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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> New to me 06 with 5800 miles concern !
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Message started by Ernie on 04/19/15 at 16:39:25

Title: New to me 06 with 5800 miles concern !
Post by Ernie on 04/19/15 at 16:39:25

So as you can see, I'm trying to get acquainted with this new to me bike. Been riding for 51 years but this bike is a first. My concern is this cam chain adjuster problem has me a bit worried. The bike has 5800 miles and has been very well taken care of. Am I understanding that I need to take the side cover off once or twice a year to inspect it.? I usually ride about 8-10k miles a year. Seems like a lot. Thanks

Title: Re: New to me 06 with 5800 miles concern !
Post by Dave on 04/19/15 at 19:45:44

The cam chain adjuster and cam chain stretch is a function of heat cycles as best we can tell. If you go for long rides the cam chain lasts a long time.....if you only go on 5 mile trips each time you start the bike the chain stretches in fewer miles. Maybe Sjkaskow will chime in....I know he went a very long time on the stock chain and he rode his bike just about every day.

Unless you hear a rattling noise down by your right foot.....inspect it at 10,000 miles and that will allow you to judge how fast your chain is stretching. The Verslagen modification will prevent the tensioner from being able to overextend and fall apart....plus it allows you another hole to double the time between cam chain replacement.

Title: Re: New to me 06 with 5800 miles concern !
Post by Ernie on 04/20/15 at 04:50:09

Please note I'm not challenging, I'm just concerned and this may have been discussed before but this cam chain problem these bikes have has got me thinking. Back in the 60s a few smaller cars,4 and 6 cyl would jump timing chains with backfiring. Backfiring puts an huge amount of stress on a chain as the piston really jacks in one direction or the other depending on where the piston is at any given time in it's stroke. My thought is that these little bikes are known for this problem to begin with. Does it make any since that this is a significant reason that these chains stretch so quickly and making the adjuster keep compensating and eventually reaching it end? Like I said, just trying to calm my worries.

Title: Re: New to me 06 with 5800 miles concern !
Post by Dave on 04/20/15 at 05:08:21

The backfire that the Savage is prone to is not really a backfire through the engine....it is an afterfire that occurs in the exhaust system. When the throttle is closed and the engine is compression braking (or between shifts)....the fuel jets are closed except for the small idle circuit. The engine pulls a lot of air past the slide with the high vacuum but can get very little fuel....and the mixture is so lean the spark plug cannot ignite it. The result is that the lean mixture goes into the hot exhaust system and is ignited there. The other afterfire issue occurs when the ignition key is switched off and the engine is coming to a stop....and while the engine is coasting to a stop it still is pumping air and fuel through the engine....and it results in a "woof" on some bikes when they are shut off.

The cam chain stretch on this bike occurs when the very tall engine cycles between hot and cold. The aluminum case, cylinder and head expand considerably and pull on the chain...and we believe the ratchet on the tensioner is too eager to move to another notch when the engine cools. Each heat/cool cycle puts a similar amount of stress on the cam chain.....so a 5 mile trip has about the same effect as a 100 mile trip.

Don't get paranoid about the cam chain. You only need to be aware that it is not a "set and forget" issue.....it should be checked at about 10,000 miles so you can establish what effect your riding style has on the stretch. This is a reliable and easy to maintain bike with just a few quirks (cam chain, vacuum petcock). We know of one bike with over 120,000 miles on it that is still ridden regularly (currently leading the group ride in Texas...Youzguyz), and several 50,000 mile bikes.

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1391195461

Title: Re: New to me 06 with 5800 miles concern !
Post by Serowbot on 04/20/15 at 07:52:50

Yup,.. we have "afterfires"...
I've never had a Savage do an actual "backfire"...
Real backfires are usually a timing problem,... and our timing is electronic and fixed...

Title: Re: New to me 06 with 5800 miles concern !
Post by Ernie on 04/20/15 at 09:01:05

Thanks a lot. Very informative ! I'm really into preventative maintenance. Like I said ,I ride a lot and am always tuned into what an engine is saying to me. I guess that's makes me pretty anal. At least that's what my wife tells me.