Cam chain replacement

[mcycle-nut]

I just replaced the cam chain on my wife's '82 GS850G. I bought a DID219FTS(S), which came open with a rivet link. No major surgery involved. The bike had 77,000km (44,000ish miles). Yes it REALLY needed it. It was talking to me big time, and manually turning the motor over I could see at times where it wasn't even touching the guide wheel in the tower! Yes, the tensioner was working.

 

[Nessism]

I just replaced the cam chain on my wife's '82 GS850G. I bought a DID219FTS(S), which came open with a rivet link. No major surgery involved. The bike had 77,000km (44,000ish miles). Yes it REALLY needed it. It was talking to me big time, and manually turning the motor over I could see at times where it wasn't even touching the guide wheel in the tower! Yes, the tensioner was working.

Not touching the guide wheel is not a valid test. Depending on where the cam lobes are pointing there may be extra slack in the chain during a static test like that. The real test of chain stretch is to measure between link pins as described in the factory service manual. Did you do that? I find it very hard to fathom how the chain could have elongated out of the service limit in only 44k miles unless someone damaged the tensioner or something to this effect.

 

[DimitriT]

Not sure if anyone has seen this:

https://biketech7.blogspot.com/2016/04/how-to-change-your-camchain-or-timing.html

Question on measuring cam chain stretch. The manual specifies measuring between some number of pins (I can't recall how many). But when measuring do you measure from the middle of the pins, from the outside edge. It would make a huge difference.

 

[Nessism]

Not sure if anyone has seen this:

https://biketech7.blogspot.com/2016/04/how-to-change-your-camchain-or-timing.html

Question on measuring cam chain stretch. The manual specifies measuring between some number of pins (I can't recall how many). But when measuring do you measure from the middle of the pins, from the outside edge. It would make a huge difference.

It doesn't matter what part of the pin you measure from as long as you are consistent on the other end.

 

[DimitriT]

It doesn't matter what part of the pin you measure from as long as you are consistent on the other end.

I guess I didn't make myself clear.

If I pick two pins to measure between and line up the tips of my caliper on the pins, should the tips be at the center of the pins or should the left tip be on the left edge of the pin and the right tip be on the right edge of the pin.

Basically I want to know if I should include the width of the pins in the measurement.

 

[alke46]

I guess I didn't make myself clear.

If I pick two pins to measure between and line up the tips of my caliper on the pins, should the tips be at the center of the pins or should the left tip be on the left edge of the pin and the right tip be on the right edge of the pin.

Basically I want to know if I should include the width of the pins in the measurement.

I might be wrong, but I don't think you have to be quite that technical.

 

[hannibal]

I guess I didn't make myself clear.

If I pick two pins to measure between and line up the tips of my caliper on the pins, should the tips be at the center of the pins or should the left tip be on the left edge of the pin and the right tip be on the right edge of the pin.

Basically I want to know if I should include the width of the pins in the measurement.

If you measure from the right side of one pin, measure to the right side of the other pin. If you measure from the left side of one pin, measure to the left side of the other pin. If you measure from the center of one pin, you guessed it... measure to the center of the other pin.

 

[fastbysuzuki]

Q


Galea Cam Chain Services have been fitting split cam chains and riveting/ peering over a soft link on almost all bikes for 25 years, he kept the couriers bikes going in London and never had a failure so there is nothing new in this technique providing the person doing it knows what they are doing.

 

[mcycle-nut]

Not touching the guide wheel is not a valid test. Depending on where the cam lobes are pointing there may be extra slack in the chain during a static test like that. The real test of chain stretch is to measure between link pins as described in the factory service manual. Did you do that? I find it very hard to fathom how the chain could have elongated out of the service limit in only 44k miles unless someone damaged the tensioner or something to this effect.

I know, seems funny to me too. Maybe the odo has flipped over once, making it over 100,000km, (62,000mi), more than registered? I don't know, I didn't buy the bike new. No, I didn't measure the chain, but if you had heard the bike running and seen the slop between tight and loose when it was in the bike and the fact that when it was out of the bike you could have tied a knot in it you would agree, it was done like dinner.

 

[Grimly]

I'd just like to throw my money in - I've replaced several camchains with a soft-link one. I've NEVER had to split the engine cases to do it.

On the subject of cam chain wear - I find that a bike that does lots of steady-state miles (A-B on motorways all day long) has virtually zero camchain wear.
Otoh, harsh acceleration around the backroads kills them relatively quickly. The camchain is subject to accelerative forces just the same as the crankshaft, geartrain and everything else.
I'd also add to that, that POs who might not have been timely in changing oil are a contributory factor.
The dreaded PO again

 

[Tom R]

I’ve used D.I.D. Gold on gold Kart chains on several bikes, including my gs1100. A guy named Michael Bateman used them in his racebikes and was impressed with the lack of wear he’d measure when he inspected them. Was good enough for me. Look up group w racing.

 

[chuck hahn]

So how many links is a standard GS cam chain? And Motorcycle-nut, was that chain you listed spot on or did you need remove links to get where you needed to be??

 

[johnod]

I’ve used D.I.D. Gold on gold Kart chains on several bikes, including my gs1100. A guy named Michael Bateman used them in his racebikes and was impressed with the lack of wear he’d measure when he inspected them. Was good enough for me. Look up group w racing.

Can you provide some more info, like part numbers, parts source, anything else?

Thanks

 

[Sandy]

FYI. The question about cam chain wear came up on another thread a while ago (forget which one) so for sh1ts and giggles decided I measured mine. At 80,000 kms mine measured at less than 1/2 of what the factory service limit is. The would probably mean at somewhere over 100,000 miles it may need replacing.