Cam chain woe’s what have I done:(

[UkeeTiki]

Background is, I recently purchased a 1980 xs11 special. Quickly rebuilt the clutch which was simple enough. The bike was starting and running surprisingly well (to me) other than a sound was coming fro the engine at times, a hissing like sound. After some surmising and some pointers from a fellow member here I started suspecting the noise was from likely a loose cam chain…? I soon realized that the OEM manual chain tensioner was indeed stripped at the locking bolt. I got on the horn and managed to order an automatic one for a Vmax I was to believe would fit and work on the XS11. It was going to be a month to receive it from Japan to here in Canada… so be it… after doing more investigating and getting curious and worried about what might be happening with the cams up top I opened the cover and saw that the two cams appear to be out of alignment when turning the crank. Is there a relatively easy way of replacing the chain with a new one and realigning the cams? Or am I pooched? Thought I saw a thread here (or the “other” site) from a guy that was able to replace the chain in place and documented the steps. But have not been able to find the thread again… I’m not a master bike mechanic, just an old fart that used to enjoy riding and was looking forward to enjoying it again… working on my knees on the garage floor, feeling bummed watching the season and my investment roll by. Any insight or advise would be greatly appreciated.

[cajun31]

As long as you have not bent a valve then getting it replaced and timed right should be doable. Here are a couple of links that both explain the process and a pictorial of what things look like. Cam Chain Tips - XS11.club Forums.


Valve Adjustment Pictorial - XS11.club Forums

[LAB3]

^^^^^° What he said. If nothing is touching inside the cylinder when you rotate the engine by hand you should be good to go. Can't give you any direct advice on replacement of the chain, just sticking to basics on this one.

[red bandit]

How many miles are on it?

[UkeeTiki]

Not sure on the mileage, odometer/ instrument cluster was removed by PO… also noticed that stationary pointer on timing plate was removed and not replaced, making for a bit of guesswork there….

[DiverRay]

Send me an email, ray(at)rjmatteis(dot)com, and I can email you a pdf of the manual. Put '80 Special in the header.The pdf is too big for the PM system.

[UkeeTiki]

On its way… thanks Ray

[DiverRay]

Here is a scan from a 1979SF. It uses the same parts as most the early specials. Note the pointer and the plate, parts #10 & 13. Find top dead center on #1( I use a pencil, eraser down in the spark plug hole to get it) and look at the "T" mark on the disc, plate timing 2. You need the pointer, that you may need to make or wait for, to point at the "T" when you are at TDC. Once you have that done, you can then work on putting the "C" mark on plate 2 at the pointer to work on the cam chain with no fears.

[bikerphil]

FWIW, these timing chains will last much more than 100K miles when using the Vmax/Venture Auto Cam Chain Tensioner, only 60K or so with the original equipment type.