KZ1000 Cam Timing - Strange Alignment Issues

FrankenKZ650 wrote:

swest wrote: I set my arrow just below the surface. 35000 miles is just broken in.
Steve

Hello,
I've attached a close-up of the cam mark. I added an arrow over the arrow mark on the cam. To me, it looks like if I go 1 tooth down, the mark would be way below the surface of the head.

What do you all think?

Thanks!

looks just like +90% of all the 900s and 1000's that I've messed with
over the last 40years.

You can slot the cam sprocket with a round file then adjust it so that the carrot is closer to level with the cylinder head.

Not very scientific but I wouldn't go very far, probably not more than 1mm on each hole to make sure things don't get messed up.

Kapahulu wrote: You can slot the cam sprocket with a round file then adjust it so that the carrot is closer to level with the cylinder head.

Sorry Kapahulu but slotting the sprocket won't move the mark as it's position is fixed in relation to the crank by the camchain.

Franken ! Those timing marks hardly ever line up perfectly due to factory build tolerances, camchain stretch, Deck height. gasket thickness etc and the bike will run just fine as is.
The only way to get perfect factory spec timing is to slot or buy slotted sprockets and degree in the cams.

zed1015 wrote: Sorry Kapahulu but slotting the sprocket won't move the mark as it's position is fixed in relation to the crank by the camchain.

Ooh that's right, thank you!

BTW ZED1015 your Super Mod bike is fantastic! I usually like classic bikes looking closer to stock but yours is really nice, looking all business.

This is common sign of the cam chain being stretched. Not a big deal, I ride a bike right now with the same situation. It can make putting the cams in confusing but you have to keep in mind it stretched longer then it should be so the mark on the exhaust should be above the cover surface. I personally don't like it but until I tear this motor apart and put a new chain in this is what I have got.
There is another reason this could be and thats someone milled your head. Less likely but at that point someone should have been decreeing the cams anyway.

Thank you all for the input! I'm going to leave it as-is until I decide to do a 1075 kit with cams

Thanks again!

Dustin

Keep in mind that when setting the cams and chain up.... per the manual, you are pulling the "slack" chain away from the crankshaft sprocket and towards the head. So the exhaust cam sprocket is rotating a little further towards the intake cam sprocket.
My head is milled about .012" and with a +42,000 mile cam chain and old sprockets, the exhaust cam "carrot" is about where yours is now.
However, with my slightly lower drive chain sprocket ratio, the 10.25:1 1075cc kit, Denco headers, stock but correctly jetted 26mm carbs... well, trust me, ... the bike still hauls ass like it should, blowing all my buddy's modern bikes in the weeds.... much to their total disgust! LOL

:woohoo:

I had this before , a new camchain and quite heavily skimmed head on a 550 and the alignment mark was below the gasket face. I ended up slotting the gears and went for a custom dialed-in phasing which worked just great.

What difference isn't enough to bend valves is just enough to make a difference...just might be an improvement.
Even if was worst case scenario cam mark is 10 degrees out -that is just 5 degrees on the crank.

Think just 5 degrees between (for example) 105 and 110 lobe centres for fast road or drag racing... that 5 degrees makes a big difference between bottom end grunt and rpm power.

I guess even on "stock" motors, variances in head and gasket thickness plus camchain and guide wear could be several degrees difference. these motors tend to have quite generous clearances, I had one which was 1 tooth out on the cam timing once.

missionkz wrote: Keep in mind that when setting the cams and chain up.... per the manual, you are pulling the "slack" chain away from the crankshaft sprocket and towards the head. So the exhaust cam sprocket is rotating a little further towards the intake cam sprocket.
My head is milled about .012" and with a +42,000 mile cam chain and old sprockets, the exhaust cam "carrot" is about where yours is now.
However, with my slightly lower drive chain sprocket ratio, the 10.25:1 1075cc kit, Denco headers, stock but correctly jetted 26mm carbs... well, trust me, ... the bike still hauls ass like it should, blowing all my buddy's modern bikes in the weeds.... much to their total disgust! LOL

Beautiful kz!

I had a similar problem when putting the head back on my 900. It seemed even after carefully reading a Kawasaki FSM manual and a Clymer's I could not get the exhaust timing mark right. I was off a tooth on both sides above and below the cam cover surface. I watched a U Tube video on the subject. So after all this I thought I had a pretty good handle on it.

What finally helped was one night I sat turning the motor over with cams installed and clearances set. I watched where the timing mark on the exhaust cam gear landed on the head when the timing marks came up on the crank a bunch of times. Everything came apart again. I set the exhaust cam sprocket mark to where it was repeatedly landing when the crank timing marks were dead on. I then counted the 28 pins back to the intake sprocket timing mark. I put everything back together and low and behold she runs like a 900 again.

I think what was messing me up is the fact with 27k on the speedo the cam chain is stretched a little. It's stretched just enough to make setting the marks up per the FSM is not going to happen.