Changed!

I ordered and received in 2 days from Dennis Kirk the Motion Pro chain riveting tool. $90. At $14 for rental, plus the 90 minute round trip to the place that rents the tool, I figure owning the tool would pay for itself in convenience and dollars, eventually. I am resigned to having chains in my life for the foreseeable future. There are those that would tell me I should've used a ball peen hammer and a landscaping brick to peen the rivets, but I decided for a more civilized approach.

http://denniskirk.com/jsp/product_catalog/Product.jsp;jsessionid=YOIUD1WFPFWCPLA0WTVSM4VMDK0NCIV0?store=Main&skuId=28350&productId=p28350

I used it to press the plate of the master link onto the pins, and to rivet the pins. It worked fine.

The instructions clearly say that if used on 520 and above chains, grind off the head of the pin with a grinding wheel before using the tool to push the pin out.

I didn't use the tool for pin removal because I had already removed the old chain using a grinding wheel and a nail punch.

Took Katie for a ride afterwards and was amazed at how smooth and quiet she was. The old chain had gone a few too many miles before being replaced. (I did replace sprockets and chain for good measure...)

I had to have my wife take Katie for a test drive too because I thought the bike was sluggish.

My wife took off for a test loop, came back smiling saying, "No, Katie is running just fine. You're just used to the V45"