getting an old chain off

[Canonball]

i'm replacing my chain/sprocket and the chain that's on there now doesnt have a master link so i just wanted to get some ideas of how to get that one off without having to remove caliper, remove wheel, remove swing arm, etc. since i have to stop at this point anyway and go to work. was thinkin of just carefully cutting it off with an angle grinder, newb move?

[gregvhen]

Well if you putting on a new rear sprocket then your gonna have to remove the wheel anyway. but to get the chain off without doing so you could just cut it since its old.

[BeerGarage]

You can use a chain breaker, or drill out
two adjacent link pins
and push out the two pins and the connecting plate.

[5thAve]

I bought a $4 grinding wheel and adapter to fit my 3/8" electric drill (hardware store).  Grinding through the hardened steel chain was slow, but easy.  WEAR EYE PROTECTION.

Bonus: The following week my wife lost the key to her bicycle lock and I earned brownie points for having the "proper tools" on hand to cut her lock. She was mightily impressed by the sparks shower. 

[tt_four]

Yep, it all depends on whether or not you want to save the chain for use another day.

If you don't, you can just grind it, hacksaw it, go at it with bolt cutters, shoot it. drill out a pin, whatever works.

If you do want to save it I would just take a cutting wheel/grinder and grind down the two pin ends that are sticking out of and outter plate, and pry that off. Even newer chains don't have the same masterlink like what the GS has where you can pull it apart and put it back together. It comes with a certain link that you put on, and use a chain tool to permanently mushroom the ends, and when you want to pull it off you just have to grind down those mushroomed ends and pull it apart. You could then buy a new masterlink and put it back together.

Cutting wheel/grinder is definitely your most fun option though. Just don't shoot sparks at your tank/carbs

[dohabee]

I used a dremel with a cut-off wheel and was able to cut the chain in just a minute or two.

[Canonball]

cool, just thought i'd get some opinions before i got the angle grinder out.

[gregvhen]

cool, just thought i'd get some opinions before i got the angle grinder out.

what!? thats the stupidest thing i ever heard. Always get the grinder out first. then ask questions. that way if you did it wrong you got an excuse to weld!