We just got a fixer upper and would like to soak and clean the chain. I can’t find the master link and the manual seems to be telling up to take the “swing arm pivot shaft off. Is that the swing arm? The manual does not tell me how to remove the swing arm pivot shaft.

Did the original chain not have a master link?

Do i need a chain breaker and new chain?

Paul

 

Many questions and we don't even know what bike you're talking about.
Lots of bikes come with what's called a continuous chain; no master link.
Obviously you'll need to remove the rear wheel. If you have a fixer upper, it would be a good idea to remove the swing arm and other linkage to check and lube bearings.
Can you post up come close-up pics of the sprockets? If they are worn, you'll likely be replacing them and the chain. You don't want to put new chain on worn sprockets or v/v because they will all just wear much faster.
Welcome.

 

My bad. 1999 KLR 250. Sprockets don’t look bad but chain very rusty. It has 8k miles. Front forks leaking like a sieve, carb, oil, filters, seals but worst of it is the very rusty gas tank. oh and all 4 blinkers broken.

got any tips for me on that tank ?

Thanks!
Paul.

 

When working at a dealership we took rusted tanks to a truck radiator/fuel tank repair shop. They clean the tank and coat it with Red Kote, a hard plastic impervious to gas. There are kits that use the same stuff, but we figured let the pros do the job. Around $30-$50 at the time. No idea how much now. Still they can do the job better than what we could.

If your chain isn't kinked up - O-ring type - lube it and run it. The lube is sealed in the pins. Otherwise take a grinder to the pins on one outer link plate to grind off the pins to the plate then wedge it apart and off the pins to remove the link and chain.

 

What klx678 said ^ on the tank is the direction I'd go. Or you could check ebay for a replacement, but you'd likely be spending more than a good cleanup at the tank repair shop.

With what you'd described about bike's condition, if it were mine I'd still pull the swingarm and linkage to clean and lube bearings.