1980 kz550c cam chain noise?

I'm still new to kz's, so bear with me here.

I've got a rattling noise from the very top end that I assume is the cam chain. I've loosened the adjuster to take up any slack and the noise might have quieted down a little, but it's still there.

The noise usually goes away once the bike is sufficiently warmed over, and doesn't seem to affect performance at all.
How would I check if I actually need a new cam chain, or if its a different issue causing the noise?

Thanks for any help guys.

What do mean by "loosening " it? Have you synced your carbs?
Steve

I realize now the adjuster i have is the "cross-wedge" type, so apparently it isn't manually adjustable.

I haven't synced the carbs yet.

Sounds like you need to do a maintenance on that thing. Valve adjustment and other common items. Then sync the carbs. Manual?
Steve

I've got a Clymer manual coming in the mail, that should be a major help.

You need a FSM. Loud has links in his signature.
Steve

ok, I'm downloading the fsm.

so I guess I'll set the valves, sync the carbs and see if the noise goes away.

anything else I should check while I'm at it?

thanks Swest

Pic of the bike, plugs etc. Keep us up to date.
Steve

My thoughts on this is that a valve shim adjustment is in order. My cam chain tensioner is broken and the camchain just sings at anything over 3,500 rpm. It's a much higher pitched sound than valves and has a pretty consistent ringing. If it's making sound at idle though it's probably valves, and it's pretty common from what I've heard around here (everybody keeps telling me to do it LOL)

Just remember to remove the chain tensioner BEFORE removing the valve cover, that's where I screwed up and ended up breaking my chain guide. The valve shim tool is pretty cheap, I got one for I think around $10-$15.

Cams have to come out on the 550's.
Steve

So if the noise is only occurring at low rpm's and idle, it would be more likely to just be poorly adjusted valves?
If so that's good news.

I've had the bike for 8 months or so now, so far its been a very reliable bike. It was still going great, regardless of the noise until the worn clutch cable snapped a couple days ago. Now I have one on order from Z1enterprises. I figured I'd try and repair a few other nagging issues while it had down time. I still can' get the blasted horn to work properly.

Here's a pic

The horn is grounded through the handle bars with the button.
Steve