is anyone running an automatic cam chain tensioner ?

[TDodge7]

i was wondering if anyone on here is running an automatic cam chain tensioner . in THIS older thread it was brought up that someone had replaced their manual cam chain tensioner with an automatic one from a FJ1200 . it was then later brought up that the a.p.e. brand adjuster fits the FJ1200 and also fits:

YZF600 R6 1999-2005
FZR600 1989-1998
YZF750 1994-1998
FZR1000 1987-1996
YZF1000 1996-1997
YZF1000 R1 1998-2003
FJ1100/1200 1984-1993

which would lead me to believe that if i were to buy a fzr600 tensioner that it should work on the XS. that would eliminate having to mess with the cam chain as the automatic ones ratchet on their own . is anyone on here running this setup ? were any mods to the tensioner needed ? i'm thinking about doing this mod if i can find out a little more about it . fzr600 tensioners are all over for dirt cheap and it seems like a mod that would be on the top of every ones list , but the thread i linked to seemes to have died without a conclusion .

[Guy_b_g]

My bad, I've been busy last couple of days and didn't get back to you with a PM.

I did buy an FZR600 tensioner, and ended up not using it for a couple of reasons.

First reason, the actual tensioner is centered in the body of the device rather than offset as the XS1100 one is.

Second, the body's gasket surface is smaller than the XS and the bolt holes slightly closer together, this could probably be covercome by enlarging the bolt holes, but the gasket seal would be marginal at best.

Third, this tensioner has a very bad reputation for failure at all of the FZR600 sites I visited to research the device.

In conclusion, it could be made to work with some modification, but I would always be worried that it would fail.

(It was cheap and easy to find though)

[dbeardslee]

I've got one for an FZR1000 installed on Betsy. As Guy mentioned, the bolt holes need to be elongated a little for it to fit. There isn't much gasket surface making contact, but there is enough to keep it from leaking around the gasket. There's no oil pressure there to speak of, so it doesn't take much to seal it. A little rtv in the bolt holes is a good idea as well. The problem I've always had with the stock tensioners is their tendency to slip on a hard decel, requiring re-tensioning. This one doesn't suffer from that problem, and it doesn't dribble oil out the end. I have had it installed for a couple months, and so far I'm likin' it.

[TDodge7]

did any of you measure the length of the adjuster shaft (as it sticks into the engine) compared the stock xs adjuster ? the biggest problem i could see with this set up is that once the chain gets really stretched then a longer tensioner shaft could end up pressing the chain against the engine case or something else in there if it was too long , and since it's automatic you'd never notice till you heard grinding . i used to ride fzr's and i never had a problem with the tensioners working correctly so i'm not afraid to use one , it's just the small measurements that have me a little worried .

[trbig]

Your cam chain galley is open.. no motor to push it against. If you gain about a foot in chain length somehow, you might make the chain rub against itself as it comes down the backside of the motor..

I guess if you start hearing a lot of cam chain noise, you could take for granted that it was at it's max adjustment.


Tod

[TDodge7]

oh , good to know . the only other issue i could think of is that the automatic tensioners have that large ratcheting portion that sticks into the engine from the gasket surface , which makes it look to me that even when the automatic is adjusted all the way in (shortest possible length) it's still longer than the stock xs tensioner would stick out when it's adjusted all the way in . i could only see that being a problem tho if you had a fresh unstretched cam chain on there .

how do you like yours so far trbig ?

[trbig]

You're worrying about too much.. lol. Even with a brand new chain, you'll never come close to hitting that piece or having an adjuster anywhere near full compression.(All the way in) If you look at the stock adjuster, it has the same nose piece under the spring.

[TDodge7]

lol , sorry , i'm not one to jump right into things . years of boredom has turned me into a research machine , i know everything about everything i buy before i buy it . since i'm usually pretty poor it's worked out well so far lol .




oh , and for anyone reading this in the future , the fzr1000 and fzr600 tensioners are the same part number on bike bandit so they should be the exact same .

[Guy_b_g]

Here are all the actual measurements in inches (FZR=FZR600):

Full extension (base w/o gasket to tip): XS 1.805 FZR 1.858


Full compression: XS 1.015 FZR .996


Diameter of gasket surface: XS 1.52 FZR 1.41


Mounting bolt holes (center to center): XS 1.852 FZR 1.805

[Guy_b_g]

The FZR600 cam chain tensioner I have looks a bit different from the one you have pictured.

It has a reduced diameter at the tip where the bolt is.

Also it does not ratchet, it has a spring loaded tensioner that unscrews in a rotary motion as it self adjusts. It cannot be forced to screw inward away from the cam chain except with a small screwdriver inserted where the bolt is and turned clockwise. To install it you have to srew it all the way in and hold it with the screwdriver, then let go when it is tight against the gasket. I would then bolt it down and (just to be safe), retract the tensioner again and let it release. I would also rotate the engine slowly through at least 2 revolutions by hand prior to starting to be sure all is good.

I did see pics of FZR cam chain adjusters on the net with a ratchet mechanism as you describe. I can't say which is better.

[Guy_b_g]

My cam chain tensioner may be from a YZF600, instead of an FZR, I can't remember....(must be early onset alzheimer's)

[Guy_b_g]

I just checked and the tensioner I have is an YZFR1 tensioner and appears the same as a year 2000 cam chain tensioner.

The dimensions and adjustment range should be very close to those of an FZR tensioner as the APE tensioner fits them both.

Sorry about the confusion, (just replace the designation FZR with YZF on my prior posts).

[TDodge7]

i ended up buying a fzr600 tensioner , elongated the bolt holes a little bit with a small file and she bolted right on . started the bike up , colortuned , synched . the bike is running SWEET and now i'll never have to screw around with the tensioner again because it's automatic . it was a pretty straight forward mod , not to mention cheap . if i remember i'll update this later down the road and let you know how it's been doing .

[GARTHXS]

nice one !

Let us know how it works , could be the mod of the year

[Ivan]

I just bought a pair of tensioners off a Venture from eBay, I will report on them, if they work.