TOPIC:

I usually adjust the stock tighteners every spring when I clean. Never had a problem. Didn't know manual ones needed any more than that. I'll stick with stock too. 2 each their own.

otakar wrote:

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.

Otakar, sure you can have the old one, but the reason i took it out is because it was not working and the Camchain rattled! Maybe you can strip it n clean it n get it working.

PM me if your interested.

As for adjust with engine running, let me make it clear... I tighten the adjuster by hand as per instructions. then I start the Bike, and "fine tune" the manual adjuster so there is no rattle,it is only like a half turn in or out to fine tune. That is NOT the official way to do it, but I have been working on Bikes 30 years and it works for me. as I said it works for ME, try at your own risk.

Thanks

I have had two automatic chain adjusters go out on me. One because the outer spring housing broke and the other because the outer spring broke. If this one went bad it will be interesting what I find. I will let you know. i have already PMd you and sent you a PayPal payment to cover postage per request.

Otto

I forgot to mention. the last tensioner that went bad was making noise for about 9000 miles. When i did my engine rebuild was when I found the broken spring. The engine just rattled but ran just fine even with the bad tensioner.

otakar wrote:

I have had two automatic chain adjusters go out on me. One because the outer spring housing broke and the other because the outer spring broke. If this one went bad it will be interesting what I find. I will let you know. i have already PMd you and sent you a PayPal payment to cover postage per request.

Otto

Will Mail it tomorrow Otto, Thanks.

PS yep, i would be interested in your findings... I did not even bother to look at it, i just left it on the bench.

Martyn

Not a thing wrong with the stock manual tensioners or the APE tensioners.

I run a modified stock tensioner myself and it works great. But if you were around back in 79 when those first automatic tensioners came out you'd have seen what headaches they were.

Peace of Mind comes with a price....it's called maintenance

The earlier stock adjusters were fine just the later ones that weren't so hot. If your engine is stock might have been better to go with the pre 79 adjuster. My chain stretched with the .410 cams I have in it and started to rattle a bit so I had to take out the pre 79 and put one of those too. Next motor is coming completely apart and everything is going to be built up to handle. In this instance with this motor I am still kicking myself for not just leaving it stock and spending the money on my 79 instead. Although there is a noticeable difference it was a beast stock. Only reason why I had to take it apart was that P.O. had overfilled it and blew the head gasket before I got her but with 7k on the OD the only thing I should have changed was the head gasket and cleaned up the head a bit.
The thought of "well now that it has to be taken down why not go a little bigger and put some nice cams in?" still rings in my head as not the best idea I have ever had. The timing chain stretched and I had to put a manual in it to take up the slack.

When I got my APE tensioner for my 550 I had to go to Home Depot and get myself a new longer bolt and replaced the stock one.. It was way too short! The one I got was a bit too long, but that's not a huge deal.

Nice to see APE offers a 550 specific one with a longer bolt now.

I definitely love it, and am now considering getting one for my ZR550, as it's getting a little clattery.

Would installing one of these APE products help my 81 KZ550 rev out more? My bike runs fine at low rpms, but anything above 5 or 6k it hesitates real bad and just doesnt sound right. When it idles it also makes a lot of noise from the top of the heads (im guessing thats the cams, which this thread is about). But what about my RPM problem? Any ideas? Thanks

i am curious about your adjustment did you turn in by hand until you felt pressure or turn it in until you could not hear cam chain noise because i am adjusting mine back and forth on mt p20 and its not making any noise change?