2002 VFR800 6th gen manual cam chain tensioners

[TomTheVFRNoob]

Hi. So I am new too this group and this is my first post. Just wanted to tell you guys my experience with using manual cam chain tensioners. Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated. It all began when after riding my bike and getting it up to temp I stopped at a friends house and noticed a rattling from my engine. I thought maybe my chain was loose but I was not moving. After doing some research I found this site and quickly found out it was most likely may cam chain tensioner/s. I decided to go with the manual ones because the OEM ones tend to be faulty some times and i wanted to ensure my engine last for as long as financially possible. I was going to go with APE tensioners but switched over to PSR (Powerstands Racing) because they were in stock at MotoSport, a place I trust way more than Ebay. I was very impressed with the qualilty of this item and the effort taken to ensure top notch perfomance. It as neatly packaged and included the needed gasket, a key chain, and a PSR sticker.

To set the stage for my endeavor I was working with a decent selection of tools and knowledge from past experiences with dirtbikes and what not. My garage not being the warmest place during New Engllands god awful winters was a steaming 33 degrees and my tools were about -4 according to my internal hand thermostat.

 

The removal of the OEM ccts had to be the hardest part. It required removing the tank and airbox. I did not have enough time or knowledge to rip apart the throttle bodies just to get to the front one. With some finesse and muscle I was able to remove the front tensioner.

 

After removal the PSR one was very easy to install and took minimal time. The adjustment bolt has a 14mm head and the mounting bolts are 10mm. After I installed it I torqued to the required hand tight spec and moved to the rear. The rear was 100x easier than the front, but by this time it was 12 am and I had work the following day. But I kept on cooking because I knew if I did not finish tonight I would never get it done till spring.

After I installed both cct's with the help of a buddy and some monster it was time to adjust them. 

I had my buddy adjust the front tensioner as I adjusted the rear. Following other posts we loosened until cam chain noise and then tightened until noise went away but no further. In total it took me about 11 hours to change all my fluids and do the ccts. Minus a few breaks and mental cool downs. Plus my buddy didn't show up till 11:30. By 1 am ol' Smokey was back up and running with no cam chain noise just the sewing machine exhaust note. If you read up until this point I would like to just say Thank You and if you see anywhere I should improve or anything you think I did wrong please let me know down below. Thanks for reading and have a VFRful day.

[VFRUNNER]

Great write up, you did an excellent job explaining everything anyone would need to know about cct for vfr.  I've also went with the manual ccts, after getting that nasty noise from oem ccts. I had to fix her right away. So far they seem to be working great . Doing what it's made to do.     

One question do you Know what cct went on your bike ?  Front or rear ?  

For me it was my front . Just want to see if everyone is having problem with the front . Since the front one is up high I have heard it does not get as much oil in it ad the rear one. 

[TomTheVFRNoob]

On 1/30/2018 at 9:18 PM, VFRUNNER said:

Great write up, you did an excellent job explaining everything anyone would need to know about cct for vfr.  I've also went with the manual ccts, after getting that nasty noise from oem ccts. I had to fix her right away. So far they seem to be working great . Doing what it's made to do.     

One question do you Know what cct went on your bike ?  Front or rear ?  

For me it was my front . Just want to see if everyone is having problem with the front . Since the front one is up high I have heard it does not get as much oil in it ad the rear one. 

Thank you for the response. I was not quite sure which cct went but I am pretty sure it was the front. And the theory that the front goes first because of lack of oil seems correct. This is because when I removed the front very little oil cane out with it and the rear was dripping oil as soon as I removed it. Once again I believe it was the front that failed but I decided to replace both while I was doing it as preventive maintenance. 

[Rogue_Biker]

I'm glad you got your engine's CCT sorted out.

 

I will say that, the OEM CCT's do NOT have any issues.  Many of them last upwards of 50k miles.  I also believe that changing the engine oil often with good quality oil might help a CCT last.  On the VFR, with the location of that front CCT, I will say that it would be wiser to have stayed with the OEM CCT simply because it's a set it and forget it.  Even the rear CCT requires the removal of the heat shield, which requires the removal of the right rider footpeg.  Not exactly convenient and easy compared to an inline four CCT's that usually sit out in the breeze, making it easy to adjust if it's a manual CCT.  

 

 

[Grum]

Agree with Rogue_Biker. There is a fine line between under and over tensioning the timing chain. Having to potentially re adjust them particularly the front would be a pain in the arse, there is no real way of knowing you have the correct tension applied. With the OEM's for 50k miles or so you are assured they are automatically providing correct tension.

[TomTheVFRNoob]

Thanks for the responses. It is true it probably would of been a better idea to go OEM but the deed is done. If ever I need to replace a cct on a vfr down the line I will most likely go oem. Thanks again.