Author Topic: manual camchain tensioner fitment guide (Read 30529 times)

devilsyam · « **Reply #50 on:** 26 July 2013, 01:16:42 pm »

This attitude that you must do this or don't do unless such and such has done it bull crap
Everyone can make there own minds up
I've done it and I'm happy I did - I thought I'd share the experience
But one again I forgot about the keyboard hero's
It's a free world for now go enjoy it

snapper · « **Reply #51 on:** 26 July 2013, 01:34:16 pm »

"Everyone can make there own minds up"

I agree if its something you want then great, no one is say its has to be done or your engine might/will blow up !
there is a risk but there's a risk you'll get hit by a bus , this is purely a personal choice and I would recommend anybody to make there own mind up and not follow the herd !

This is one of the down side of social media !

VNA - BMW Wank · « **Reply #52 on:** 26 July 2013, 02:15:49 pm »

Quote

I've done it and I'm happy I did - I thought I'd share the experience

Indeed, and thanks for sharing.

First time I've heard of this. I'm curious about it, but not in a hurry to make my mind up.

Quote

there is a risk but there's a risk you'll get hit by a bus

Yes, and there could be other risks with the manual tensioner. I'll try and keep oot of the way of the buses whilst I decide to do something or do nothing.

PieEater · « **Reply #53 on:** 26 July 2013, 02:47:07 pm »

Quote from: VNA on 26 July 2013, 11:36:11 am

Also this is a part off e-bay. Not sure who made it. Are the materials and the head 100% correct?

I thought the quality was pretty good TBH and would have no issues recommending the unit if you were considering it.

Ian-man · « **Reply #54 on:** 26 July 2013, 05:43:25 pm »

I think a couple of people have fitted this now, did you bother setting the engine to TDC before swapping them or just go for as is.

devilsyam · « **Reply #55 on:** 26 July 2013, 05:51:26 pm »

i diddnt tdc is more important on single cylinders see my way at start of thread

karlo · « **Reply #56 on:** 26 July 2013, 07:48:09 pm »

I can't see how as long as your careful and the engine isn't turned that just changing the tensioner can cause any bother?

PieEater · « **Reply #57 on:** 26 July 2013, 08:25:05 pm »

Quote from: Ian-man on 26 July 2013, 05:43:25 pm

I think a couple of people have fitted this now, did you bother setting the engine to TDC before swapping them or just go for as is.

Quote from: devilsyam on 26 July 2013, 05:51:26 pm

i diddnt tdc is more important on single cylinders

+1

Ian-man · « **Reply #58 on:** 26 July 2013, 08:50:56 pm »

Thanks guys for the quick replies, I won't bother with the tdc then.

snapper · « **Reply #59 on:** 26 July 2013, 10:01:35 pm »

! I won't bother with the tax then???

ah ? did i miss some thing ? tax ?

sirgalahad3 · « **Reply #60 on:** 27 July 2013, 07:06:47 am »

I think he means TDC but his phone has corrected it too tax.....

Ian-man · « **Reply #61 on:** 27 July 2013, 09:06:04 am »

Yes sorry, New phone and I haven't got to grips with it yet, lol.

I have edited my post so yours looks weird now,

pilgrim · « **Reply #62 on:** 30 July 2013, 12:07:37 am »

Evening.
Captain Cam Chain Tensioner killer here.

Thought I'd just fill in some gaps to help people decide what to do. Bikes a 51 reg registered in Oct 2010. First one went at 25k in August 2010 so nearly 9 years old give or take manufacture date. Could be age related then? Got a replacement head which was apparently quite high mileage ( 80k plus ) That one went on 9th May this year. First time I was doing about 30/35 mph, second time bike was warming up on the drive. Got a replacement engine on Friday, and the fist thing I've done to it is put a manual cam chain tensioner on it. This is mainly because I now have no faith in the standard one, which in my opinion has a design flaw in that if the spring fails, there is no warning or fail safe, and its instant engine death.
I'm not saying that this is going to happen to anyone else ( twice FFS! ) but now I know it wont happen to me again, and I'm happy with that. I've not heard of it happening to any other Gen 1, but I have heard a rumour of it happening on early R1's, but that's not verified.
Still, there you go. I'm a bit older, a bit wiser, 500 quid out of pocket and nearly 3 months bikeless. In that weather we've just had. Talk about salt in the wound

pilgrim · « **Reply #63 on:** 30 July 2013, 12:15:53 am »

http://uk.search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A7x9Qbth9vZRgj0AkERLBQx.;_ylu=X3oDMTByNGxmazk4BHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA2lyZAR2dGlkAw--/SIG=12cq37trg/EXP=1375168225/**http%3a//www.r1-forum.com/forums/showthread.php%3ft=265598

pilgrim · « **Reply #64 on:** 30 July 2013, 12:28:50 am »

Same tensioner, different bike, same result.
http://uk.search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A7x9Qbt6.fZRuDMAsShLBQx.;_ylu=X3oDMTBzM2NhNWVzBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMjYEY29sbwNpcmQEdnRpZAM-/SIG=12bpke0at/EXP=1375169018/**http%3a//www.r6-forum.com/forums/showthread.php%3ft=93725

Strifae · « **Reply #65 on:** 30 July 2013, 09:33:49 am »

This is probably a daft question but does this effect the FZ1?

snapper · « **Reply #66 on:** 30 July 2013, 10:01:14 am »

Pilgrim

Quote from: pilgrim on 30 July 2013, 12:28:50 am

Same tensioner, different bike, same result.
http://uk.search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A7x9Qbt6.fZRuDMAsShLBQx.;_ylu=X3oDMTBzM2NhNWVzBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMjYEY29sbwNpcmQEdnRpZAM-/SIG=12bpke0at/EXP=1375169018/**http%3a//www.r6-forum.com/forums/showthread.php%3ft=93725

All I get from this link is

Gone

This link is not authorized by Yahoo! If you would like to continue to this link's intended destination at your own risk, click here.

VNA - BMW Wank · « **Reply #67 on:** 30 July 2013, 06:30:16 pm »

snapper, click on the bit that says "here", it's OK.

Pilgrim, Thanks. Sorry to hear of your troubles. Seems lighting can strike twice. Nae luck!

With thousands of bikes out there, it's seems to only a small number that have been effected (so far).

I just have the niggling feeling that a manual adjuster might produce new problems.

Sitting on the fence for now. Would make the move if I'm sure it's def a win win.

Hedgetrimmer · « **Reply #68 on:** 30 July 2013, 07:23:25 pm »

I get where you're coming from VNA, but the only problem I can see anyone having with a manual is if you get lazy and don't adjust it when things start to get a little noisy. No moving parts - nothing to go wrong? And the ones Devilsyam has put us all on to do look to be very good quality. On the other hand, I've had four thous now and never had a problem - worked in bike shops and never seen one come in with a problem either. But then you see/hear about something like pilgrims and , well, maybe it'd be nice to have the peace of mind anyway?

PieEater · « **Reply #69 on:** 30 July 2013, 10:17:38 pm »

Quote from: nick crisp on 30 July 2013, 07:23:25 pm

...the only problem I can see anyone having with a manual is if you get lazy and don't adjust it when things start to get a little noisy.....

Same here, whilst I can see that a gradual increase in engine noise might be hard to detect if you ride regularly, judging from the noise produced with a slightly slack cam chain when fitting the adjuster - it will become pretty obvious that it needs doing before you're in danger of the chain slipping one of it's cogs

VNA - BMW Wank · « **Reply #70 on:** 31 July 2013, 07:56:12 pm »

Well booked my bike in for a valve check.

I bought the bike from Ride On in Glasgow in 2004, but after the PDI mess and the first and only bike shop service she's had at one year old, well I'd rather avoid their mechanic. I don't want him to ever touch my bike again.

The mechanic at the place I go for for my MOT's bull shitted me one year (I'd cleaned your brake callipers up and bled the brakes too he told me). So I had to pop em back off when I got up the road worried he'd cleaned all my red rubber grease off that I put on a couple of days previous. But the most he done is bleed the already well bled brakes.

Where to find a mechanic you can trust?

I spoke to Jim Allen Motorcycles in Falkirk. But their work shop is fully booked for weeks ahead (not cheap either), so they put me onto a fella that used to work for em.

Anyway the fella at Jim Allen, said yeah we get a good few tensioner failures. But when I mentioned bent valves he said - nope not had any em. Just folks riding in with rattling chains from tensioners that have given up the ghost. He said the only manual tensioners they had fitted were to race bikes and they wouldn't recommend them for road bikes.

Anyway hope the back street fella I'm booked in for is OK. He sounded like he knew his stuff on the phone and seemed keen as well. I've got quite a few hours to kill in Falkirk on Monday. Says the bike will have to sit and cool for a couple of hours first as he may have to take the radiator out. I was thinking, tank off, cam cover off, bobs yer uncle?

Hedgetrimmer · « **Reply #71 on:** 31 July 2013, 08:15:43 pm »

Did he give any reasons why he wouldn't fit them to a road bike? I've tried looking on other forums regarding this subject, but can't find anything conclusive.

VNA - BMW Wank · « **Reply #72 on:** 31 July 2013, 08:36:57 pm »

He said you tend to get more wear with a manual tensioner, ie chain stretch.

That doesn't matter on a race bike I guess, where you just wanna make sure the tensioner never jumps.

And I guess while now and again I give my thou a good thrashing, I'm probably still giving it nothing like the abuse a race bike will get.

Oh he also said the failures are kind of random, but more young low mileage bikes than older higher mileage ones.

I'll ask the fella that's checking my valves what he thinks. Fingers crossed at 5000 miles overdue they'll be fine! Pain in the butt getting them done, where ever I go I'm stuck for the best part of the day till I get my bike back. Cafes and book shops here we come. Hope they have a good book shop in Falkirk.

VNA - BMW Wank · « **Reply #73 on:** 31 July 2013, 09:07:07 pm »

Anyway I think at the moment I'm doing nothing, just run as.

If it turns out there is a wear issue with the Yamaha spring tensioner I'd consider fitting a new Yamaha tensioner.

But for sure if I'd have had Pilgrims experience I'd probably never have a bike with a spring tensioner again.

Wondering what the Gen2 has, is it spring or hydraulic?

PieEater · « **Reply #74 on:** 31 July 2013, 10:06:30 pm »

Given that bikes have run for decades with manual cam chain tensioners I kind of find it hard to accept that they are now suddenly only fit for race bikes. I was told by a well meaning mechanic that I didn't need to service my EXUP because it had ceramic bushes, I ignored his advice based on the advice I was given on these forums and I am glad I did.

I chose to fit a manual tensioner because my bike is over 12 years old and parts are starting to fail, to my mind eliminating the chance of the automatic tensioner failing with catastrophic results was worth the £35 investment just for the peace of mind. If you don't want to fit a manual tensioner then don't, chances are you'll be fine.