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Cam Chain Adjuster Life (Read 4455 times)
jkhulon73
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Re: Cam Chain Adjuster Life
Reply #15 - 10/11/07 at 08:18:20
 
Year: 1987

Miles: 7492

Original Adjuster: yes?

Plunger extension: 20.5mm

Cam Chain Stretch: 128.2mm

Estimated life of chain: I’ll trust someone else to tell me what that should have been (a rational man would expect it to last longer than 7500 miles...)

Indications: noisy valves regardless of adjustment/bad vibrations

Repair actions:

Tensioner guide: original looks fine to me, will reuse

Adjuster: the original looks fine for now, minimal wear, some surface polshing; intend to replace with Verslavy when my $$$ situation is better

Front Guide: looks fine as well, will reuse

Cam Chain: pulled original and ordered new, special-order chain (waiting for delivery  Grin )

I'm the third owner. Second owner swears that the mileage is accurate and that he only put about 2,000 miles on it himself. I've only put about 620 miles on it.
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Savage_Greg
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Re: Cam Chain Adjuster Life
Reply #16 - 10/11/07 at 10:43:14
 
Stinger needs to add his, which will change the whole Bell curve I think.

If he doesn't, I think that I can Smiley
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Savage_Rob
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Re: Cam Chain Adjuster Life
Reply #17 - 10/11/07 at 11:44:16
 
The indications on mine should be inspection, I guess.  I just wanted to put the modded adjuster in mine to avoid catastrophic separation while I was into that side to replace the clutch springs.
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1998|MAC muffler|ceramic coated header|K&N air filter|Amal Mk2 carb|Odyssey battery|iridium plug|NC windshield|Dunlop 491s|Superbrace|EBC brake rotor|12.5" Progressive shocks|Kuryakyn ISO grips
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skrapiron -FSO
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Re: Cam Chain Adjuster Life
Reply #18 - 10/11/07 at 11:50:58
 
Add to the chart:

Freeway, synthetic oil and easy does it riding.
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Everything I say is fully substantiated by my own opinion.
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youzguyz
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Re: Cam Chain Adjuster Life
Reply #19 - 10/11/07 at 12:05:51
 
Updates:

indications: the noise wasn't the cam chain, so, like Rob, I was just in there.  Did the measurement, put in the new tensioner.

oil: Mobil 1 VTwin

mostly found on: local

style: moderate speeds.

P.O. : 2  (I got it at 3,800 miles)

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Most motorcycle problems are caused by the nut between the seat and the handlebars. Make sure yours isn't too tight or too loose.
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justin_o_guy2
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Re: Cam Chain Adjuster Life
Reply #20 - 10/11/07 at 12:19:14
 
Replaced chain at 12,000 miles, tensioner at 18mm. I had used only MC 10/40 or 20/40 to that point. Bought new & broke in mostly by the book. Some highway miles, ridden to MY ability. I didnt baby it. I didnt just try to blow it up, either. The chain has another 5 or 6 thousand miles in it ( IF the amount of stretch can be extrapolated & the wear calculated),


but the whole tensioner system working (Failing?)together allows the spring loaded adjuster to extend to the max allowable long before the chain is used up.. Crappy design..
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Savage_Rob
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Re: Cam Chain Adjuster Life
Reply #21 - 10/11/07 at 12:44:17
 
If this goes into the mix... I always use full synthetic oil, either 15W50 or 20W50, changed every 2500 miles or sooner.  About 50% of my riding is freeway at 65-70 MPH with about 40% city/town riding (i.e. light to light) and the remaining 10% easygoing pleasure riding.  No speed-shifting, burnouts or wheelie attempts but we do get fairly hot weather in Dallas.
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1998|MAC muffler|ceramic coated header|K&N air filter|Amal Mk2 carb|Odyssey battery|iridium plug|NC windshield|Dunlop 491s|Superbrace|EBC brake rotor|12.5" Progressive shocks|Kuryakyn ISO grips
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jkhulon73
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Re: Cam Chain Adjuster Life
Reply #22 - 10/11/07 at 15:33:18
 
Filling in the blanks:

Type of Oil?  syn
Rider type? agressive moderate newb etc?  mod
where do you ride the most (freeways, highways, around town, etc.) local
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Re: Cam Chain Adjuster Life
Reply #23 - 10/11/07 at 19:04:06
 
approx. miles 14000
i change my riding style with my mood, sometimes fast sometimes slow
i'm at least the third owner
1987 model
don't know prior oil type, currently using valvoline 10/40 mc
adjuster was almost apart when i pulled the cover
fouling plug every third day, stalling, noisy

if only about two hundred of these bikes had this problem they wouldve picked up on it sooner than 87
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87 VM ED L
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Max_Morley
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Re: Cam Chain Adjuster Life
Reply #24 - 10/11/07 at 19:30:37
 
'96, mileage at failure 21,000 miles, frequent oil and filter changes 1500-3000 miles depending on use, various automotive rated synthetic oil since 4000 miles when I bought it used, 1 PO . Spring loaded tensioner tensioner unit was almost apart and aluminmum housing worn out of round at the top to 3 o'clock looking at the open end. Miles from dropping on the main drive gear. Bike is loaded with faring and wide hard bags and heavy rider but tend to ride in the lower RPM ranges rather than the high I don't wind it to the misfire point before shifting and like a thumper sound so will be close to lugging around town under light load. Did not measure chain replaced it and the spring loaded tensioner, assumed the chain had worn the pins and plates that much. Guides appeared to be unworn. I did replace the crank chain gear as I fractured it using an air impact wrench set the wrong direction on disassembly. Noise was the clue and the first posting of concerns on this site prompted opening her up for inspection as the valve adjustment was OK. Performance was OK still. Max
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Max at Thumper Acres. '96 Savage bagger, '03 Savage w/Cozy sidecar for wifeni.
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Yonuh Adisi FSO
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Re: Cam Chain Adjuster Life
Reply #25 - 10/11/07 at 20:46:42
 
my riding style is usually local in town traffic, without hard acceleration never going above 35mph. Makes occasional trip to next town which is 20 miles away on open road at 55 to 65 mph.
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Re: Cam Chain Adjuster Life
Reply #26 - 10/12/07 at 08:53:40
 
Table updated   Grin Grin
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Dr_Jim
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Re: Cam Chain Adjuster Life
Reply #27 - 10/18/07 at 20:00:14
 
-
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« Last Edit: 12/23/07 at 09:09:16 by Dr_Jim »  
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rokrover
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Re: Cam Chain Adjuster Life
Reply #28 - 10/19/07 at 07:14:52
 
Dr_Jim's observation sounds reasonable.  A single cylinder with just two cam lobes certainly cycles the cam chain between slack and tension more than a multi-cylinder engine where the tension is more even and constant.  My Ducati single had a gear driven OHC with a "hunting" mesh pattern - that way the same teeth don't line up every cycle so the wear is spread more evenly.  My impression is our 'Zooks chain is loaded by valve spring pressure unevenly so the chain has these tight (worn) spots.  One check might be the pin-to-pin measurement in several places around the chain.  Is the wear (stretch) evenly distributed - anyone done this?
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Odar
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Re: Cam Chain Adjuster Life
Reply #29 - 10/19/07 at 08:21:25
 
19000 miles (30500 km) no noise and I havent open it up, but I am going to this winter, driving the bike very hard all the time, changed to chain 17/43 this summer so I dont rev that hard on highway speed anymore.
I will update when I have measured the plunger.
Had the bike since new, change oil every 3000 km (1864 miles)

Odar
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Odar
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