Finally i can ditch the ape cam chain tensioner

well i just scored an oem Cam chain adjuster of ebay for the 74 z1 900. It seemed no matter how much i tried to adjust the ape adjuster it was never right. So hope fully now with an oem one the z1's engine will be quiet again:)
Here is a link to the auction
item=320094849423

Post edited by: N0NB, at: 2007/09/09 20:28

I have one of those automatic adjusters on the 650 I just take it apart each down season and clean it goood and check the balls in it for wear,, It works great. Although I have seen posts on here that say they are a piece of crap.
Ride Safe

ya, the cam chain was getting a bit loud. the manual ones are a pain to adjust

damm!
buy it now for $47?
i really need to start listing them.
i usually toss them in favor of the ape tensioner.
just my opnion but i like the ape one better.

This is probably a dumb question but if you are changing from an original cam chain tensioner to a manual APE one or vice versa do you have to line up any marks or have to do anything to make sure that the chain does'nt drop off the crank sprocket and comes back on a different link ?

JR wrote:

This is probably a dumb question but if you are changing from an original cam chain tensioner to a manual APE one or vice versa do you have to line up any marks or have to do anything to make sure that the chain does'nt drop off the crank sprocket and comes back on a different link ?

Hey John - I am with Steve on preferring the APE over the factory one since I had nothing but hassles using old, reconditioned adjusters.

The installation is a piece of cake since the APE adjuster is installed after the cams are already lined up and torqued down. There is no risk of the cam chain jumping a tooth on the top or bottom gears as you don't need to get that far into the engine for disassembly.

You should remove the tank and coils so the valve cover can come off. You will also want to disconnect the throttle cables and the carbs so you can have some room to work on the adjuster area, especially to make sure the little gasket is on square.

Remove the old factory adjuster and the take off the points plate on the right side of the engine. This way you can get a 17 mm socket on the nut to manually turn over the engine and take up the cam chain's slack.

Install the APE adjuster that comes with the two bolts and the gasket. If I am not mistaken there are two different lenght bolts the same as are installed in the factory adjuster.

Back off the lock nut on the adjustment bolt so the pushrod bolt can be turned inward to the point where it comes in contact with the cam chain. You will feel and see when the APE adjuster bolt touches the chain.

Once you have made contact with the adjuster bolt and the chain, back out the bolt 1/4 turn. The final installation step is to tighten up the lock nut which will keep the adjuster in the correct postiton.

I would then turn the engine over a couple of times manually and double check to make sure that everything is rolling freely.

Button everything up and you should be good to go.

If you decide to get an APE adjuster and have any questions, track me down and I can walk you through the process.

Cheers -Colin Firth-Ontario Canada

Post edited by: reborn650, at: 2007/09/09 17:57

The cam chain adjuster on my bike is still the original
with over 60,000 miles on it.Should I be worried?

reborn650 wrote:

JR wrote:

This is probably a dumb question but if you are changing from an original cam chain tensioner to a manual APE one or vice versa do you have to line up any marks or have to do anything to make sure that the chain does'nt drop off the crank sprocket and comes back on a different link ?

Hey John - I am with Steve on preferring the APE over the factory one since I had nothing but hassles using old, reconditioned adjusters.

The installation is a piece of cake since the APE adjuster is installed after the cams are already lined up and torqued down. There is no risk of the cam chain jumping a tooth on the top or bottom gears ........................................................
Cheers -Colin Firth-Ontario Canada<br><br>Post edited by: reborn650, at: 2007/09/09 17:57

Thanks Colin, thats exactly what I wanted to hear. A couple of years back I installed an APE tensioner. I just took off the old original one and bolted on the APE. Went throught adjustment procedure.,, rotated the crank, tightened down the APE bolt and backed off one flat before locking. All was well until last year when one day I just could'nt seem to get the adjustment right so I took it off and put back on the original. Later I wondered if in doing it the way I did I might have risked dropping the chain off the lower sprocket.

Sometimes reading a manual or these pages can make one fear the worst......or to put it another way sometimes ignorance is bliss

Post edited by: JR, at: 2007/09/09 20:33

tjettim wrote:

The cam chain adjuster on my bike is still the original
with over 60,000 miles on it.Should I be worried?

If it is working well then leave it alone. It doesn't hurt to take it off once a year to lube the pushrod, check the spring and ensure the locknut is working fine.

If you are suspicious about the reliability of the factory adjuster then check out the APE tensioners at Z1Enterpises.

Cheers-Colin Firth-Ontario Canada

If your not going to use the Ape adjuster , are you interested in selling it to me? I been looking for a deal on one for a big block motor im building. thanks much...jonnybiker