Rivet versus Clip master link

I replaced the chain on my XR today and while the chain came with a rivet type link I used a clip type master link I had since this was what the old chain used.

This thread http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=331112 got me thinking though. Should I have used the supplied rivetted link ? The clip master link I used was the correct size but an O ring instead of the chain's X ring - any issues there I should be aware of ?

As a general question, what are the benefits of each type of master link - I have had the chain snap twice on my XR and both times it was the clip-style master link that failed. I wonder if a rivet type link wouldn't better - why do people use clip type links ?

Have you ever seen a thread about a failed rivet style masterlink? Do a search and see how many threads you find on missing clips from masterlinks.

Good point.

Why do people use clip-type master links then ? Is it simply a question of ease of installation ?

yes.


I safety wire it and put dab of rtv on it.

1000s of street miles and lots of trackdays and racing.

Zero issues.

YMMV

Safety wire it how?

Mark

And he's got the pig-tail trailing.

I think maybe people who have had trouble with clip types either had them installed incorrectly , or something was wrong on the bike causing the chain to rub.

I have seen chains with clip type links break , and the links that broke wasn't the master link, so that meant that the master link inst necessarily the weakest point.

after barely finishing the last vegas to reno with a totalled front wheel that all the spokes were loosened ...I was doing repairs to my 450x looked at my clip it had came off during the race.. somehow the plate never came off and I have to think it came off early as the Oring was almost worn thru.. I have replaced it with a new master but when installing a new chain I WILL be using a rivet. I always have used the clip until then.. the only reason to have one is to get the chain off to clean it .. you ususally never need to lengthen or shorten it and the clip sometimes is just as hard to get on...

my vote goes to rivet.. hell I get a new chain each season anyway..

I have a clip master link on the Husky and I will do that before I ride next. Great idea.

I can see and agree that the rivet style link is the most secure, but just for purposes of personal experience over decades of motorcycle use, I'll admit to never using anything but the old-school clip masterlink. Riding and racing motorcycles of all kinds and sizes since 1969, I never had a masterlink failure. I race enduros for decades, often even on open-class 2-strokes...no problems. I also had several hot rod Kawasaki Z1 series street bikes with modded engines...no problems. Even had a couple of those Kawasaki H2 750 2-stroke triples...no problems. I even ran some of those crapola Bikemaster cheapest-chains-you-could-buy on a KLR650 with a master link and rode that bike like a dirt bike...no problems...other than short chain life.

I'm not posting this to try to convince anyone to run or not run whatever link they feel they need to. These are just my experiences over time for whatever it's worth...probably not even 2 cents in today's market.

if your not dragracing in unlimited class, clip-style is much better for adventurists

Why

I've never had a failure with the clip style master link either.
I think people that do either tweak the clip or don't get it seated properly or install it backwards.

Both my clip failures were with correctly fitted and orientated clips on pretty well maintained chains. The XR is not known for it's huge power so that's hardly the cause. I wonder if the slider block was slightly mis-aligned and it just eventually knocked the clip off

Never had a failure using either. I use the clip on my 450's and rivets on everything else. Rivets are easy to install once you take the few minutes to really learn how to do it.

I hadn't thought about your idea before. Some of the guide block systems with perhaps even some alignment issues could definitely be a contributer. Even though these guide parts are usually just rubber or plastic, enough rubbing could wear away Egyptian pyramids. Good thought.

I'd never lost a clip until last summer, and then I lost six in four days coming down the PCH from Seattle to LA. Safety wire, RTV, adjusting the chain and axle... nothing would keep them on, then the seventh one stuck for the rest of the life of the chain. Weirder still, it happened 6000 miles into that chain and sprockets (and that trip), and I'd had no problem with the prior set.

Now it was on a big ZRX fully loaded for a long trip, which may have contributed, but I don't think that was the whole story, and I still can't point to a single culprit. Also, FWIW, I probably put in 150 miles total missing clips, and the removable plate didn't budge one bit on the pins in that time.

I have switched over to rivets for my daily and anything I plan to take long-distance, but I still run clips on most everything else.

My point is only that there's no way to tell if they'll fail 'til they do, and then they've failed. Cool with that? Carry spares and check it every stop. (I like orange RTV for that... a quick glance confirms it's still there.) Not down? Run a rivet and don't worry about it.

Rivet only, too easy to knock off or grind down a clip if you ride any real off road. Plus, not surprisingly, good chains all come in rivet anyway.

I use the rivet clip just because I feel better about it.
There's always that one time when your in tin buck two that your link could fail and leave you with broken cases and pickin your nose.
WTF am I going to do now...