TOPIC:

Not too hard to do, took about an hour.
The hardest part was removing the masterlink plate on the old chain. It's pressed onto the pins. I used a thin flatblade screwdriver, and forced it up over the pins. 5 minutes of tapping and prying got the plate off. Then the link just falls off.
To install the new chain, I had to remove the clutch cover (so I had to remove the L/H foot peg and the shift lever), and the plate that covers the sprocket. Had to loosen the rear axel nut and the torque link nut. Loosened the adjuster bolts, and kicked the wheel forward.
The new chain is an o-ring style. Went on easy, and I used vise grips to press the new masterlink plate onto the pins. Installed the new clip, and presto!

Question:
Is there a 'break in' period for a new chain? How quickly will it stretch the first time?

Here's a pic of the new chain installed:

ltdrider wrote:

...Question:
Is there a 'break in' period for a new chain? How quickly will it stretch the first time?

Questions for you:
How worn/stretched was the previous chain? Was it an o-ring too? Did you replace sprockets as well?

Normally the o-ring doesn't stretch much at all, at least I've found and read. But I would imagine that putting a new chain on old worn sprockets might cause the chain to stretch quickly to conform to the wear of the sprockets. I don't know for sure, just conjecture...

If you did not replace the sprockets the breake in period may be quite short.

hwms wrote:

If you did not replace the sprockets the breake in period may be quite short.

Harry believes in understating things

Personally, I have never replaced a chain without replacing the sprockets also.

Right-on - chain and sprockets wear at the same rate, so if your chain was worn out then your sprockets are too. Putting a new chain on old sprockets puts pressure on the end of the sprocket teeth, causing them to wear faster and break.

Your best investment is to replace them both at the same time, also it's safer and your bike will run better as the chain will be transmitting power smoothly.

YIKES!
Ok, I didn't realize that it's standard procedure to replace sprockets during the chain replacement.
I don't think my old chain is worn out, but it is starting to stretch, and I was getting tired of tightening it all the time.
I took a look at the Shop Manual before I replaced the chain, and followed the inspection procedure for the sprockets. Just a visual on the shape of the teeth, but they looked like the 'good' sprockets pictured. I checked the sprocket diameter at the root (valley) of the gears, and they were within the service limits.
But I don't want to take a chance on chewing up my new chain... I'll start shopping for sprockets.

Thanks for the timely advice!