Cam Chain Replacement

Ok mabey I should give a little history on why I replaced the cahin in the manner I did. First off I have a "spare" engine in the bike. The original 1980 engine cracked the head and the engine currently in the bike I am running is a '79 e-bay special . This is the way I bought the bike, with two engines. I would like to drive the bike while I am doing a very complete overhaul on the original motor, so I have to get the "spare" motor in trim. It had a cam chain tensioner issue I discovered trying to find out why the chain wouldn't tighten. I am fairly certian that this motor has had lots of work done to it on various occasions. It has fantastic compression, runs like champ and doesn't leak anywhere. I checked the valve clrearences, and fixed the timming chain and tensioner rollers ( with used parts I had laying around, because I really don't care) and I put it back together so I can have some fun. This engine has some serious miles on it, has possibly had quite a few owners do quite a few things to it, and was bought on e-bay. I can say for certian the case was dismanlteled at least once on it, it has been bored out because the cylinders are not a standard diameter and the whole thing has been sandblasted. As far as I am concerned it's just a spare to have a bit of fun with while I build up the original motor... So there you have it.

The original engine on the other hand, is getting a fully re-worked head, guides, seals, springs and valves. A wiseco overbore kit. All new gaskets and seals (every last one) new bearings in the tranny, new timing components from APE and piles of other odds and ends. It shoudl run longer than I care to drive it when I am done.

I put new valve seals in and lapped the valves in winter of '06 so the only have 1 season on them. To redo it again is not a huge issue however I don't think it will be required at this time as there is no smoke at start up or any other time.

Cam chains do not have a master link. I just completely rebuilt my 77 650 so if is similar you will need to get deep inside. I would suggest purchasing a Clymer manual as the one that I had was very detailed and it will take you step by step.

I have the Kawasaki manual. As stated I have the K&L riveting tool from Z1, and as far as how the chains are made, it is from individual links all riveted together, this is not like a bicycle chain with a horseshoe type clip, the link will be riveted the same way or close to it as the rest of the chain.

If a camchain should break, yes that is an awful mess to say the least. I think Jeff at Z1 has seen this happen from reading prior posts, but I doubt highly it was caused by using a masterlink type camchain. In all the years I've ridden, I've never known a camchain to break on a KZ whether it original or aftermarket masterlink type.

You all raise perfectly good resins for doing that way.

Ill tell you what Kawasaki told me in 1973 at a class
put on by Kaw. For Kaw dealer mechanic.
Under no circumstances should the cam chain be broken
and repaired.

Your bike your risk. I don't blame you.

XENU

The rivited links are all press rivets and a standard chain tool will break the chain at any point. Z1 sells "master links" of the press in type, NOT the clip on tpye. Essentially that link is no different from any other link in the chain. As long as you use the chain tool correctly...

FastKaw1 wrote:

Ever see a motor after a cam chain comes apart? I have.
Guess what, There NOT much left to save. Not even the case haves.XENU

But, on an older bike, the cost of the full teardown to install an endless chain (parts and labor) is probably 5X what the bike is worth which means it goes direct to the junk yard anyway.

I am still 100% unconvinced that a properly installed master link in a chain is a problem. mainly, because I've been running one for 30 YEARS.....

FastKaw1 wrote:

You all raise perfectly good resins for doing that way.

Ill tell you what Kawasaki told me in 1973 at a class
put on by Kaw. For Kaw dealer mechanic.
Under no circumstances should the cam chain be broken
and repaired.

Your bike your risk. I don't blame you.

XENU

I remember that guy. same one who said it was a federal crime for me to change the size of the pilot jets in my carburetors or move the clips in the needles....

What do you expect a mouthpiece from the factory to say:

Yeah, you don't need to buy original Kawi parts at 500% markup, the aftermarket parts will work fine?

None of us will live long enough to hear that....

Well despite whatever the "correct" proceedure may be. There are some circumstances such as my own where it really dosen't matter. But as a design engineer for OEM manufacturer, I also work on service and repair proceedures (we build heavy equipment). I wiil admit we are guitly of doctoring proceedures to sell parts, and keep our dealers busy working on "legacy" machines. What I mean is as a product stratagy we make it hard and expensive to keep old machines running after a certian life span so people will buy new and because it is a pain for us to hold the inventory to service them. Also we reduce OEM sales prices to our dealers in expectation of revenue form parts sales over the life of the machine. Thats just the way the industry works. So there may be a bit of truth to the above post.

You QUOED the hole paragraph, but you didn't reed the last four words.

(I DON'T BLAME YOU)

He asked and I told him my reasons why I didn't think it was a good idea.
I did not tell him he was a---- for even thinking such a thing. Or under no
circumstances should he do such a thing. I told him what I thought and my
reasons for not doing it that way, and what Kaw told me.
Last time I checked that what this FORUM was all about.

I don't think I offended letthegoodtimesrool nor was the my intentions..
If I did, then I would be MORE then glad to apologize!


Now in early 1973 when I know there were no more A 1000 Z1's on the market
and ALL would be under warranty. You would tell a dealer to do it the more
costly/labor intensive way. ( Just a though) Not intended to start a flame war.

XENU

FastKaw1, I did not mean to imply at all that you are a "mouthpiece from the factory" in any way. Name calling won't help a discussion here at all. I was making the point that soemtimes an OEM has some "other" reasons behind its service proceedures.

So an endless is better and worse than a split chain.

Better because it does not inlvolve breaking and joining. By eleiminating those steps form the process you have eliminated a couple of things that could go wrong. By the same logic though endless cam chians have a drawback. Because you now have to dissassemble alot more the engine you alot of other work that could "go worng" too. In a shop setting under warranty though there is no contest between the two methods, so FastKaw1 does have a point there.


Anyway this is a good discussion for the forum because someone who has never done this before might now have an idea about it can be done, and can probably make a decision for themselves...