I just noticed a white spot on the side of my chain -- looked closer, and it was a master link! I haven't seen one of those in years -- I thought all bikes had endless chains now. Anybody else looked at their chain to see if it has a master link?

 

Yep. Mine's got one too. I don't mind it a bit. Makes for easier big gearing changes.

 

Yea I noticed that the first day when I got the bike back, but I just thought that it was the same thing from 20 years ago.

deej

 

I prefer a master link, you can take them out and see how much wear the chain actually has.

 

What he said

 

Back before everybody started using endless chains, I always have 1 or 2 master links tossed in my toolkit. Guess I'm gonna start doing it again with this bike. I've saved people's bacon a few times out in the middle of the woods in an enduro or whatever, when they had a broken chain, and no master links(!) and I gave them one of mine to get them back in business.
I think our KLX250S chains have to be O-ring chain master links, not regular type.
For those that like to change gearing for various reasons, these master link chains are going to make them happy to see them.
When I was active in racing, I was always changing gearing for various places -- always kept various lengths of chain around to handle different sprockets, held in with a master link at each end. Very easy and convenient, compared with what some people apparently do -- swapping different-length *entire* chains for gearing changes, which really is not necessary, but they post in these different forums, that that is what they do. Maybe they never used a chain-breaker and master links before?

 

What sort of tool is needed to put one of those master links on?

Must say I've never done one of those.

 

Changing an o-ring master REQUIRES alcohol, needle nose visegrips, hammer, beefy flat head screw driver and patience. Or, they make a specialized tool $50+. Or again, used ,but good, o-rings make it much easier.

 

Aclohol like Jack Daniels or rubbing alcohol?[8D]

 

To the guys above -- I used to handle them with bare hands, no tools needed (spmetimes a pair of pliers helped for a tight or bent chain link) -- but that was with the old non-O-ring "normal" chain -- from the above post, I'm guessing the O-rings make things considerably harder for some reason?
I have recently seen a special tool for joing *endless* chains -- you use it to *rivet* the new master link into place. So, nowadays, for endless chains you have to get a combo-tool, that is both a chain-breaker and riveter-press thingy, or two seperate tools for these functions. Jeez. That's why I don't even bother carrying master links anymore. Now, with this bike, I might get a couple to carry along, unless a tool is definitely needed to even put in a master link. Now I know why so many people these days have panniers on their bikes -- they are full of chain tools!