TOPIC:

is there any other options for a manual cam chain tensioner than the $50 APE tensioner?

NO!

nicely put jay!bwaha

Sorry, not trying to undermind anyone, i just saw references to using a tensioner from a different model/year that had a manual tensioner.

The tensioner that APE sells is really manual. There is no spring and you set tension a bit differently than on earlier Kaw OEM manual tensioners which ALSO work in your bike. These come off a Z1, Z1A, Z1B and KZ900 (76/77). There might be other manual (from other Kaw models) tensioners out there that will work. In any case, these tensioners rely on a spring loaded push rod. You load the spring initially by pushing it all the way in and lock it. There is a lock bolt on the side which catches the flat side of the rod... Install the tensioner (two bolts/gasket) and then back the lock bolt out a bit and the spring will pop the rod out and the rod pushes the tensioning piece in the engine. This type tensioner works better than an "automatic" tensioner in my opinion but you need to be careful when using one. After tension is set (the rod releases internally), there is a locknut on the lock bolt that needs to be tightened to hold the lock bolt from moving or backing out. FIRST, you need to inspect the innards to ensure that the raised part on the rod hasn't scored the inside to where it can hang. Also, the rod has a flat pad on the end and if you get it a bit sideways when released, it will sometimes not want to pop out cleanly. You MUST hear a solid thunk when releasing it or pull it off and reload it and try again.

I hear the manual tensioners are a pain in the rear. I went with one that Schnitz Racing makes, it's not a manual tensioner....APE is the only one to my knowledge that makes the manual tensioner, and I was told not to use it the moment adjustable tensioner came out of my mouth

Let me put it this way. Every block we get in here for service that is from a modified bike, either oem block or someones big block, they have one of our tensioners on it.

Jay

I have never seen any other aftermarket tensioner except for the APE tensioner. The manual tensioners I referred to are stock type Kaw tensioners and I would not trust one of them in a situation where I was racing a bike. If there was a shock load on the cam chain which is directly driven from the crank, the tensioner, being spring loaded, could bounce and the cam chain could potentially jump teeth. I think that is the reason the APE tensioner has no spring load mechanism. It sets positively and can not jump. In a street situation where there is no extreme loading of the engine, I suspect the stock tensioner is OK else Kaw wouldn't have used it. The MAIN thing to look for in a manual tensioner is to take the plunger out and see if the inside is scored. The plunger has a flat spot where the locknut goes and BEHING the flat spot is a raised area that protrudes. The tensioner rod protrusion CAN and WILL score this area on older tensioners and if scored, the tensioner plunger sometimes will not release cleanly when the locknut is released. About 1 in 5 that I have bought from used parts sources are scored. You CAN use the ones that are scored but need to be concious of feeling for the plunger to positively pop out when released.

Maybe a used one from a wrecker at 50% of OEM price. Quality iff at best.

o.k. so i got one of the manual one's that i put on my kz650 and i'm about to put one on my kz1000, but i'm not really sure how to set it. its the one that ape makes/sells. what is the proper way to set it????????
i don't want to mess up my bike and the directions on the back weren't all that great..... i covered half of it with oil

the way I did it when I instaled one on my J model is:
install the tensioner body with yamabond sealer/gasket, snug the tensioner bolt up lightly before start up,after start up it will be noisy,turn it in by hand until it is quiet then back it off 1/4 or 1/8 turn I forget which,hold it in place with one wrench and tighten the lock nut with another,you will have to redo it when it gets noisy,as the camchain wears.

back before Jay brought out his tensioner,the trick used to be to drill a 6mm hole in the back of a 900 tensioner and use a bolt and a lock nut as a positive stop.

Jays is a better option IMHO.

Before using an OEM tensioner with the bolt as Craig suggested, I would just build a plate to fit over the hole and drill a 6mm hole. Then I would weld a 6mm nut on the outside of the hole and use a bolt. It hardly seems worth the effort since you can buy one already made from APE. If I were using one of those tensioners, I think I would remove my cam cover and use the tensioner to just barely contact the pushing arm that contacts the chain. I would then turn the engine over by hand and tighten the tensioner and watch the chain till it didn't bunch up around the idler assembly when you turn it forward or back. It would be pretty tight on the idler sprocket and cam sprockets. If you know how the chain is supposed to look and react to movement when tensioned, I think that would be easiest but Craig probably has a lot more experience with tensioning with an APE tensioner than I do.