Hey Mike – you are not pushing the pin completely out of the link are you? If you’re having trouble with chain breaking, and trouble with pin pushing – I think you’re on the right track – might want to check into a different chain breaker and see if you get better results. The one I use, is in fact an RLV, but I have never broken a chain, or the pin on the tool. Maybe the breaker you’re using is damaging, or bending the link and putting just enough stress on the chain to break it under a heavy load?

Is this the only place you break a chain? I wouldn’t think braking alone would have anything to do with it, but I would imagine heavy braking combined with a downshift could cause a pretty heavy load on the chain?

Interesting to see people have problems with 428 chain, in my experience they are as bullet proof as cr125 transmission:)  Few suggestions, works for me.  In the beginning of the season  buy 3 chains.  I then grind the pin on a side of the link to set desired length. The reason for 3 chains is to have 3 different length chains for different gear combinations.  Once I have the 3 chains set to length I never use the chain breaker, I use “master” links to get chains off and on.  428 chains last a season for me. Lube a few times a day.

The RLV chain breaker has 2 bolts in it. One has the long pin on it for pushing the pin out of the chain the other has a cupped pin for pushing it back in. If you use the long pin to put it back together it’s going to break every time. You should also check for play or space side to side after you put it together. Sometimes you’ll find it’s to tight and you have to spread it a little to get proper spacing.

Brian

I have a lot of hours on my current chain…..probably in the neighborhood of 25-30 and it still looks pretty good. Going to change it before the next time out, but a chain, if taken care of properly, shouldn’t be breaking all the time.