I want to ride with Brakelate and the BSA owners club next week end up to and around Lake Isabella and have no time to order ship and install one of those APE manual tensioners before leaving Friday.
I went to the GSXR forums and found guys talking about "getting another click" out of the stock tensioner by removing the bolt and sticking a screw or screwdriver into the hole and pushing to get the last click out of it. Apparently, the spring can use that help to get to its full extension. Anybody here ever try that?
What's the risk of doing nothing? Do the air/oil cooled GSXR engines ever throw a chain? Skip a tooth? when they are clacky loose?
Bike has 31,000 miles, head's never been off, stock.
What about changing the chain? Can you do it without splitting the cases? That is, can you use a master link cam chain? as opposed to an endless cam chain?
'86 GSXR - Cam Chain Tensioner Quick Fix?
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xbacksideslider
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Tetge
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Re: '86 GSXR - Cam Chain Tensioner Quick Fix?
You are not riding the Suzuki are you? Seems as if the Norton would be more suited from what I have seen of their rides. Or your KTM. I have no idea about the chain tensioner, other than it is a long way to walk home from Portuguese Pass if the chain failed.... Usually the guys with tech tips have detailed info, but, you could try it easily enough and start the beast up and listen to it to see if it sounded better.
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xbacksideslider
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Re: '86 GSXR - Cam Chain Tensioner Quick Fix?
Well, since the left side exhaust nut on the Norton stripped out near Pine Mtn Club, and since Brakelate logged a formal request for me to bring the red white & blue '86 GSXR to match up with his new to him red white & blue '86 Honda VFR 1000, that's the one I'm riding. At least they both have British colors. That said, but for Brakelate's request, the KTM, in light of the Norton's sad state, would be my ride.
Some research turns up that with 30,000 miles the cam chain should still be in spec and that the stock spring loaded tensioner is known to stick and fails to extend when it should. So, I'll get in there and release/remove the tensioner's spring cap and per the tipsters insert a short bolt or stubby driver and push the tensioner shaft in to see if I can get it to release and give me "another click" of tension. If I get such a click, then I may even shim the spring.
Some research turns up that with 30,000 miles the cam chain should still be in spec and that the stock spring loaded tensioner is known to stick and fails to extend when it should. So, I'll get in there and release/remove the tensioner's spring cap and per the tipsters insert a short bolt or stubby driver and push the tensioner shaft in to see if I can get it to release and give me "another click" of tension. If I get such a click, then I may even shim the spring.