most of the other brands. I still prefer a clip, done correctly. I’ve never broken one or had one come loose on the street or dirt. Someone will have to explain to me why the rivet type is better in language I can understand. Use small words and pictures please.

 

[DaveK]

Mechanically a properly installed rivet type is more reliable (fewer components means fewer points of failure)... but you need to install it correctly and it needs to be made well. If the rivet cracks when you install it then the metal is way too hard - I'd not use that vendor again. Installing correctly means getting the side plate in the right location (not pressing it on too far but making sure it's not too loose either). You really need a caliper to do it right. Spreading the rivet is also important... but again not overdoing it (which will press the sideplate in and compress your o-rings). Once all that is right... the masterlink is as reliable as any other link (it's basically the same as any other link, which are also all riveted).

All that doesn't mean the clip type can't work... just that you've now got a little clip that is one additional thing that needs to be right to keep your chain on. IMO rivet types aren't THAT hard to install - and you don't have to be "perfect" to end up with a reliable chain - so I've always gone that route.

I've never had a problem with DID so that's pretty much the only vendor I use - chains are too important to cheap out on and there don't seem to be THAT many high end vendors - and of those DID seems to be the biggest (if online presence is any indication).

 

[davy.j]

The clip link is 10% weaker due to the side plate being thinner to accommodate the "fish clip" (from DiD, not me)
A properly riveted link will never come loose and there is no excuse for them being done "poorly".
Buy the proper tool and do it correctly.
Did make quality chains and master rivet links and I use them exclusively.
As far as installing the rivets, there is a measurement for the finished o/d of the mushroom which you measure with a digital caliper, I set mine at 0.219" dia on the DiD chains.

I followed a bloke with a "Poorly" fitted clip link years ago and nearly lost my face when it spat the chain out the back straight at my head.
Clip links are for bicycles.
I've only been riding and engineering for 52 years so I expect I still have heaps to learn.

 

[Rttoys]

I’m assuming you are on your 996 in your sig. you need to check the rear wheel bearings for looseness and see if the hub spacer if fried. You can’t use a rear stand for this, you’ll need to not have any pressure on the rear hub to check it. I jacked mine up and rest the rear sets on jack stands to mess with mine.

If it’s loose, it may have fatigued the chain and/or made it walk off, then break. Who knows to be honest. Kind of an oddity and my theory is a stretch, but worth a look.

Other than a master goof, it may have just been a flaw in that particular chain. I have seen many break in the race track, but that’s under extreme conditions.

Oh. And I use a did for my 996 that is track use only.

 

[DukeDesmo]

Only once had a chain break and it was a clip link chain and the link broke. Admittedly it broke because I had the chain too tight - KTM 500 motocrosser with a new chain, on which I hadn't left enough slack for the suspension travel so that after a few heavy landings the clip link simply broke off.

I never found any of the link it was just 'missing' and the chain was fine, a new link made it all good again but I don't think a riveted link would have given in like that did (who knows what else might have been damaged though?).

 

[duc96cr]

Ive never thrown a clip link on a bicycle either.

 

[duc96cr]

I was thinking about what davyj said about clip links being 10% weaker. I’m pretty sure the side plate thickness varies from brand to brand. So does the clip design. D.I.D. Rivet type master links mushroom properly, some other name brands do not. Many chain tools on the market, even pricier ones, are not very good and may not result in a good mushroom. All in all I think that I, not necessarily you, am better off with a properly installed clip type link. Make sure the clip is completely in the groove, and closed completely at the end, and I doubt you’ll have a problem. I always use a new clip if the old one is distorted in any way.

 

[davy.j]

Fit what you like but my chain will always be 10% stronger than yours and the master link will have no loose fitting clipped on parts.

 

[Namor]

Clip style doesn't matter. Both clip and rivet break. The 10% rule doesn't need to come to play w/out real data. The real data cannot be provided. No slight to you Davy.

Good to hear that you had boots on, as everyone always should, otherwise you would be dealing with a nasty injury.

I've tracked clip chains for 6 years + at the track. Never an issue. One chain outlasted two engines, and it was a medium grade unit.

 

[davy.j]

The data comes from DiD

 

[ELK]

Typically I see clips on dirt bikes; rivet, street. Is each type somehow better suited to these respective uses? Is it tradition?