time on r&r cam chain?

[nashville_bill]

Chevy,

I'm about to put a chain in my 11 and wondered how your R&R turned out, and how you decided to do it. Did it fix the noise? Is this continued on another thread?

[chevy45412001]

hey Bill

actually i haven't done it yet.i have the chain with master,new cam gasket. Forgot to get half moons. But now i need a head gasket ,i'm going to put head from my other motor on at same time,it has only 8.000 miles on it compared to 49,000 head thats on bike.But i'm going to spin crank method sence cams and head will be off bike.

[rover]

I did mine three weeks ago. Did it by myself. No helper. I pulled the cams, very easy, got a chain with a master link, hooked the two together and turned the crank while feeding the chain through. Very easy, simple , and positive. I think I could do it in three hours. But, when I do the other bike, I will not use a partsnmore chain, it has smaller diameter pins than the original. It fixed all the noise. I bought a lifter tool, but it worked very poorly. I made my own from a flat piece of Stainless steel I had laying around. Cut out the rough shape, put a 75 degree bend in it, made the two slots, then put an arc in it by pounding on an open vice, tried it, had to trim the tab that goes down to the lifter, then it worked very nicely. I took the other piece of s#&t back

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Rover,

I thought that Partsnmore was the only place to get the cam chain with master link!? What other source is there!?

Also, do you have dimensions of your cam valve lifter tool, or pictures, would like to make one myself!? Thanks.
T.C.

[skids]

I got one from www.zanottimotor.com a couple of years ago.

Originally posted by TopCatGr58
Hey Rover,

I thought that Partsnmore was the only place to get the cam chain with master link!? What other source is there!?

Also, do you have dimensions of your cam valve lifter tool, or pictures, would like to make one myself!? Thanks.
T.C.

[rover]

Bike Bandit also has the cam chain. I haven't seen one, but it costs a lot more than the one from partsnmore. I don't know if the smaller dia pins will make any difference in longivity, but I am thinking that thinner pins will wear faster, and possibly break easier. However, there is not a lot of strain on the cam chain, not like a drive chain, but next time I will try the B B chain. As far as the tool goes, I will try to document it, but it is mostly trial and error. The one I made holds the lifter down far enough to use it with the gasket in place or not. I couldn't get a new gasket when I changed my chain, so I made mine, and it was already in place and stuck on the head when I made the tool, so I made the tool long enough to get the shims out with the gasket in place.

[chevy45412001]

gasket

Hey Rover got my gasket from local dealer like $14.00 ,took about week to get though.Glad to here the turn crank method worked will make me feel better not being the first...lol. By the way you say smaller link? Does it still fit proper though? Got mine frm pnm also mainly for price,i'm a cheep b@sterd.

[rover]

Oh yeah, Big Block, I removed the cams, bought the chain tool, broke the orig chain, connected the two together. That is when I found that the new chain had smaller pins in it, but that don't affect the length or pitch of the chain. The new one fit very nice and tight on the sprockets. Then I turned the crank, fed the chain through, keeping tension on both ends. I used a long bungee cord on the new end. Pulled it through without a hitch, then riveted the new chain together, installed the cams and got the chain in place on the sprockets. Timing was no problem, the cams are plainly marked. Where do you live in Chi? My inlaws live in Des Plaines, and I go there quite often. Maybe I could stop and see a fellow XS owner. Very cute bike, your new one, but the little girl looks more size related than you do. Won't be long, and she will talk you out of your XS 11.

[chevy45412001]

Rover

I'm actualy from Beach Park Ill. right on the wis/il border. Next to lake michigan.I'm originaly from Kenosha wis.Des plaines is 38 miles south of me. And about my daughter getting my XJ.......wh..i d.e... cold...finger fr..hand..ba.s....lol