Replace cam chain or not?

To my brain - not a lot of people are taking off their swingarms to put endless drive chains on their bikes, and those aren't sealed from the elements and constantly coated in oil like cam chains are. 

​​​​​

This procedure is indeed not very difficult but takes a lot of time, i did it last week to change the cam chain, BUT when loosen the M6 bolts i broke three of them  and it costs me one more day to fix that!!. After that its a real zen job to rebuilt the motor. Make sure you have all the gaskets and O rings and think carefully if you want some more work on engine, head and pistons ect. 

wrote:

wrote:

iwould just split the cases and be done with it . 
Sounds hard , but it really isnt.  Just a few more gaskets  



 

Before the crank w/rods can be accessed, the top-end must be removed along with the pistons.  Then the engine needs to be pulled out and relocated to a bench or other suitable work area.  The oil pan, generator cover, ignition housing, front bevel gear housing, clutch cover, starter, (?) etc. all must come off before the case can be separated...

That all seems hard vs. just pulling the cams, and setting up a small plywood workbench on top of the head.

The other process seems one heck of a lot simpler.  After the old chain is separated and linked loosely with the new one, then both are fed carefully through the motor while manually rotating the crank with a 17mm wrench. 

Reassembling the new chain with it's dedicated master link may be tedious and time consuming to get just right, but with the proper tool it should/would/could be a nice breeze by comparison. 

Tool instruction link below:
www.biketeile-service.de/media/attachmen...f/mk-1588_manual.pdf

wiredgeorge post from page 3:
kzrider.com/forum/2-engine/75205-replace...r-not?start=24#76643

 

I have a friend that's joined both primary drive chains and cam chains, he's been doing it for years and on race bikes too, he's also rebuilding my engine with an ENDLESS chain set  , as i supplied, I'm not big on the idea of running joined cam chains either, even though I know my mate knows what he's doing, I just can't get my OCD head around it.....

wrote:

I have a friend that's joined both primary drive chains and cam chains, he's been doing it for years and on race bikes too, he's also rebuilding my engine with an ENDLESS chain set 

, as i supplied, I'm not big on the idea of running joined cam chains either, even though I know my mate knows what he's doing, I just can't get my OCD head around it.....

 

Just gotta pop em in straight, and stake each one just right with the #9 tool made for solid pin ends.
Seems simple enough...

Dave 
 Its your bike  so the final decision is rightfully yours.
You asked for input , and that is what you got.
If you are replacing the chain   as a  preventive  measure  
the true follow thru is to look inside ..
If the chain is old and worn the cam chain guide may very well be worn  to its service  limit as well
After all it is just hard plastic.  Mine wore out  well before the chain
And no one I know has ever  gone with anything other than a endless chain  . Maybe its just peace of mind .
Please understand . The membership including me are just here to  share knowledge and  our experiences
Dave



 

Thanks Dave!

If any of my projects can inspire one person to take a step toward self-confidence by trying something new, then that will make the success of my effort the more worth while.


Follow up note:  Shortly before Christmas I finished the top-end reassembly with my nicely refurbished bathtub head.  The cylinder base gasket was replaced and the chain guides inspected.  Both guides were installed brand new in 2019 with the MTC piston kit, and are as good now as then.  I believe the APE manual chain adjuster should be credited for that, though the original adjustment bolt was replaced with a rounded-head carriage bolt that mated perfectly with the contact spot of the guide, which btw showed no evidence of distortion after 11K+ miles.






 

That information would have been useful to us who suggested to split the cases.  You had the cylinders off and replaced the guides already.  That would have been the time to replace the cam chain.  

I once took a Z1 engine completely apart and reassembled it five times.  I only say it to demonstrate that it's not hard, nor is it time consuming.  I've often thought about doing a cam chain the way you intend to go but as I've already said, I don't want a master link on my cam chain.  But as Streetfighter said...it's your project and your decision how to change your cam chain. 

Thank you hardrockminer, at this point I appreciate as many inputs on this subject as I can get, as I have yet to finalize the decision to move forward.

I've had the cam chain replacement on my mind forever, but still can't justify the exertion (physical and financial) involved with completely tearing down a perfectly fine bottom-end that was factory-built like a tank.
 
I may be overly concerned about the cam chain, but given it's age and (90-100K) miles, I've begun to look at what my options are.  Since my engine was partially disassembled recently, there is no interest in doubling back and going through that process again. 
My research has led me to wonder whether our concerns about using the master link method may be overblown.  It's not like the process has never been done...it has, and with what must be a fairly good success record.  Otherwise, why would the reputable Japanese D.I.D chain company offer a Master Link kit for the KZ1100 engine if it was not proven to be a viable installation method?


 

As for D.I.D. Selling a link. Consider it opens up more market to them. Not all corporate decisions are based on the best application. Garage door openers for example. Dealers sold them in a one piece rail. Customers couldn’t get them in their car. Factory started to make multiple piece rails to make it consumer friendly. The multi piece rail would loosen and inevitably require either a professional service call or the customer to repair. Just my $.02.

Okay, I will throw my .02 cents worth in this conversation.  I did not replace my cam chain when I rebuilt my KZ-1000, but I did replace all the cam chain guides/rollers etc.  Nothing to indicate there was anything wrong with the chain and the bottom end of the motor seemed rock solid.  Chain was checked for stretch.  I had given thought to either trying to replace the chain as one piece requiring a complete tear down or using a split chain.  In the end I decided to leave it alone.  No problems that I am aware of in 2500+ miles.  I am a firm believer in "if it ain't broke don't fix it".  If I had to replace the cam chain due to a problem and it was chain related I would be tempted to try the split chain if for nothing else to see what the result would be.  I run a split drive chain and have had no problems, so why not a split cam chain.  Does that go against all conventional wisdom?  Most certainly it does, but I am not building a race bike.  I for one would be interested to see how the process pans out for daveo.  As long as the other chain components have been replaced and he uses due care in chain installation it should go well.  I guess we will see....

Rick H.

wrote:

Okay, I will throw my .02 cents worth in this conversation.  I did not replace my cam chain when I rebuilt my KZ-1000, but I did replace all the cam chain guides/rollers etc.  Nothing to indicate there was anything wrong with the chain and the bottom end of the motor seemed rock solid.  Chain was checked for stretch.  I had given thought to either trying to replace the chain as one piece requiring a complete tear down or using a split chain.  In the end I decided to leave it alone.  No problems that I am aware of in 2500+ miles.  I am a firm believer in "if it ain't broke don't fix it".  If I had to replace the cam chain due to a problem and it was chain related I would be tempted to try the split chain if for nothing else to see what the result would be.  I run a split drive chain and have had no problems, so why not a split cam chain.  Does that go against all conventional wisdom?  Most certainly it does, but I am not building a race bike.  I for one would be interested to see how the process pans out for daveo.  As long as the other chain components have been replaced and he uses due care in chain installation it should go well.  I guess we will see....

Rick H.

Maybe. That is, if I can get my hands on the right tool for a price that doesn't put my a$$ in the poor house.
The only piece I've found that I'm confident will work is sitting on a shelf in Europe, and it seems the good folks there want to keep it.

I refuse to spend good money on cheap knock-off junk that just looks nice.