Improper cam chain adjustment

What would the affects of adjusting cam chain tension without being at TDC be like? A little while back I adjusted mine and noticed more noise than before, now I'm thinking that was my mistake. Probably rode a couple hundred miles since then with no other issues. Changed the oil and no rubber chunks or anything in there. Just hoping redoing the adjustment properly will get rid of that noise.

I dont know if my reply will help u or not,,but i bought a manual cam chain tensioner,,instructions stated to crank the engine over with the kick starter as you tighten the adjuster till you feel tension,,i also read,,once u get it close,,start the bike and adjust it till theres no more noise,then lock it down,,,again, i dont know if my reply will help u or not,,good luck friend

The idea behind TDC position is providing maximum chain slack at the adjuster.

A good carb sync may greatly reduce cam chain noise at idle and low rpm.

Good Fortune!

Thanks for the replies. I might go for a manual tensioner sometime in the near future. Until then I'll see if re-doing the adjustment correctly helps. The noise seems to be at all RPMs. It doesn't really get louder, just faster to match the engine speed.

I'm sure the carbs could use a more accurate sync. I've only tried a running sync once with these VM29s and it was such a bitch I couldn't quite get the hang of it. Ended up with them so far apart I had to take them off and do a bench sync to get the bike running again.

Almost forgot I took a video at idle right after adjusting the tension. It was a few months ago and doesn't seem to be as loud now, or maybe my ears just got used to it. Try to hear past the shitty sound quality and ignore the very beginning where my phone was against the tank.