How To Take Off Motorcycle Chain

To take off a motorcycle chain, first, inspect the chain to identify the “Master Link,” which typically looks like a U-shaped clip distinct from the other links. If your chain has this clip, use a pair of needle-nose pliers to leverage the open end of the clip against the pin, sliding it off safely. Once the clip is removed, pull off the side plate and the master link pins to disconnect the chain. If your chain does not have a master link (known as a Rivet Style chain), you will need a dedicated Chain Breaker Tool to push the pins out, or an angle grinder to cut the links if the chain is being discarded.

This video provides a visual guide on how to remove a motorcycle chain:

Let me take these two situations apart.

Confirm Chain Type: Live Buckle Vs. Riveting

Don’t rush to get the tools before you start dismantling them. Put the rear wheel up, turn the wheel slowly by hand, and keep your eyes on the side plate of each link.

About The Master Link:

On small-displacement motorcycles or off-road vehicles, this stuff is most common. What you’re looking for is a chain link with a flat U-shaped opening circlip on the side. This small clip is responsible for fixing the outer chain plate.

About The Rivet Style:

If you turn the whole chain twice and find that each 1 section looks exactly the same, and the head of the pin shaft is a round “mushroom head”, then you encounter a riveted chain. This kind of chain is designed to withstand greater pulling force. The pin shaft is stuck by physical reaming. It takes some effort to dismantle it.

Method 1: Remove The Chain With The Buckle

As I said at the beginning, the core of this job is to get that circlip off. Needle-nose pliers are the best tool to use. Although there are special pliers, there is no need to spend that money.

The specific “veteran” operation is as follows:

Clamp Position:

Pick up the pointed-nose pliers, one jaw is against the “dead head” of the chain pin (that is, the pillar), and the other jaw is hooked to the “open” bifurcation end of the U-shaped snap spring.

Use Leverage:

With a hard hand, use the pin as a fulcrum to push the circlip in the opposite direction of the opening. As long as the position is aligned, the circlip should slide out directly.

Note: At this time, the hand should be steady. The circlip often bounces like a bullet, and it will be troublesome to find it all over the floor.

Disassembling Chain Links:

The card spring be removed, and the outer chain plate is just a decoration, which can be taken off at will the board falls off, push the two pins in, and the chain will be completely disconnected and pulled down directly from the tooth plate.

Method 2: Disassembling The Riveted Chain

If you check and confirm that there is no live button, then you have to move the “real” one. You need to break the physical connection of the rivets to break the chain. It depends on whether you throw away the old chain for a new one or want to remove the chain intact. There are two ways:

Scenario A: Use Chain Breaker Tool-Keep Chain

If you just want to remove it for cleaning, or don’t want to damage the surrounding parts, then you must use a special chain cutting machine.

Alignment Tools:

Clip the chain cutter to this link. There is a technical activity here: the push-pin of the tool must be perfectly aligned with the center of the chain pin. A little crooked, the thimble may break directly when you try hard.

Pin Out:

Tighten the handle. You will feel a lot of resistance, which is normal. Continue to turn the handle, the tool will generate tremendous pressure, abruptly push the pin through the chain link until it falls out of the other end.

Disconnect:

When the pin shaft out, the chain link will naturally fall apart and the chain will be taken down.

Scenario B: Use Of Angle Grinder-Scrap Old Chain

If this chain had been stretched and scrapped, I wouldn’t have bothered to use the chain cutting device to top it. In this industry, time is money, and angle grinder is the fastest solution.

Grinding Off The Pin Head:

Open the angle grinder and grind against the “mushroom head” of any chain pin. The two heads should be ground down thoroughly until they are flush with the chain plate. Don’t be afraid of Mars flying, just do a good job of protection.

Removing Links:

Once the riveted head is worn off, take a flat screwdriver and pry it into the gap, or tap it twice with a hammer, and the side plate will collapse. This is the simplest and most efficient method.

Author: Mark Reynolds

With over a decade of experience wrenching on motorcycles, I specialize in helping riders handle their own DIY maintenance. I wrote this guide to ensure you can safely identify your chain type and use the right tools—whether pliers or a breaker—to take off your motorcycle chain without damaging your bike.