The art of Zen riding is more fun then Zen wrenching IMHO.  But in order to ride with a clear mind some wrenching must be performed.  In this case every 5k miles.

To check your adjuster you have to remove a few things, gather a few tools and buy a gasket or 2.

Supplies:
You need a clutch cover gasket about $17
Or form-a-gasket, I like Ultra Grey.
And you may need a exhaust header gasket about $4
Your favorite oil.
Oil filter if you like.

Tools:
A 8mm socket for the clutch cover bolts.
A 19mm wrench or an adjustable metric wrench.
A 17mm socket for the foot peg mounting plate nuts.
A 14mm wrench to hold the other side.
A 17 or a 14mm wrench to drop the oil.
A 8mm allen wrench for the filter cover.
A 12mm socket and wrench for the muffler/header.
A Torque wrench
A big flat bladed screwdriver.
And External Snap ring pliers for small rings
And your favorite cake tin to drop the oil in.

Instructions:
Drop oil
Remove filter
Remove the right foot peg, leave the cables on, just get it off and let it hang out of the way, be careful not to over extend the brake switch cable, that little SOB is held in place with a plastic something or other that I've never seen cause I overextended it and it went poof!  Micro roach clips are a good replacement.
Remove the muffler and header together as one piece.
Disengage clutch cable, careful with the little tab that holds it in place, don't bend it any more than you have to.  If it snaps off, you can use a cotter pin instead.
Remove clutch cover bolts, note which ones have seals (3) and which ones are long (2).

W marks location of washers, arrows marks location of longer screws.
Remove the clutch cover.

Tip: 19mm wrench fits on the clutch lever to pop the cover loose or use the adjustable metric wrench.  And use big screwdriver on the offsets around the case to ease it off evenly.  There are 2 big pins which align the cover to case and they hang up the cover unless you pull it off evenly.  If you intend to reuse the gasket, you can ease the cover off about an 1/8" all around and check which side the gasket is stuck to, either the case or the cover.  It doesn't matter which, just not stuck to both.

The plunger attaches to the rear guide, aka "tensioner"
And it rests in the housing.  The plunger and the housing together are the adjuster.  Measure the amount the plunger sticks out of the housing.  When it sticks out more than 18mm (.71") It's time to do something.

Note: Past time to do something

To remove the adjuster remove the bolt that attaches it to the tensioner.  And don't loose the spring, it will come flying out.  Then remove the ring that holds the housing in place.  Housing should slip easily off then.  Don't loose the ring either.  And if your pliers has an adjustable stop use it, don't over extend these rings or you'll have to replace it.  That's a buck you don't need to spend.

Several things affect this projection.
Chain Stretch: SSM states the limit for 21 pins center to center is 128.8mm (5.07"),  when new it's 127mm (5").
Guide Wear: No specifications exist for this.  In extreme cases they have been known to separate from the steel backing and clog the oil pump.  So look for deep cracks or loose bits.  Pull the chain taunt (to the right) and the guide to the left and inspect round portion of the guide for wear.
Chain/Sprocket Wear: No sprocket wear has been reported.  Chain wear may contribute to plunger extension.

Once you've finished dropping everything on the floor, replace in reverse order.  Check the condition of your exhaust gasket and replace if necessary.  Check the condition of your clutch cover gasket, replace if necessary.  About 10 ftlbs on the oil filter and clutch cover, 50 ftlbs on the footpeg, 20 ftlbs on the header, muffler nuts tight.  All from memory so check your bibles for the actual range.

Make sure upon reinstalling the cover that your clutch cable hanger is in the upright position.  But if you've forgotten, put a wrench on the arm and swing it up, then you'll have room to swing the hanger up.

Don't forget to use antisieze on the header bolts, you may want to remove them some time in the future.


Leave the folded zip tie in place until the tensioner is bolted into the bike.

Then when it is all bolted in place....take out the folded zip tie.
The tensioner will self-adjust into place....you don't need to do anything.



If you chain has stretched enough to extend all the way out.....then use the 2nd hole.
Only once the plunger is all the way out, and it is held in place by a pawl on the bottom of the housing.  
Push it in and compress the plunger, and lock it in place with the folded zip tie.  
Readjust the chain guide to the 2nd hole, and pull the folded zip tie again.

I estimate 1mm is about 1,000 miles, it’s a rough guess, and w/out the pin and slot I wouldn’t go past 20mm (.787”).  
19mm (.748”) is the recommended max to prevent damage to the housing.

slavy wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:02:

You could look at every time you torqued the head bolts which the owners manual say every 3500 miles or every year.  right.  I know we'd rather ride than twist wrenches and getting to the clutch cover off is an hour of low down stuff.  A quick trip to the chiropracter. and an hour to put it back together.

Some adjusters have fallen out at 7k miles.  So 5k seems like a winner.  Take a measurement and make a guess when you want to look at it again.  One fellow here went from 17mm to 23 in 60 miles.  So don't take this measurement for granted, keep your ears peeled.

One thing I would definitely recomend to check out the condition of a new to you bike is to do this inspection asap.  It will tell you how the bike was kept.  If the bike is ran with out oil, this chain and the guides are going to suffer.  And there's a possibility that the owner is selling cause of this as this maitenance is probably in the neighborhood of $750.  Anybody have this done?  How much did the stealership nail you for?

verslagen1 wrote on 09/30/07 at 08:43:49:


To the list of supplies, I would add three washer gaskets (Suzuki P/N 09168-06023 or 09168-06024).  FYI, the gasket washers used with some of the head cover bolts are Suzuki P/N 09168-06023.

Some may consider new washer gaskets to be optional when doing this job, however, they are so cheap I put them in the category of "there is no reason NOT to replace them."

IHTH!

Checking the Cam Chain Adjuster is a great way to gage the condition of your bike.  How fast this wears is a good indication of how well the head is getting oiled.

vtail wrote on 08/08/09 at 12:28:17:


FWIW....

For my bike (see signature), the FSM lists the torque range for these bolts as being 3 -5 ft-lbs.  If the bolts are hardened, then the torque range is listed as 6 - 8.5 ft-lbs.

I don't think that these particular bolts are hardened.

Couldn't find the detailed sketch I know is in the SSM.  
This picture shows new on top and a used chain on the bottom.
And he's measuring the stretch over about 14", not the required 21 pin measurement.
So, stretch out the chain like shown, and it would be good to stretch it a bit.  One end on a nail, the other with a bungee cord, weight, whatever.  count off 21 pins, measure from center to center, but left edge of the pin to left edge is the same.
127mm or 5" is brand new.
service limit is 128.9mm or 5.075"
While you got it in your hand, check for any stiff links.
I'd replace it if you have any.

I think this post probably should be in rubber-side down, but if I get the answer then it will help others with little/no mechanical knowledge like myself when they find this thread.

I get why we do this check, but I don't seem to have found anything in this thread that tells a newbie like myself, what to do to fix the problems.

I mean if the chain is stretched I assume that obviously means replace cam-chain if passed the maximum stretch point.
And if the arm the plunger goes into has become (I think the term used was oblongated) through misaligned plunging, then a new arm is needed.

Am I correct here?

At 17822km on the clock I should check (I bought at 13000km) and without having any knowledge of what has been done mechanically before, it is a sure bet the plunger is not far off popping out of the arm.
I just don't want to check it only to find myself wondering 'ok it's almost farked...so now what?'