Amen to that.  Precisly why I got this bike.  Supposed to be easy to work on, provided you follow rules. lol.  I hear you on the deeper and deeper part. I had planned on looking into my bike later on this winter also after the miles had gotten more.  And hopefully I will get to wait till then.  I think I will.  I really, really like the bike.  It needs some tune up done, which I am going to follow step by step this weekend.  Hopefully one day I will be experienced enough with this bikes set up I can know a tenth of what the other guys on here know.  Until then I'll keep asking questions and try not to dig any deeper than my knowledge goes. If only I had listened to that little voice telling me not to turn the wrench...lol.

I am hoping that Justin will get back on here later and verify that what you thought earlier, and what I have been leaning toward, is indeed true that it did not come out.  But I would DEFINITELY do the adjuster check if I took the side cover off.  I am not sure how this thing was treated so I will probably be doing the check before the normal mileage.  If it turns out that I am probably alright now, this winter will be the time as it should have around 10,000 miles on it by then.  But, I might find myself bored one weekend coming up and do it then, lol.  Never know.  

How long would it take to get the after-market adjuster and parts in if it turns out that the stock adjuster is wearing rapidly?  I guess that is a question to ask when the time comes, but never hurts to have some fore-planing done.

jog, try pulling out that pin (if you still have the clutch cover open) to see if the guide will drop down far enough to allow the pin to be replaced.  I'm guessing it drop, but not far enough to allow the pin to be replaced.

verslagen1 wrote on 08/25/10 at 22:42:00:




Wouldnt be a fair comparisson. My guide is a 2 piece item, so the top isnt supported/weighed down by the lower half & the tensioner assy. the tensioner on mine was tilted down hard on the right side. The guide had fallen. Only difference is conditions. Mine was rolled around, engine turned to TDC, etc, etc.. A complete guide in an engine that wasnt being turned over, or bike moved up & onto atrailer,, etc.. might not let the thing move..

If I was afraid Id dropped the guide, what would I do?>
Id ask the engine guru types how to prove it w/o opening anything up.

Question.

If a guy loosened that hanger post up & rolled the bike front & back, wouldnt the guide rise &fall, wiggling the thing? Pull the p[lug to make it easier. Note, also, IF upon rolling backwards the pin gets slack in it but ittakes a couple inches of forward motion before the pin lifts, then its OFF..

JOG has a rare case which of busted guide due to a clutch cam failure.
DOESN'T APPLY TO YOU, NOTHING TO SEE. KEEP MOVING.
I have to do some maintenance, I'll check his idea out this weekend.
you'll find it very hard to roll the bike in gear with the sparkplug in.

You need one of these...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B001AOVBHG/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=2...

nathanhooper wrote on 08/26/10 at 17:12:55:

So now you know what it takes to make an ol' timer squirm.

Well I got to thinking...this is insanity!  The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and always coming up with the same outcome.  Well its close enough to the definition.

I bought my bike with the reasoning that it is a fairly simple piece of machinery, compared to most, and therefore it would not take a rocket scientist to work on it.  I am pretty mechanically inclined, when I am not making stupid mistakes like taking out bolts I have no idea about, and I like to work on my own things.  There is a ton of useful information on here, from very nice people, on how to go about tune ups and checking things, so on and so forth.

Why in the world am I sitting around guessing about whether or not it is off?  Is it worth taking a spill?  Blowing a engine?  Or is it worth the $20 bucks in materials, and time, to take the case off and look at the guide to know for sure?  No brainer.  Sure, no one like to have to do something if it is not absolutely required, but I think reason/common sense says that if a mistake was made, then you don't just try and cover up the mistake, you correct it.

Seeing how there is not a definite way of checking for sure, I am pulling the cover off tonight/tomorrow.  Besides, I bought the bike used, 8500 miles, 2005, two owners that I know of.  Seeing how these bikes are known to have problems with tensioner then would it not be a wise idea to inspect them right off hand anyways?  If you bought a car and knew the company had a tendency to have issues with one thing or another wouldn't you check them out?

Is this common sense?  Or am I being stupid again?  I think I am going to do the workup on this bike so I can be completely confident in knowing my way around it, and what shape it is in right now.  Checking tensioner, adjusting valves, air filter, carb check, etc.  I don't think it is a wise thing to rely on noises and mileage alone to be confident in a bike, at least not one you want to keep for any length of time.

I think that even if I had not taken the bolt out, it would be the wisest decision on a bike like this, to check out the tensioner.  I guess there would be some exceptions, like knowing the guy pretty well that you bought the bike from, one owner, very low miles, so on and so forth. But this is not one of those times.

Wish me luck!  Or tell me I am insane!  I've been reading up, but any other tips or tricks are sure appreciated.  I like pictures, so I will be taking a bunch.