How to Put a Chain on a Dirt Bike

The chain on your dirt bike is the key to the power of your entire ride. Keeping the chain in peak condition through lubrication and tension adjustment will keep your riding experience the best it can be. Chains stretch and wear on a surprisingly frequent basis, especially if you make a habit of riding your dirt bike hard. When this happens you will notice that the chain is no longer holding tension and it is time to change the chain of your dirt bike. The whole job will take about 20 minutes.

Things You'll Need

  • Milk crate
  • Pliers
  • Socket set
  • Chain breaker
  • Flat head screwdriver
  • Replacement chain (with masterlink)
  • Cotter pin
  • Grinder (if needed)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Lift your motorcycle and balance the lower part of the center frame on a milkcrate. This will raise the rear tire off the floor, the front will still touch and provide balance for the dirt bike.

    • 2

      Remove the cotter pin from the rear axle with a pair of pliers. Do this by straightening out the bent ends of the pin, grab the head of the cotter pin with the pliers and pull it from the axle nut.

    • 3

      Loosen the nut on the axle with a socket wrench. You do not have to remove it, just loosen it enough so you can push the tire and axle forward in the tension slot. This will release the tension on the chain.

    • 4

      Pull the chain until the master link is on the top run of chain and centered between the two sprockets. The master link is easy to spot because it is thicker then the other links and has two pins with bolt like heads on the outside face of the chain.

    • 5

      Lay the chain in your chain breaker so the breaker bar (the point at the end of the twist handle of the breaker) is lined up on the top of one of the pin bolts on the master link. Hold the chain breaker handle steady and turn the twist handle clockwise, pressing the point into the top of the pin, until you feel the pin bolt pop free. Loosen the twist handle by turning it counter-clockwise and reset the chain breaker with the point on the pin bolt still holding the master link closed. Break this one free as well.

    • 6

      Pry the two halves of the master link apart with a flat head screwdriver. With the master link removed you can now take the old chain off the sprockets.

    • 7

      Lay your new chain around the sprockets (so the teeth catch in the links) and the two ends of the chain meeting in the center, between the two sprockets. Connect the two ends of the chain with a new master link. Snap the master link together so the pin bolts lock.

    • 8

      Pull the rear tire and axle back into the tension slot until the correct chain tension has been achieved. For most dirt bikes you want no more than a 1/4" deflection in the chain when you press down on the chain between the two sprockets.

    • 9

      Screw the axle nut tight and insert a new cotter pin.