What do you guys do to shorten a new chain to fit your bike? I know they sell kits for like $60, but I was wondering if there was a cheaper method.

 

I use a chain tool and dont recommend cutting corners.
I bought mine for £20 and it breaks chains, fits side plates, and rivets the pins. I would suggest grinding the heads off the pins first before using the tool as its quite easy to damage the end of the punch.

 

Yuppers, Monkeh is giving you the straight skinny.

One thing to I'd like to point out, if you aren't a high-milage kind of guy, it might be worth it to pay to have it done. You should (with proper maintenace) get at least, 12-15k out of any modern chain (barring the race-trackers). That $60 for the chain tool will save you 45-60 minutes and all of the fuss, if you spent it at a bike shop. If I were only doing it every 2-3 years, I'd pay someone else to do it. I've got the Pro-Motion breaker/riviter because I replace about once a year.

Ern

 

I will never again pay to have a chain installed! The one time I had a chain installed by someone other than me, I discovered later that both of the master link pins had not been staked properly. They were way under the required staked spec. There simply is NO excuse for that. Had one/both of the pin ends given way, the master would/could have come off & caused a failure of the chain.

I will always recommend you doing your own chain install. You have the ability to make sure its done right. A failure of your chain can cause major injury for you & not help the bike either. IF you have someone install a chain on your bike, be sure that immediately after installation, you verify chain length & proper master link pin staking measurements, by measuring the staking yourself!

Ray, as mentioned a proper chain tool kit will provide you the best results. While it can be done w/ improvised tools, the headache just isn't worth it. There are too many opportunities for mistakes, etc.

That being said, growing up riding dirt, we used to change our own chains. We didn't have a proper chain tool kit. Instead, we used a hacksaw/grinder to cut the chain & a C-clamp to install the master & "rivet" the pins. It was irritating to say the least. A proper chain tool is just sooo much easier. It will pay for itself.

W/a proper chain tool, you will stake the master link pins to proper spec (measure w/ calipers). The proper specs are given in the factory service manual.

I always reference Incognito's excellent how-to here... https://cbrforum.com/forum/how-mecha...et-swap-97641/