Is it possible to ride these bikes too hard...?

[Rich82GS750TZ]

So, the TL/DR version is:

Ran bike sans oil.
Awful noise ensued.
Bike now at shop with diagnosis: Cam Chain Tensioner Spring Beyond Service Limit.

Do I have this about right? Anyway, it sounds like you have people close to you who are helping. I’ll hold my opinion and wait and see if this shop fixes your bike. Good luck.

 

[rphillips]

Sounds interesting in a good way, please keep us informed.

 

[jrdatrackstar]

So, the TL/DR version is:

Ran bike sans oil.
Awful noise ensued.
Bike now at shop with diagnosis: Cam Chain Tensioner Spring Beyond Service Limit.

Do I have this about right? Anyway, it sounds like you have people close to you who are helping. I?ll hold my opinion and wait and see if this shop fixes your bike. Good luck.

All correct but my brother in law said I should be able to do it myself (remove carbs, remove cam tensioner and clean it). He said the only possible difficult part is the assembly of the cam tensioner once I take it out and clean it because you have to retract it or something in order for it to go back in. He also said the reason it possibly got loose like that is the combination of no oil and riding it hard. The shop also sent me home because they are booked for 2 mons and they also said I could do it on my own and would rather not have time wait and then charge me so much money (again, very blessed to have a friend who owns a shop like that locally and also my brother in law).

Going to wait until probably tomorrow and get started taking the carbs off. The furthest I have ever gone is removing the gas tank to fix some electrical issues, but nothing ever involving the engine. Fingers crossed I don?t ruin something, I am going to take it day by day and do the research on here per each step I am on during teardown.

 

[cowboyup3371]

Check out Basscliff's site - http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff and read up on the information there. He has a link to BWringer's site where you'll find instructions on removing/installing the cam chain tensioner or you can just directly to http://www.bwringer.com/gs/camchaintens.html.

Understand, the instructions for maintenance you see on both sites are generally the same for all of our bikes. Be sure to also download the service manual from Basscliff's site and then read read read. Once you have read, come back here and ask questions.

 

[jrdatrackstar]

Got the cam tensioner off but more I am having troubling loosening it. The extended part is rock solid and won?t retract at all, which I am assuming that is the problem because all the videos I?ve watched show you should be able to push it in and it should spring back into place.

Accidentally got myself with a drill trying to loosen the flat part in the pictures...

 

[Gorminrider]

be sure the lock screw and it's locknut are a 1/4 turn out from tight, (only) THEN, turn the bigknob with the spring a little and a little more...and it should retract.

Not all tensioners are the same so youtube needs "(80's) Suzuki" in the header. Please read the shop manual and the documents linked above.

 

[jrdatrackstar]

be sure the lock screw and it's locknut are a 1/4 turn out from tight, (only) THEN, turn the bigknob with the spring a little and a little more...and it should retract.

Not all tensioners are the same so youtube needs "(80's) Suzuki" in the header. Please read the shop manual and the documents linked above.

Thank you for that reference, actually turns out my friend from the shop had to use his tools to get the locknut and the tensioner screw loose because they were tight. Once we got that off we took the tensioner apart it looked to be fine (which leads me to worry if it?s something else like the timing chain). He then told me I have to get it to top dead center like the guides provided here have talked about. I am so nervous doing this because if this messes up it?s bye bye bike with that timing chain.

 

[trevor]

Just got back from a 6 day 1800 mile trip on my Cooley...rode it like I stole it. Cruised at 80mph for hours. Hit a top speed of 120 a few times too. Bike performed brilliantly!

 

[Wingsconsin]

State of tune makes a difference in my opinion -
Last summer I spent a week on my '83 GS850GL and rode 2500 miles -
Much of it at highway speeds and some flogging it at higher RPMs in the twistys -
Flawless with the exception of a slight bit of oil consumption (3/4 of a qt over the trip)
Running at 7000+ it seems to beat the oil pretty hard

 

[jrdatrackstar]

Thanks for all the help everyone. Just got done replacing the tensioner and setting top dead center; no noise and the bike ran like it used to. Only problem now is there is a really bad oil leak. I am guessing it is from the cam tensioner since that was the only thing I wrenched on that would have anything to do with oil. When I replaced the tensioner I noticed there was no gasket...is there supposed to be to prevent leaks?

 

[rphillips]

Yes, a flat gasket between the tensioner & the eng. & there is an "O" ring on the set screw to prevent leaks from around the locknut.

 

[Guest]

Yes, a flat gasket between the tensioner & the eng. & there is an "O" ring on the set screw to prevent leaks from around the locknut.

There's also a seal behind the knob and spring that is responsible for many leaks. It's a bit tricky to change as you have to rewind the spring properly. If you're ordering parts and taking it off again you might as well do the seal while you're there. Follow the instructions and don't get flustered. Just a big spiral mousetrap.

 

[jrdatrackstar]

Actually found that one of the bolts securing the tensioner was not tight. Crack tightened them with socket and no more oil, way better than before the tensioner in the first place. It was actually was a blessing in disguise because now I found why there was a puddle of oil on my engine (area underneath the carbs).

I am probably going to go ahead and order a new tensioner anyway, problem is idk whether I should get the manual ones or the stock OEM ones on eBay.

 

[Maddevill]

About the only thing to worry about is if you're accelerating hard in 1st gear and miss the shift to 2nd. This can often bend a shift arm or round off the dogs on the gear. Splitting the cases is the only fix. Keep that in mind.

Mad