no joiner pin in drive chain!

Today I discovered that there is no joiner pin in my drive chain! I always check things over, but never noticed it missing till now, so I don't know exactly how long it has been gone. I can't get one in town until next week, and have a long trip planned for friday...is it crazy to ride with no joiner clip, or is it fine for the weekend?

Do you mean a clip for the master link? Without it the master link could work itself loose and there goes the chain.......

The worst that can happen is the chain balls up under the sprocket cover and breaks the transmission cover/alternator cover.

The best would be the chain fly's out without doing any damage.

Crazy to ride without it, in a word YES! I have heard plenty of anecdotal stories about what can happen if the bike throws the chain, but have never personally witnessed any such carnage. I personally wouldn't take chances. At best you get stranded, and at worst the possibilities are endless. :ohmy:

I think you could peen the link pins just like a regular master link, instead of the clip style. Then on your ride if you go past a open bike shop you could see if they have a new clip style link. It may take a chain breaker in the tool kit to get it off after peening.

I dont know where you are from man, but you can get master links at tractor supply and lowes. Maybe that will help.

I don't exactly understand what a joiner pin is. If you are referring to a master link and clip assembly which joins the two open ends of a roller chain, then the plate which slips onto the link can only be secured by the clip.

If you are saying that the clip is missing, then there is no way you could ride any distance without the plate coming off. As far as peening the pins to hold the plate securely, I don't know if you could do a uniform job by banging on them with a hammer. The uneven banging could cause the metal to fracture as it is being rolled over, and you could not really detect the fracture with the naked eye.

My Kaw manual cautions about using a master link anyway and uses very discouraging verbage about that. I do use a master link, however, but I'm sure it is not so strong as one without the master.

Please don't do anything that could hurt you.

Of course by law we can't advise anything against safety, but the truth of the matter is the plates are pressed together and it's a very tight fit and they aren't going to come apart "most likely". Peening if possible while on the bike would work fine. Also wrapping some wire between the pins would work for a temporary clip. You could clean the chain and use RTV or equiv to secure the wire to the plate in a pinch. The plate isn't going to fall off in the near future either way. Of course I can't recommend running without a clip as it's there for an extra margin of safety of course, but the clip is not the part that is stressed holding the link together, that is a tight press fit that secures the link will stay together.

I tried 4 places today (I live in a rural area) none of them had any master links in the size I need, or for o-ring chains, so no dice. I can get one ordered in for monday. I called a place that is about an hour away, and they have a box of random master links, so I would have to take my bike there to fit one....kind of defeats the purpose of staying off of it till it's fixed. There is a good chance it has been like this for years. I think I will do the wire trick for now till I get a new 530 chain this fall. thanks guys.

What the hell is a joiner pin?

America: Crescent Wrench
Europe: Spanner :blink:

Adam, we need a picture of this beauty no doubt.... :S
I'm trying to imagine how this has even worked to this point.... :ohmy:

It has likely worked like this for the year I have been riding this bike, and likely before that too! Like has been said, it is a tight press fit and it has not moved a bit in the entire time it has been like this. I fixed it with an Ernie Ball B string

here is a google image of the clip I don't have:

So your just speaking of the "C" clip itself...?
Not the entire Master Clip link correct...

How the hell has this stayed in there is beyond me then....
Whoa....

Are you sure your chain isn't an endless chain with riveted master?

Again... whoa, that could be seriously dangerous...

Riveting the master is a big maybe if the link wasn't designed to be riveted. But, in a pinch, I'd feel better riveting it than driving it without any retainer at all. Just don't beat the chain and call it riveted. Any shop with a chain breaker should have a riveter or riveting attachment.