SuzukiSavage.com - Step by step walkthrough to check my tensioner

PDX-LS650 Ex Member	Step by step walkthrough to check my tensioner 04/19/15 at 12:31:39 I just bought a 2001 with 11,000 miles on it. I want to check my chain tensioner but don't have much experience working on motorcycles. If someone could post a guide on how to remove the cover just so I can eyeball the thing and maybe get an idea of how much it's extended - that would be great!!
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Kris01 Serious Thumper Offline Eat, sleep, RIDE! Posts: 3767 Tennessee Gender:	Re: Step by step walkthrough to check my tensioner Reply #1 - 04/19/15 at 12:36:38 http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?board=tech;action=display;num=1191167029
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PDX-LS650 Ex Member	Re: Step by step walkthrough to check my tensioner Reply #2 - 04/21/15 at 14:38:22 Well, here's my tensioner. I measured it at 18mm! 11,000 miles is too darned soon for a cam chain to "wear" like that! Suzuki should have backed up it's bikes better. It's off the bike now and I'm writing Versy for one of his. BTW, how hard is it to change a cam chain?
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Kris01 Serious Thumper Offline Eat, sleep, RIDE! Posts: 3767 Tennessee Gender:	Re: Step by step walkthrough to check my tensioner Reply #3 - 04/21/15 at 17:46:00 Suzuki dropped the ball on this one. It's a bargain basement bike to them.
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carcaveman YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 35 Tucson, AZ Gender:	Re: Step by step walkthrough to check my tensioner Reply #4 - 04/21/15 at 20:22:50 I just took my cover off and found that I am at 19 mm!! Mine is a 2001 with just over 8,000 miles. I'm going to replace the chain. Waiting for parts to arrive... David
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Steve H

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Re: Step by step walkthrough to check my tensioner
Reply #5 - 04/22/15 at 17:00:32

There was someone on here who said he replaced the spring in his tensioner with a slightly weaker one. I believe the thinking behind this is something like as long as you take out the major slop it really doesn't matter if it's a tiny bit loose. Without a super strong spring pushing past the ratchet point all the time, it might allow the chain to stretch more normally and live longer. I can see this after using and adjusting manual tensioners.

I have not heard any progress reports since the initial posting. no idea how many miles he's got on it since then or what is the state of the chain. I bet he gets 3 times the mileage out of it. There's no reason that heavy chain with the light load it has should stretch so quickly.

Someone also mentioned taking out every other one of the ratchet teeth. I don't know if this ever happened or not. Or, if so, what the results have been.

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Re: Step by step walkthrough to check my tensioner
Reply #6 - 04/22/15 at 17:31:49

Steve H wrote on 04/22/15 at 17:00:32:

There was someone on here who said he replaced the spring in his tensioner with a slightly weaker one. I believe the thinking behind this is something like as long as you take out the major slop it really doesn't matter if it's a tiny bit loose. Without a super strong spring pushing past the ratchet point all the time, it might allow the chain to stretch more normally and live longer. I can see this after using and adjusting manual tensioners.

It's not a super strong spring but it could use a lighter one there.
old Ø .384, wire Ø .040, 2.80 length
new Ø .330, wire Ø .038, 2.66 length

Quote:

Someone also mentioned taking out every other one of the ratchet teeth. I don't know if this ever happened or not. Or, if so, what the results have been.

Jog mentioned it every so often. No real way to do this, it'll take a grinder and you'll more likely end up with no teeth.

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Re: Step by step walkthrough to check my tensioner
Reply #7 - 04/22/15 at 23:22:27

@PDX LS650
It's a bit of work changing the cam chain. I to was at 18mm and ordered the Versy tensioner. Pop it on, put the bolt in the second hole, tighten it down, install the C-clip on the other end and pull the bread tie and pow your done.

I just (right now) pulled my cover to install a gasket (didn't get here before I was ready to do the swap so I used gasket maker) and my Versy tensioner is out exactly 1mm. I've put about 2500 miles on it since the swap. So not only did it fix the problem but it's releasing at a slower rate than the factory tensioner. At this rate I'll need a new chain before I hit the end of the range of release for Verslagen's tensioner.

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Re: Step by step walkthrough to check my tensioner
Reply #8 - 04/23/15 at 03:20:34

Steve H wrote on 04/22/15 at 17:00:32:

Without a super strong spring pushing past the ratchet point all the time, it might allow the chain to stretch more normally and live longer. I can see this after using and adjusting manual tensioners.

Someone also mentioned taking out every other one of the ratchet teeth. I don't know if this ever happened or not. Or, if so, what the results have been.

MMRanch said he replaced his spring with a lighter one. He had no specifics as it was just something he had in his toolbox. I also have a bit lighter one in mine.....it is the lighter one that Verslagen listed. Neither one of us have popped off the cover for a while to report on what the progress is...my bike only has about 7,000 miles on it.

There is no way to remove every other tooth.....as the pawl that engages the plunger has multiple teeth that engage. So about 5 very small teeth on the pawl engage the teeth on the plunger at the same time.....it is not possible to remove any of them.

I am considering the idea of locking the pawl in place so the plunger doesn't move routinely....then each winter as part of my winter maintenance work I can take the cover off and allow the plunger to reset. I have no idea how many miles could be ridden before the chain became "too" loose....or what damage might occur if the chain was sloppy.

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