cam chain or shims?

the other night i had my bike out and was runing about 65 on the highway and i noticed that there was a high pitched chatter coming from the motor.so i turned around and headed back to the house. on the way back my oil light flickered on on a few times under throttle. when i got home i check the oil and it was a little over a quart low :pinch: and the bike was pretty hot at that. i added a quart of 20-50 and fired it up and the noise was still there. i had made it about 20 miles down the road before i turned back so it was about a 40 mile trip with the oil that low. to me the sound sounds like a shim loose chattering around to me. had a friend listen to it and its such a light chatter noise he couldnt hear it at first. you can hear it easier out on the road doing 55 than u can while its just seting. when in setting and the motor running i can take it to about 5 grand on then let off and i can verly hear it as i let off the throttle. buddy seems to think that its the cam chain loose. from the oil being that low is it poss that i might have chewed up one of the stock rubber roller tentioners causeing the chian to loosin and slap around?

I'm assuming you're referring to the '77 KZ1075 here...

On the whole, shim noise is more of a "clatter" sound than anything approaching a whine, and rends to decrease in volume as rpm increase.

You didn't mention attempting to adjust the cam chain tensioner - a good place to start. How long since the last adjustment?

Don't know that I'd call a loose cam chain sounding like a "whine" as much as a metallic "whirr", but that's academic.

It's possible that the tensioner wheel has jumped off the chain and is riding to one side, with the chain riding on the mild steel clevis the wheel is mounted to - that'd make a whine for sure.

But I'd start with checking the chain tension...

(...and keeping an eye on the oil level...)

yes it was refuring to the 77 kz1075.
i had a new cam chain, cam chaim guide, and the tentioner arms( the roller type) installed two years ago. i havnt had to go inside since. its not a whining noise realy but more of a light rattle or tick that is more noticeable at higher rpms while out on the road. i always had some valve and shim noise but no more than any other kz100. i am positive that it is coming from the top half of the motor.
i hope im not fixing to drop a valve!it will make me :sick:

A rattle or tick would be more like shim noise.

Running the motor low on oil will make that a bit louder than normal, as these motors don't develop an excess of oil pressure in the first place, and pumping oil up to the cam trenches is the first place low oil level will be noticed by the motor. Adding oil should have quieted the clatter down somewhat, but that's a case-by-case sorta thing.

I'd say it's be a worthwhile investment of time to pull the cam cover and check the clearances.

i plan on it soon as i can order a gasket and find some spare shims. i only let one person work on my motor and that were it will go. i dont mess with opening the motor up. i just the grunt that helps my kz machanic and try to learn as much as i can in the process. hes only likes working on Kz's. would recomend him to anyone in the area. hes has bulit a few wicked kz custom dragbikes.including the bad streetfighter/dragbike my dad bought from him this week. when i can aford to pay for my own screw ups i will start goin in hte motor to figure things out for myself tell then im letting the expert do it.