I'm just going to get this out of the way. I know most people advise to use Verslavy's tensioner mod, but in my case I happened to find a new one for fairly cheap and ready for immediate use.

After I replaced the old one with a new one, why does it still seem like it's ready to pop out again? Should I be concerned?

brianho2112 wrote on 06/11/14 at 15:54:01:


They replace the cam chain. Then, in 10 or 15 thousand miles, you are right back where you started.

I see. Thank you so much for the clarification.

In the future, until you know ya know what youre doin, ask before spending, UNLESS your billable hourly rate is over $400.00 an hour,, then, ehh,, spend it Baby!

Wasnt meant to be. Weve saved lots of people lots of time & $$$. Once someone has been here a while theyve read enough & they know when its time to drop some $$$ or ask for "How do I do this" advice. And, we DO have a member who has sufficient income to make working on the bike simply not a smart move. You know that if Bill Gates was "On the clock" & paid from exactly 8 to 5 & IF he was late, his pay reflected it, & he was gonna be EXACTLY on time IF he didnt break stride and he saw a $100.00 bill on the sidewalk & he turned around & bent over & pocketed it, he would be goin Bakkerds? If someone makes enuff $$$/hour it simply doesnt make sense to work on it yourself, unless someone sees maintenance as just part of the "owning a motorcycle" experience & they want to.. BUt seriously, how many people who have put themselves in a position to earn that kinda $$$ have any desire to get greasy? I know of only one, Leno,.,.

I apologize if that came off snarky,, I only meant to extend advice that will save you $$ & time & frustration. Once youve been around a while, YOULL be doin that for others,, Easy mistake to make, frustrating & unfunny,, but NOW you have a "core", If its not oval inside the tube the arm slides into then maybe Verslagen would like to have it. He could fix it up,, OHH,, wait a Minnit!  If its healthy, send it to him or find someone to mod it locally.. then see if he wants the new one, YOu can slap the modded one in & wring the rest of the miles outta that chain & He can have an "On the shelf" unit, ready to go,,

Like they said, the problem is not your tensioner, it's your chain.  During use, with heating and cooling and pressure on them, they stretch. When stretched enough, you get the tensioner coming apart or just about to come apart.

The factory will tell you it's time for a new timing chain. But, the chain is nowhere near out of it's serviceable limits according to the factory specs.

Verslagen's tensioner lets you continue to extend the tensioner outwards to get full life of the chain by having an extra hole so the plunger stays back in the body and you still get the tension you need.


Versy:
Has anyone ever made a manual tensioner or done any kind of testing to see if the automatic tensioner is actually causing the chain to stretch so quickly?

Steve H wrote on 06/12/14 at 16:02:54:


There has been a few that said they were going to do it, but we've never heard any more about.

There are several ways to wash a cat, most will leave you bloodly and the smart ones send the job out.  

The mean ones just keep flushing.  

We test by experience and measure by observation.
The only difference between long mileage and short are long trips vs. short.  The more miles you put on a heat cycle, the longer it lives.