Help With Chain PLEASE

Bigdawg76

Bigdawg76

Registered
I’m extending my swing arm by just 4 inches and was about to buy a new chain. I took a closer look at what I thought was a stock chain and to my surprise found that its a RK 50GSV4. I don’t know anything about this chain but was able to find it on Google. It has a Blue master link. My question is, can I just add links to this chain and if so how do I go about doing this? Also the most important question, is it safe? Thanks again Org for any help u provide.

ps. I tried to load pics of my chain but they were to big.
 
I think most members on here will agree , chain ... is one area of a high HP bike you should not skimp on .
If you wish to change the length of your drive train ... do it right , and buy the proper new chain for the job .
Just sayin' ...this is the time to be safe ... not sorry .

My stock chain is hangin' here on the wall , and it is an RK GSVO50 Suzuki used RK as an OEM chain supplier.
 
Last edited:
Just go ahead and buy a new chain. Go with an EK ZZZ or ZVX2. You might also look into changing your front and rear sprockets while you are in there.
 
At about 20k I changed out my stock chain and sprockets .
They were just barely worn beyond spec. .
So I chose to go +3 in the rear , but use a similar to stock type steel sprockets (by JT).
And a new gold RK X-Ring chain "like I assume Suzuki would have" if they had the internet shopping access I have .
And I expect another 20k ... proven platform , just repeat it .

I "WOULD" run a spliced chain with 2 master links ... but only for a weekend or so ... while I ordered a proper new chain .
 
thanks all, I think i will just get a new chain and ride knowing thats one thing i dont have to worry about.
 
I'm also curious about this so I'm resurrecting this thread. :) I live close to lots of twisty roads so I don't think I want to permanently stretch my bike, but I love the way it looks. What do you guys think about running a chain extension for a show and shine or a cruise and then returning it to stock length, or running +2 and adjusting out to +8 just for a show?
 
Keep chain you have now for stock wb and buy a new one for the stretch. Buy a few clip style ml for both and enjoy..
 
GoldenChild said:
Keep chain you have now for stock wb and buy a new one for the stretch. Buy a few clip style ml for both and enjoy..
Click to expand...

That's another thing I was wondering...are the clip style MLs safe for high HP bikes? I know all my dirt bikes when I was a kid used them, but my big bikes haven't.
 
i have been using clip master chains for ever and never had a problem ever.
 
I don't like the clip type master links, I always use pressed pin links. I also invested in a heavy duty master link tool. Another piece of advice, never use two master links to make a chain longer. You now have introduced another possible point of failure in your chan. Busas produce a lot of torque and need a strong chain. Losing a chain at higher speeds can be deadly.

Just my 2-cents.

P.
 
I have customers that do the swap and slide all the time. I won't ever recommend what i won't do for my own bikes to someone else to try..Clip links work just be sure to put on in right direction, i also smear a little silicone over top of link?

Redline337 said:
That's another thing I was wondering...are the clip style MLs safe for high HP bikes? I know all my dirt bikes when I was a kid used them, but my big bikes haven't.
Click to expand...
 
GoldenChild said:
I have customers that do the swap and slide all the time. I won't ever recommend what i won't do for my own bikes to someone else to try..Clip links work just be sure to put on in right direction, i also smear a little silicone over top of link?
Click to expand...

Yep same here. I use a clip type for easier gear changes. Just smear some RTV over the clip and it won't go anywhere.
 
:rofl: Adding more links is probably one of the funniest ideas I've heard in a while. Thank you for that laugh. Seriously tho....just get the EK530 chain w/150links. The master link is the weakest link on the chain. Adding more is just a horrible idea.
 
The weakest link might be the master link (I'm not sure that is necessarily true, but we'll go with it) so if you have two master links guess what ... only one of them is the weakest link. Which one?? If you aren't competent enough to install two links on one chain then you aren't competent enough to install one link on two chains. Either way a chain comes off. I've run two master links before with no problem at all and it doesn't bother me in the least, as I'm competent enough to install a link.
 
Dennis said:
The weakest link might be the master link (I'm not sure that is necessarily true, but we'll go with it) so if you have two master links guess what ... only one of them is the weakest link. Which one?? If you aren't competent enough to install two links on one chain then you aren't competent enough to install one link on two chains. Either way a chain comes off. I've run two master links before with no problem at all and it doesn't bother me in the least, as I'm competent enough to install a link.
Click to expand...

Haha! Your logic is pretty dang solid, I'd say. :)

So a 150 link chain will fit how long of a stretch if using stock gearing?
 
There are websites that tell you how far they go, but I used a 150 on my +5" bike with a 46 rear gear and had something like 5-6" left. Moving down to a 43" gear gave me another 3/4" of stretch or so.
 
Dennis, it's safe to assume that your post is directed towards myself, and the tone of your post is facetious. Please correct me if I'm wrong. IMO the masterlink is the weakest link on a motorcycle chain. I thought that was universal knowledge...........guess not. I'm pretty sure that I can get a few to agree with me. I understand that many individuals that take their stretched bike to the track will sometimes link 2 chains together and end up using 2 masterlinks as a result and they don't run into any problems. On the other side of that coin there are plenty of track veterans that can say they have seen set ups like that which break and cause a massive amount of damage to the bike and sometimes the rider. So most would err on the side of caution and just go and buy a well known and reliable chain i.e. RK ZZZ 150 link chain. In conclusion, it boils down to 3 things. The amount of risk one is willing to take, preference, and budget. Reminder: All this is my "OPINION". I don't confuse or mistake my opinion as being factual, but most would agree that the master link is weaker than the rest of the chain.
 
Chino, I don't know why my post appears as facetious to you. I fully believe what I wrote. It may be nearly univerally believed that the master is the weakest link, but I don't know if the master link is the weakest link or not. Considering that the load on the pins primarily shear (not tensile) I'm comfortable taking the difference in swage method out of the equation. The use of clip-style masters would validate this thought. So then the question becomes why would the pins on the master have less shear strength than any other link?

I've seen my buddy's turbo bike damage an EK chain at the strip. It stretched several consecutive links. I do not know the cause, whether it was related to impact loading (spin and hit) or the chain was too tight, too loose, etc, but I don't think we would say that 6 or 7 links were weaker than the rest and they happened to be all in a row. I believe their location at the exact moment damage occurred determined which ones got damaged. Additionally, I would be willing to bet if we took 150 links and shear tested all the pins the variation in shear results would be masked by the measurement error. In summary, I'm not sure we can identify the weakest link and I'm not sure the weakest link will be the one to break.

I have another buddy with a 380+ hp bike that has had two masters for a couple years now with no issues, and he's a big guy. I've seen a clip-style master come off, but maybe it wasn't assembled correctly. The point of my previous post was that two masters on one chain would pose the same risk of master failure as one master on two bikes if all three bikes had the same usage. Given that I don't see properly assembled masters failing in the single-master applications I'm not at all worried about doubling my exposure to that risk.
 
2 inches over add 6 links

4 inches over add 12 links

6 inches over add 20 links

8 inches over add 26 links
9 inches over add 28 links

10 inches over add 32 links
12 inches over add 38 links
 
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