KZ1000st cam timing help.

What is the safest way to move my intake cam timing back 1 tooth? Remove tensioner? Lock tensioner and loosen up chain roller between cams? or??

I found that the intake cam is advanced 1 tooth. This is from a professional shop that did a 1045 10.25-1 kit a few years ago and the bike sat ever since. What effect does the cam being out 1 tooth have?
I have run the bike with no exhaust or airbox just to evaluate it a bit after I bought it. It would start easy, idle pretty good but would not take any throttle at all without dying, it would also run up to 6500 rpm with full choke on. The carbs are spotlessly clean inside. I am aware that it won't run very well without the exhaust and airbox, just providing observations to this point.

Thank you.
Don

I'm guessin that if you KNOW that the cam is one tooth off, you already have the tensioner out and the cam cover off. At this point, it's just a matter of pulling a little slack in the chain and moving the cam. The procedure is well-described in the factory shop manual.

Running the engine without intake or exhaust will tell you nothing except that the engine will start and that you may have some latent desire to trash the exhaust valves. Put it all back together, then worry about how it runs.

I was concerned that simply removing the tensioner might create enough slack for the chain to fall off the crank gear, Sorry, my KZ1000st shop manual does not describe how to best move a cam.
The bike is in the process of being torn down and rebuilt, I don’t have a suitable airbox or exhaust at this time. It did seem prudent to at least start it and evaluate what I have and take it from there.
Trash exhaust valves by running under no load for 2 minutes?? Uhh... I don’t think so. But, thanks for your help anyway.

Don
What you need to do is fairly simple.
Since you know the intake camshaft is advanced by one tooth, I assume that you have some mechanical background to work with.
This may take more hands than you have, so someone to help you would work to your advantage.
Remove the center cam chain idler assembly.
Keep some tension, by hand, in the middle of the chain where you have just removed the idler assy.
Very slowly rotate the crankshaft in the clockwise direction using a 17mm wrench on the right side of the crank on the timing advancer.
While you are doing this, grab the chain on the back side of the intake camshaft gear.
Pull the chain back and up while you are slowly rotating the crankshaft.
You will feel the slack in the chain as it works it's way to the back of the motor.
As soon as you have enough slack in the chain at the back of the motor to allow the cam chain pin to move forward one tooth, press down hard on the center of the chain.
This should allow you to retard the intake cam one tooth.
Reinstall the center idler and check your cam timing marks.
A Mark II motor has 32 teeth on the camshaft sprocket.
This means that your cam timing was off by 11 1/4 degrees.
If you were lucky, no valves contacted each other.
Put the header on and see if it runs correctly.
If not, do a leakdown test to see if yhou have any bent valves.
Hope this helps.

OK, Got it done-thank you. I did exactly as you instructed (plus lock down tensioner).
Pretty easy, nothing to it. I guess I was a little aprehensive. 30 years ago, I was doing a top end on my 78 Z1R and I managed to get the cam chain off the crank gear. The darn thing would still turn the cams and look good until I hit the starter. Bent valves will teach you to slow down and be carefull.
I did a compression test. Now that the intake cam is timed right, the compression is 175lbs instead of 200lbs prior. ( and my rebuilt starter clutch is working perfectly) I'm a happy guy!

Thank you.
Don