‘The MT-10’s chain link could have let go at any minute’
DIY fan was close to MT-10 disaster
Having a crack at your own mechanical jobs is a great way to save a few quid and learn how your motorcycle works, but just because you can buy the tools, it doesn’t mean you can buy the necessary know-how to go with them.
Chief tool-twirler at Doncaster Motorcycles, Kevin Hollingsworth, was getting stuck into a routine tyre swap on a customer’s Yamaha MT-10 when he noticed something was amiss with its gleaming gold chain.
“The owner had fitted a new chain and used a tool he bought online to fit the rivet link,” Kev told us. “Trouble is, he’d nearly pushed the pins all the way out, so the outer plate was barely holding on.”
It was a minor oversight, but the consequences could’ve been catastrophic if the insecure link had let go at speed and the chain had wrapped itself around the bike or gone flying out behind.
By trying to save himself a few quid and then getting a little overexuberant with his new tool, the customer had made what could have been a very costly error indeed – especially given that this chain was contesting with 164bhp from the big MT’s CP4 motor!
“The pins hadn’t been splayed out or peened over, which is what’s needed to prevent that critical plate from letting go,” Kevin added. Fortunately, Kevin had caught the error before any harm was done and he quickly got to work setting things right.
Kevin said: “I managed to rectify the issue simply enough with my chain tool, putting the pins back central and splaying the heads over. Crisis averted and no roadside assistance needed… or worse.”