Anyone come across these before? Looks like you just tighten up the nut and it crushes the copper part to head the rivet.
I recall seeing it a few years ago. No idea if it was the same company as your link, or or one of the others.
Just get one of these
I suppose there is less that can go wrong with a screw-type link, as with rivets you need to get just right so they seal but are not too tight. Although for that reason you may as well just use a clip link. Do not buy the argument of not needing a tool though, as you would still want one to break the old chain.
The screw-type has been around a while, so I guess it must be safe if they are still selling them. And it is probably patent which stops other manufacturers making them.
Not sure I would want copper securing a steel chain. Copper is very soft and becomes brittle when subjected to stress (work hardening).
“Must not be used for any other type of chain” Which means that you’re shelling out something north of £130 for a chain and soft rivet link! Spend that £130 more wisely and you could have yourself a DID VX series X ring chain complete with soft rivet link plus JT front and rear sprockets plus a chain riveting tool and enough change for two full tanks of go go juice.
Working through the Enumahaha hype it doesn’t make the job of fitting a drive chain any quicker, any easier or any less expensive. Removing the rear wheel and swing arm is not necessary to fit a drive chain. Yes you will have to riveting the chain using a special tool but interestingly chain riveting tools can be had for less than the price of a rivet.
@Michael I’d guess it would still be possible to overtighten the nuts and over flair the rivet head and seize the link with these Enumahaha screw type links, that is if the threads don’t strip first which would result in a complete fail. If you ever dreamt of fitting a split link to a motorcycle chain you should wake up and apologise. Since leaving the trade I’ve always used a £5 (now £10) fleabay rivet tool. I only use the tool to press fit the outer link plate and flair the soft link rivets, five chains on and it shows no signs of wear. For removing the old chain my go to tool is a junior hacksaw which takes two minutes to cut through a link plate.
@Kevsta I wonder how easy it would be to strip those copper threads?
1 Like
@National_Treasure I suppose it would totally depend on the actual alloy of copper used, but given how easy it is to strip steel threads I go with far to easy.
@Kevsta I read the fitting instructions
Which give the instruction to tighten the nuts completely until they don’t move any more and in the small print at the bottom of the sheet comes the caution that excess load may break the groove of the nuts and the nuts may not be able to be removed.
edit: I wonder how many monkey boys failed at this
I grind the head off the rivets to push them out, but the point was it is normally the same tool used to break and rivet chains. And I am sure as a company which sells a chain tool, Enuma would want encourage people to use that rather than hack the old chain off.
But the screw-type ones have been around at least fifteen years, and as installation is to tighten them until they tighten no more, the risk of the rivets failing must be low or we would have heard about it. The only reason they are unknown is that their chains are more expensive that few people think them worth buying.
That said, I just bought a new D.I.D. chain, which came with a clip link, so need to be a rivet one. Thankfully I do not need it yet as changing the chain on its own is a quick and simple job, but for the cost I would want to do the sprockets at the same time and do not fancy all that hassle. And I thought that was recommended to do anyway?
@Michael Times money, having worked in three workshops and removed more chains than I can remember the practice and quickest way to remove drive chains was to saw through the link plates by means of a precision cut using a junior hacksaw. I can understand why some would choose to grind the rivet heads off and wouldn’t discourage that practice, however, to suggest we would “hack the old chains off” implies a rough and ready procedure which it was not, no apology required.
DID drive chains with split clip links - My bad, my assumption was we were talking about 525 and 530 (5/8") ‘O’ ring and ‘X’ ring chains here that are typically found on motorcycles over 500cc. Yes DID supply split clip links with 520 (1/2") ‘O’ ring and ‘X’ ring chains for smaller motorcycles, note a chain tool is still required to press fit the outer link plate, do not use the type of link with the loose fitting slide on outer link plate which is supplied with some of the off road drive chains.
You’re correct always change the drive chain and sprockets together because the chain rollers, bushes & pins and sprocket teeth all wear uniformly. If you fit a new chain on worn sprockets the chain pins and sprocket teeth will not line up resulting in accelerated wear.
I don’t know what your riding these days but if its any bigger than 250 cc do yourself a favour and fit that drive chain using a riveted link.
removing chains is the easy bit, bolt cutters or a hacksaw work fine
500cc with a 520 chain. I was sure the ad said it came with a rivet link, but maybe that was one of the other ads. I looked at a few then bought the cheapest kit, they were all the same chains, same JT sprockets. Even with buying an extra link, I will still have three tanks and change over the cost of an Enuma chain alone.
I like the idea of a clip because with the chain in its current state it could have been removed and soaked. Though maybe it would not be so easy to safely remove when, as you say, the side plate needs pressing on. So for comfort I would still rather a rivet one. Besides, hopefully a G&B VX3 chain should cope better with moisture than Honda’s ones, which are D.I.D.s basic O-ring version.
Which is now the plan, because after a good clean it seems my old chain is dead. One link will not budge, rotate the wheel slowly and it sticks, faster and he chain pings. So new chain and sprockets all round, after ordering a new link on eBay. May have been tempted by a screw-type one if D.I.D. did them, but I already have a tool so may as well use it.
Sure, but my point was that Enuma would say you should buy their chain tool to break it rather than use whatever you have lying around. And if you are already buying their tool then you can also use it to rivet a link
The press on link plates can be pressed off if you really wanted too as can a riveted link be ground off, obviously connecting links are not reusable and should be replaced when re-fitting. If you was looking for a quick fix and it was just one seized link, the rest of the chain being within specification, the seized link could be replaced with a connecting link. D.I.D. specification for chain replacement is when the chain has become elongated by +1% of it’s original length, for a 520 chain that will be 154 mm when measured across 13 link pin centres.
Of all the motorcycle manufacturers in all the world none of them supply a model with anything other than split clip connecting links on smaller machines and riveted links or continuous chain on the larger machines. The clue to what should be fitted is in what the motorcycle was supplied with when it left the factory or, if the original specification drive chain is being upgraded why not upgrade the connecting link too!
I think @me_groovy posts these links to wind us up 
I think this explains why so many of his bikes don’t run. 
Hmm, interesting point. I am not sure how much life is left in the chain, as some links are a bit tighter than they should be, but they still move manually, the wheel turns freely, and slack is still in the green zone on the gauge.
Would be nice if for a few pounds I could save having to do the sprockets (which also look okay) for a wee while longer and just get the bike back on the road. It has been a long five months. Got some more fiddling to do tomorrow, including painting the rusty frame, so will measure the chain then length then.
I cannot remember when it was replaced without hunting for receipts, but it still had the original one when I bought it at 5k miles. I have added 40k with only one replacement, an O.E.M. chain, but that seems pretty good for a bike kept outside that I cannot complain.
The original chain, incidentally, was continuous and the replacement uses a rivet link. Looking up the Honda part code, they charge around £15 for the link. You can get the exact same link for £5.50 from eBay. It seems it costs a lot of money to put a Honda label on the bag.
Or to promote discussion
1 Like
Read this as enema auto…
@Kevsta Fair point well made
@Michael ignore the chain wear sticker Honda place on the swing arm, put the bike in gear apply tension to the chain and measure the chain at three points along its length. Also check all the rollers rotate and none of the link plates are seized. Replacement chains with a riveted master link are comparable to continuous chains and allow fitting without the need to remove the swing arm. Honda parts - Save your hard earned and buy branded pattern parts most of which if not equal will be of a superior quality.