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Oh yes, Today the 12th of the 12th 2009 I officially went APE!!!!!!!

No, not APES**T,..... APE.. as in Manual Camchain Adjuster..

Bliss! I LOVE IT!!!!!!

Here is a pic or two of the sexy beast in position.... fisrt I tilted the carbs... as shown to get some clearance..



Then I removed this monstrosity.....



Then I bolted in the new APE Manual Adjuster.



Once it was adjusted correctly the Engine sounded like a new bike, not a rattle or a tap just a gentle rustle of everything swishing around smoothly.

Now after 2 and a half hours of easy work ( i did some wiring too) I can give it some Throttle and not worry about the camchain jumping a tooth or a bent valve or destroyed engine. Well, I could if this damn rain would stop!

Best $50 I have ever spent!

the only way to fly......simplicity at it s best.......

you better be ready to adjust it at every oil change. if you don't, another running kz will be sent to the scrap heap.

What is the procedure for adjusting one of these??

otakar wrote:

What is the procedure for adjusting one of these??

Loosen Locknut, turn in BY HAND with engine running till the rattle ceases, then undo 1/4 of a turn and tighten locknut.

hoghaterkaw wrote:

you better be ready to adjust it at every oil change. if you don't, another running kz will be sent to the scrap heap.

Dude, I will adjust it every week if I have to.. actually being able to adjust it is a godsend. I have NEVER trusted those crappy self adjusters and always prefer a manual adjuster. when I had my own shop in the UK I used to make my own. I had the tools to do so then. I made them from a plastic similar to chopping board plastic, it machined well, was heat resistant and needed no locknut. the plastic gripped the threads well enough.

hoghaterkaw wrote:

you better be ready to adjust it at every oil change. if you don't, another running kz will be sent to the scrap heap.

How often do you change your oil?

I've had mine for about 2 years, and its been adjustment more times than I can count on my hands and feet!

But, yeah they work well, and are fairly easy to adjust.

I set TDC, then turn it in till it stops gentle then 1/8 out. Roll it over, check, then tighten.

Cheers.

hoghaterkaw wrote:

you better be ready to adjust it at every oil change. if you don't, another running kz will be sent to the scrap heap.

Why do they need to be adjusted so much as compared to the factory manual or automatic ones?

On the old KZs I used to adjust mine about every 1000mi. This being a Hi-Vo chain it should be adjusted less I would think. I was warned by a local mechanic, about over tightening. He said that a lot of damage could be caused by over tightening the chain.
Hay MartynBiker; if you don't want your old automatic adjuster, Can I have it? I just don't trust myself with the manual ones.

Set while "with engine running" Is this the spec out of the instructions? If so....

Set while @ TDC, yeah I get but I don't truly see the difference compared to OEM adjusters that had been in there for 30 years...

Meaning... OEM adjuster:
Set and adjust, ride for 500 to 1000 miles or when you start hearing some clatter/chain slap... Rotate crank to 1/4 @ TDC, Loosen OEM adjuster and let spring snap it forward for correct pressure then lock her down...

And this is accomplished without having to remove the carbs...

Other than the spring load, what was the difference again....

Ah well doesn't truly matter, if your happy with it, right on...

OMR

Old Man Rock wrote:

Set while "with engine running" Is this the spec out of the instructions? If so....

Set while @ TDC, yeah I get but I don't truly see the difference compared to OEM adjusters that had been in there for 30 years...

Meaning... OEM adjuster:
Set and adjust, ride for 500 to 1000 miles or when you start hearing some clatter/chain slap... Rotate crank to 1/4 @ TDC, Loosen OEM adjuster and let spring snap it forward for correct pressure then lock her down...

And this is accomplished without having to remove the carbs...

Other than the spring load, what was the difference again....

Ah well doesn't truly matter, if your happy with it, right on...

OMR

OK I can get the OE adjustment, because there was a spring to put the proper tension on the chain. Here it is at the adjusters discretion, at how tight or loose the chain should be. I just don't trust myself with these things. The large majority of these bikes are still running with the stock adjusters just fine so I will stick with the stock "automatic" adjuster for now.

I had a guy who had tightened his manual cam chain tentioner down so hard, it made a deep impression of itself in the rear guide! Now that was a snug chain! But upon inspection of everything else, and after more than 30K miles, there was no visible damage to the chain or engine, just the guides were severely worn and required replacing.

Another time, a guy showed up with his bike making a horrible rattling sound. I immediately recognised it as the cam chain, and upon inspection, his manual tentioner had come loose and nearly worked itself all the way back.
The engine never skipped a tooth or nothin, just tightened it up, and off he went!

These old engines are pretty resiliant! Thank god...

PS: "manual cam chain tensioners are designed to replace the automatic and hydraulic tensioners on high performance engines. The automatic adjusters can back out when the throttle is closed suddenly at high rpm. This allows the cams to go momentarely out of time, and can result in bent valves and/or serious engine damage. Hydraulic tensioners have a tendency to put too much tension on the chain guide under high rpm/high oil pressure conditions, resulting in premature wear.
" - As per APE website.

Cheers.