billet manual cam chain tensioner

School teacher you had me worried there for a moment.... Thank god he was busting your balls! hahahahahahaha :laugh:

APE Jay, what is considered "Under hard acceleration"?
Example, Really jumping on the throttle going through the gears, racing or does this also translate into normal acceleration for the everyday rider?

Not trying to start anything, just trying to educate my mind...

OMR

How come the stock tensioner "backs off " when its held in place with a lock nut? Or does this just refer to automatic adjustment types?
Are the ape instructions available on the web here or any where?
I will probably get one if only cos they look trick!

omr taking it up to 10-11000 rpm then slamming the throttle shut, stever the lock nut only holds the bolt in place on the tensioner body the bolt butts up against the tensioner pushrod,it is a friction fit on the tensioner itself so under hard accel then decell the weight of the chain and roller assembly whipping back and forth can move the pushrod back in the body of the tensioner causing all kinds of havoc with the camchain and valve timing,if it backs off enough it could cause the cam chain to jump teeth,that is a very extreme case but it could happen

I was not complaining about either above. To me there are two schools of thought, and I have seen both show good and bad in various engines that use a chain tensioner setup like these.

The automatics work and are cost efficient for what the factory had in mind. now how many of us ride the way the factory had in mind?

The automatics work, require no adjustment, and will last if the engine is maintained properly for a long time.....thsi has been proven time and again. They do not like hard riders on a consistent basis, as the springs will break if you stay in it all the time....it happens, and will always happen....nature of the beast. If you are a fairly mild rider (I'm not), then expect to be replacing these on a reasonably regular basis.

The manuals work too! 2 minutes or so of adjustment during an oil change is not a bad thing. I can live with that, and I am sure others can too. Besides, the manuals don't back off like the autos do as was noted above.....but if maintenance and adjustment are not your thing (personally it is washing mine more than maintenance....lol) then consider an auto unit.

Both work, and work well. Now it is up to you to decide what you will live with....

Doc

Cheers Timebomb, didnt realize there was that much force, will get one now then!

Please don’t make the mistake of thinking the auto units, automatically adjust themselves. ON a KZ900/1000 they do not.
So no matter witch 1 u have u still have to adjust it. The only dif is that the auto 1's have a spring to automatically set the tension when you MANUALY release the hold down bolt.
Timebomb33
Why do we need to set it at TDC ? Isn’t the cam chain tension the same at any degree of rotation.?
I just loosen the locknut and turn the bolt in by hand until it contacts the chain lightly. Is there anything wrong with this method? The APE package said to turn it in until u hear contact if I recall. But I cant hear anything .I only have 1000 miles on my new cam chain but I have adjusted it 3 times all ready ( I got a couple turns each time).Much like the drive chain. They all stretch.

There's always some confusion between the "auto" and "manual" tensioner. In a nutshell the "manual" used from 1973-78. Manual meant you turned the engine over to a specific point then loosened the 6mm locknut, then the 6mm bolt on the tensioner, then spring pressure in the tensioner took up slack in the chain. Tighten the 6mm bolt to hold the adjustment then the 6mm nut to hold the bolt. It would take quite a bit of backpressure to press the tensioner back in it's body so I wouldn't worry about it unless you're running a drag bike. This tensioner is recognized by the 6mm bolt with several threads visible and the 6mm locknut.
The "auto" type first seen in 1979 looked just like the previous tensioner except there was a single 6mm bolt tightened up flush with the body. This tensioner was fully automatic meaning it could only tighten and never loosen, so driving down the road spring pressure was always pressing on the chain and as the chain stretched the tensioner would adjust tighter by spring pressure but could never retract in it's bore. This automatic used some kind of wedge design to keep the tensioner from possibly retracting in it's bore. I don't see this one as a problem either although it's had a bad rap over the years. In 1981 they changed the auto to a different look on the 1000-1100, but still functioned the same way. As I've mentioned before the auto has much less adjustment range so guys like me that would rather ride than replace the camchain every 30,000 miles would better off choosing the manual. I'm sure ape tensioner works great too, but nothing wrong with either Kawasaki setups on a "normal use" bike. Normal use varies by rider. I've never had any problem with either.

Great info there Ron.

by going to top dead center on number 1 you will rotate the motor and get as much slack at the rear of the cam chain then set the tensioner as follows back off lock nut turn in tensioner until it makes contact with the chain you will feel pressure on the bolt then back off 1/4 turn then lock it down with the jam nut. hope that help's clear things up.

So basically we just want to be sure that the slack is on the back side of the chain by advancing the motor. There is no real correlation with TDC. Is that right? This has been my thought process.

Great rundown on the stockers Ron. I'd probably still be running one but had a clearance issue with the carbs of choice on the KZR.

Thanks for the info Jay.

Happy with the results after the manual was installed for three reasons now.

1 - I'm hard on the pipe.
2 - Provided carb clearance for the RS without intake track extension.
3 - Less parts in the assembly.

3, was the final straw for me. I like simple effective designs. The shim stack locking spring stockers IMO had a tendency to bind. Too many damn parts for a simple need.

One other issue found during motor assembly of the KZR was the rear head cover thread bore intersects the top chain tensioner thread. Not sure any other KZ are afflicted by this (IMO) flaw with design/manufacturing process of the head. Didn't notice this on my GPz head and will look if ever pulled it out of storage again.

Placing the wrong length fastener on the top (as I did) will only allow about three threads on the outside of the head take the load. Not enough as were talking aluminum threads under loads of pressure and heat.

So word of caution. Keep account of what length fastener is needed to get all of the threads in play attaching any of the chain tensioners.

mark1122 wrote:

So basically we just want to be sure that the slack is on the back side of the chain by advancing the motor. There is no real correlation with TDC. Is that right? This has been my thought process.

I agree with you, but also follow the FSM T mark alignment advice, because T mark alignment seems the quick and easy way to assure maximum slack in the camchain's rear run when setting the tension adjustment.

FSM says handturn crank and stop when either 1/4 or 2/3 T mark aligns with casemark. If accidently go past T mark, don't turn backward, just again handturn forward and stop when T mark aligns with casemark.

These FSM instructions are included in the tensioner adjustment process, which FSM instructions also explain the need to maximize slack in the camchain's rear run.

Due to these FSM instructions, I believe the T mark alignment is one method (perhaps the easiest method) whereby maximum slack is assured in the camchain's rear run. But I don't know whether the T mark alignment is the only method to assure maximizing slack in the camchain's rear run while setting the tension adjustment.

Have also heard of further maximizing slack in the camchain's rear run by hand-twisting the camchain sprocket (beyond the normal engine tension at TDC) while setting the tension adjustment.

Good Luck!