Cam Chain Tension

[Elimigto]

OK, I'm tired of the clatter when my bike's cold :evil: . Can anyone fill me in on the procedure for adjusting the cam chain on a 900? Someone put a screw in my bike's tensioner instead of a bolt so I just bought another tensioner off ebay, haven't received it yet but figure I can deduce the tensioning mechanics from the spare and I have another in case someone screwed up the one that's there now. Is there a torque spec? Tighten to a certain point and back off a set amount? Any help would be great.

Thanks -

[Southernstyle]

How many miles are on your bike? :? You may have more trouble than just the tensioner. These engines like to eat chain guides after awhile, especially when run at high RPM for an extended period. If someone has come up with a clever idea to get a little extra reach out of a tensioner, the guides may be shot. 8O I just removed the head from mine due to the dreaded shrinking intake valves, and despite the engine being relatively quiet for it's age found the upper guide down to the rivets and the rear guide dimpled from the rounded tensioner tip with a nice deep groove down the center. 8O 8O If the bike has 20K or more and it's close to valve adjustment time, you may want to pull the valve cover and inspect the upper guide. If the chain is riding on the rivets, break out YE OLE PIGGY BANK. Also, is it a screw or a bolt thats sticking out of the tensioner? There is an aftermarket manual tensioner available for these bikes. Problem is, if you don't know what you're doing it's very easy to overtighten the chain and damage the motor.
You mentioned that the engine clatters when it's cold? :? The chain gets loose when it's warm and tightens up when it's cold. The pistons on the other hand have more clearance when cold and less when hot. If you don't mind, post some more details about your problem. I'd hate to see you change an expensive tensioner only to find out you're on the wrong track. :(
Later, :D
SS

[Elimigto]

Uh oh - sounds like this could be serious. The bike has 18.6K miles, and clatters when it's cold for about 10 minutes. The noise sounds like it's coming from the top end and the left side of the engine, I thought about piston slap also but it the location of the noise just seems wrong. It doesn't clatter under load either, which made me think, "not the pistons". The noise seems to be worst at a little over 2,000 RPM when under no load. It still rattles under load, just not as much. The tensioner has a screw sticking out of it with a washer. Like somone lost the bolt that goes there. I received my tensioner I bought of eBay yesterday, but I haven't taken it apart yet (I'm brewing beer this morning so don't want get my hands oily) but it seems that there's an adjusting mechanism under the bolt? I took the bike to the Kawi dealer, whose mechanic wasn't in (and the owner said he's no mechanic), but he knows the sound and it's the cam chain. I think I trust you fanatics more than a guy that just sells bikes though.

[Southernstyle]

Just out of curiousity have you ckecked the valve lash yet? This is another area where there is more clearance when cold than when hot. Not all the valves wear the same, so there could be a loose one on the left side. As for the tensioner, the aftermarket ones used a bolt, not a srew, and a plate that bolts right up in place of the stock tensioner. By tightening the bolt, you are putting more pressure on the rear guide, thereby taking up the slack in the chain. With that many miles, I think I'd at least check the upper guide and set the valves just to be sure. Also, the newer Concourse tensioners don't have the rounded tip anymore, and they are automatic tensioners, which makes it next to impossible to overtension the chain. Keep in mind that these engines had "soft" intake valves that would often pound themselves right through the seats, and most new bike owners assume that if the bike is running ok, theres no need to take it in for that expensive service that the manual calls for. So checking the valve clearance is a good idea unless you know for sure it's been done recently. And while you're in there, checking the upper guide gor wear won't take much longer. You can also measure the chain links to be sure your chain isn't out of spec. Hope all this helps to some degree!
Later,
SS

[Elimigto]

These sound like great ideas. Where do you buy your gaskets? I figure if I'm going to tear stuff apart, I'll need something to keep her from leaking all over the place after she's back together. Methinks it's also time to buy a service manual...