Breaks, presses and rivets — and pins that wear out

The best motorcycle chain tools for 2026

A chain tool does three distinct operations, and a tool that does one of them is not a substitute for one that does three. Breaking pushes a pin out of an old chain so it can be removed. Pressing pushes a new side plate onto the pins of a joining link, to a depth that the chain maker specifies. Riveting spreads the ends of those pins so the plate cannot come off. A chain fitted with a clip link needs only the first; a chain fitted with a rivet link needs all three, and this is the reason a tool belongs in the toolbox of anyone who changes their own chain. The specification is short and concrete. Supported pitches, published as a list — 520, 525, 530 and often 428 and 630 — with the adapters that go with each. The pins, which are the parts that fail: they are hardened, they bend or break under load, and a tool whose maker sells replacement pins is a tool with a service life rather than a disposable one. The frame, which has to resist the force of pressing without flexing, and which is where a cheap tool gives itself away — a frame that opens under load puts the pin at an angle and snaps it. Whether the tool arrives with a case and its adapters organised, which sounds trivial and decides whether all the pieces are still together at the next chain change two years later. We compare supported pitches, functions covered, pin replaceability, frame construction, supplied adapters and case.

These parts compared, figure by figure

1. 

   DAYUAN YT-1081

   A 13-piece chain breaker and riveter set in hardened steel with three pins of 2.2, 2.9 and 3.8 mm, three anvils and two press plates, in a blow-moulded carry case.

   Contents

   1 chain press, 1 handle, 1 lever, 3 anvils, 3 pins (2.2 / 2.9 / 3.8 mm), 1 riveting pliers, 1 spring, 2 press plates, 1 carry case (maker’s bullet)

   Material

   Hardened steel (maker’s bullet)

   Case

   Blow-moulded plastic, 12.2 × 7.6 × 21.6 cm (maker’s bullet)

   Stated use

   Motorcycle, bicycle and ATV chains — removal and refitting (maker’s bullet)

   Chain pitch range

   The maker puts nothing in writing on this — two tools in this family publish theirs.

   Sold on

   All six marketplaces.

   Amazon reference

   B0FPC53SDL (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   0754008674458

   • The contents are itemised piece by piece, which is the only way to compare a kit against another
   • Three pin sizes, which covers the common chain pitches
   • No chain pitch range published, and that is the fitment statement

   Best for: A home garage servicing motorcycle and bicycle chains from the same box.

   ≈ $21 / £14 / €19

   Check price on Amazon
2. 

   FreeTec FK0042

   A 13-piece chain breaking and riveting tool in hardened tool steel, published for chain pitches from 35 to 630 — including cam chains — with three separating pins.

   Chain pitch range

   35 to 630 (maker’s bullet) — the widest published in this family

   Pins

   3 separating pins: 2.2, 2.9, 3.8 mm (maker’s bullet)

   Material

   Hardened tool steel (maker’s bullet)

   Stated use

   Separating and riveting cam chains and motorcycle chains (maker’s bullet)

   Pieces

   13 (from the title)

   Case colour

   Red or blue according to availability — the maker states so (maker’s bullet)

   Amazon reference

   B07CLVDC6R (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   0615200832292

   • The widest pitch range published here — 35 to 630 covers everything from a cam chain to a heavy drive chain
   • Cam chains named explicitly, which is a genuinely different job
   • The contents are not itemised beyond the piece count

   Best for: A workshop that sees cam chains as well as drive chains.

   ≈ £14 / €18

   Check price on Amazon
3. 

   AZSSMUK MJ-08A

   A chain breaker in high-carbon steel for 25 to 60 series chains plus 415H, 428H, 520 and 530, with a heat-treated replaceable pressing pin and a spare pin included.

   Stated chain sizes

   25, 35, 41, 40, 50, 60, 415H, 428H, 520, 530 (from the title)

   Material

   High-carbon steel with composite reinforcement (maker’s bullet)

   Pressing pin

   Replaceable, heat-treated and hardened (maker’s bullet)

   Included

   One additional needle pin, free (maker’s bullet)

   Adjustment

   Cuts a chain to the length needed without further tools (maker’s bullet)

   Riveting

   Described as a chain breaker — riveting is not stated.

   Amazon reference

   DE B079K9YPJL · US B079JDPKHX · GB B079K9YPJL · FR B079K9YPJL · IT B079K9YPJL · ES B079K9YPJL

   EAN

   0662225027844

   • The pressing pin is replaceable AND a spare comes in the box — the pin is the part that breaks
   • Ten chain sizes named individually rather than as a range
   • Riveting is not stated — this reads as a breaker rather than a breaker-riveter

   Best for: Breaking chain to length, where the tool is used often enough that pins wear out.

   ≈ £20 / €15

   Check price on Amazon
4. 

   VAGCARS WY-LTCXQ-420-530

   A compact chain breaker and riveter for 420, 428, 520, 525, 528 and 530 chains, with a 30 mm slot, a 3.8 mm punch pin and a body roughly 120 mm long.

   Stated chain sizes

   420, 428, 520, 525, 528, 530 roller chains (maker’s bullet)

   Slot width

   30 mm (maker’s bullet)

   Punch pin

   3.8 mm, with a rotating thread mechanism for precise engagement with the chain pin (maker’s bullet)

   Length

   About 120 mm (maker’s bullet)

   Material

   High-quality carbon steel, hardened and black anodised (maker’s bullet)

   Adjustment

   Adjustable nut and non-slip locking (maker’s bullet)

   Amazon reference

   B0GLDXPZGY (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   0683304134437

   • Publishes slot width, pin diameter and overall length — three dimensions nothing else here gives together
   • The least expensive chain tool here by a wide margin
   • One pin size only, where three tools here supply three

   Best for: Carrying on a trip, where a chain that breaks has to be joined at the roadside.

   ≈ £8 / €9

   Check price on Amazon
5. 

   BGS Do it yourself 1749

   A chain breaking and riveting tool for chain pitches 35 to 525, published specifically as suitable for hollow-rivet chain links, supplied with three separating pins.

   Function

   Separating AND riveting chains (maker’s bullet)

   Link type

   Suitable for HOLLOW-RIVET chain links (maker’s bullet) — stated explicitly, which nothing else here does

   Chain pitch range

   35 to 525 (maker’s bullet)

   Pins

   3 separating pins: 2.2, 2.9, 3.8 mm (maker’s bullet)

   Listing bullets

   Three, all of them specifications.

   Brand name

   Here the brand field and the title do not agree: the field reads “BGS Do it yourself”, the listing title “BGS Diy 1749”. Same maker, two written forms; this page reports both rather than picking one.

   Material

   The maker puts nothing in writing on this.

   Amazon reference

   B001ILEBXW (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4026947017495

   • The only tool here that names the LINK TYPE it suits — hollow-rivet links
   • Three bullets, all three of them specifications
   • No material published, where four tools here name theirs

   Best for: Fitting a hollow-rivet joining link properly, which is the job the tool is named for.

   ≈ £26 / €28

   Check price on Amazon