Ninja 500 chain replacement

 In this page we will illustrate how to replace the drive chain on a Ninja 500 motorcycle.

The new chain we installed in this bike was an  o-ring style chain.

 Start by lifting the rear tire and placing the bike on its center stand for safety, remove the cotter pin from the rear wheel nut using needle nose pliers.


















, Next, loosen the locking nut all the way to the end, it is not necessary to remove it, just loosen it all the way.




















loosen the adjusting nuts in stages, a quarter of a turn at a time alternating on both sides. This will ensure that the wheel will remain aligned.



















 Remove the front chain cover.






















Using a pair of pliers, remove the chain master link retaining clip.

























 
Next, remove the master link, lift the chain off the sprockets and set it on a work bench fully extended.















 Count the links on the new chain to make sure that they are the same length, remove links if needed.

NOTE: the reason why the old chain appears to be longer than the new chain is because it is streched, but the number of links between the old and new links are the same.

















 Install the o-ring seals on the master link as shown in the image.




















 Install the chain on both sprockets, it is easier to install the master link when the gap is near the top of the rear sprocket ( see image ).























 Install the remaining o-ring seals followed by the outer master link piece.



















 Install the safety clip using needle nose pliers.

NOTE: The open section of the safety clip needs to face the rear of the bike, it is very important that you install this item facing that way to avoid it from coming off at high speeds .

Adjust the chain slack to 1", tighten the axle nut and install a new cotter pin.


















 Lubricate the new chain with a high quality lubricant designed for o-ring chains like the PJ1 blue label we used, ( see image ), install the front chain cover