Dave wrote on 01/10/14 at 03:52:31:I searched some forums on other bikes and one fellow had gone 10,000 miles without an adjustment on a sport bike, others claim they check theirs once of twice a season.
Currently, on the mileage champ, ~35k miles for ~13mm of plunger extension (assuming they start with 6mm extension) for 2700 miles per mm. Let's estimate we can double that to 5000 miles per mm. How much slop can we live with?
That puts it right on par for the required cylinder head bolt retorqueing that we never do and clutch inspection/rod replacement that we might need to do.
Quote:One potential way to keep the current automatic tensioner.....and also make it manual.....would be to establsh some sort of a lock on the ratchet pawl that could be released and reset from the outside. If the pawl on the ratchet could be locked in place to prevent the tensioner from extending automatically - you could ride until you thought it was time to allow the tensioner to reset. You could then release the lock, turn the engine over a few times and allow the tensioner spring and ratchet to take a new setting, then tighten the lock on the pawl again. At this point I don't know what form that lock would be to make it so you could operate it from outside the case.....
I think I like this idea and can see an easier way to do it. Replace the stock pawl spring with a heavier one so the pawl will lock the plunger in place. Replace the shoulder bolt that ties the plunger to the front guide (tensioner) with one that has a pin extending to the case. make a formed wire that can be inserted thru the oil fill and grab that pin and give it a tug to extend the plunger.