This is the first time I have to replace a chain. I don't want to **** it up so I decided to ask you guys. I bought a KMC chain today and in a little plastic pouch came an outer plate with two pins already in, another outer plate that will probably cover the other side, and finally a thin plate that has an opening on one side (lengthwise) that looks like a "U". How am I supposed to put this altogether and where does it go in the whole chain? From looking online it's called a "masterlink".

Also I assume that I need to remove a group of links before I add this stuff that came in the bag?

Any help is appreciated.

yes, figure out the length you want first.

connect the chain with the master link (pin with two prongs), then slide on the locking pin (pin with the opening) on top (where the prongs have grooves). you can use pliers to snap it on if it's too stiff by hand.

you want to install that c clip part so that the opening faces away from the direction that the chain will travel. so it doesnt grab something and get poped off. look at it, and youll see what i mean. also search google or something for installing master links, im sure there is something

https://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=25

^^^ if that doesnt help, nothing will...

what on earth could possibly grab a master link at the precise angle and pop it open...while you're riding the bike? ...without being deflected by your leg. and if you say "pant leg," you must have some mighty special pants.

i'll be the first to admit, strange things happen, but the universe would have to be conspiring against you for that to happen, i think.

park tools doesn't cover the KMC masterlinks

a stick.
a hobo.
a giant ant yielding nunchukas.

point is, however unlikely, it is possible. so there is no reason not to put it on this way...
i have first hand enperience of it happening on motorcycle chains... throwing a chain is not fun, even when you have another way to stop.



if that is your link, this part of the argument doesnt matter.. put one of the pins in either end of the chain, slide together, "pull the chain" and make sure it clicks on both sides. done.

that is going to be the luckiest, burliest stick in the universe, with +5 dexterity. that is so unpossible it's not even funny. i've broken screwdrivers trying to open those bastards...while they were standing still!

i can see a stick getting tossed up into the drivetrain and derailling the chain, maybe even breaking it, but not popping the masterlink open. you just try opening one with an unmodified stick sometime, and let me know how it works out for you. the stick would have to get wedged between the ground, and the .8mm lip of the master link and pry it open without breaking...all that while the bike, and rider (a combined average weight of ~170lbs, moving at an avg speed of 15-17mph). now....catching 1 link out of 70 or 80-ish....that has about as much a chance of happening in the real world as trying to unlock a deadbolt by throwing the key at the keyhole at 3ft back.

motorcycle master links are a completely different story, they're like, 7 times thicker than a bike chain, and at least twice as big. bigger target=higher probability of a stick unlocking it, but even so, they're more covered, and being bigger, are a lot harder to open...i have a really hard time believing your "first hand experience."

Park's tutorial doesn't cover this type of master link, and it's not the one pictured a few posts up. My chain uses the same kind that the OP has encountered:









You will need to shorten the chain an appropriate amount using a chain tool. If this is a direct replacement with the same gears as before, just lay the old and new chains out side by side to see where you need to shorten the new chain. When planning the shortening operation, note that you need an inner link at both ends of the chain, and the master link will create one final outer link that joins the ends of the chain together; plan accordingly.

You'll need a chain tool to "cut" the chain to length. If you don't have one and don't feel like getting one, stop by a friendly bike shop and see if they can remove the pin you specify to get the right length.

Installing the master link is literally dirt simple. Just slide the plate with the two pins in from the spoke side of the chain, slide the flat plate on over the stubs of the pins from the non-spoke side of the chain, and slide the clip onto both of the pins simultaneously. You start it with one pin kind of in the middle of the clip and the other pin off of the open end of the clip, and it literally clicks into place. You'll probably need a pliers or some other tool to get a little more pressure to snap it into place. I can't install or remove the retaining clips with my bare hands either.

It's not absolute madness.... it happened to me. But it was on my SS and off-road.