Manual CCT Adjsutment advice please.

[Storm Trooper]

I have eventually replaced the Cam Chain Tensioners on the Storm for Manual Ape ones.

Anyhow, have swapped them out following the good instructions on here , serviced the bike, oil, filter, new indicators and rear subframe overhaul, drained the carbs and replaced the fuel, but now is the anxious time .

So before I start the bike for the 1st time, and wonder if they are too tight or too loose and if they have been swapped out correctly, I was wondering if there is anybody on here who has experience with manual adjustment, and possible lives in close enough proximity to North Fife willing to donate an hour of their time to come and make sure that they are set properly.

Kettle is always on. Garage is bright and dry, so evenings are an option.


Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

ps, Once the bike is all back together, access to adjusting the rear is not really an issue, but exactly how do you get past the coolant hose to make enough room for the spanners to adjust the front.

I locked off the old ones when removing and both front and rear were about the same. 57mm. Manuals were set to near this and then adjusted slightly when installed to what I thought felt like a suitable tension on the rear chain, by feel and looking at the chain position relative to what it was before. The front was then adjusted to what I felt was the same tension.


Cheers

[Stratman]

There are a few threads on here about this, but I have manuals on mine.

All I did was follow the instructions on the pack and adjust the tension by the slack in the top run of the chain across the cam wheels at the top, turning the engine by hand (anticlockwise) so the slackest part of the chain was tightened this way. That was what Debben told me to do, so I did it. Replaced everything, started up, no problems or rattles and 8000 miles later still haven't had to adjust them.

[tony.mon]

You might as well start it up, once you've checked the chain run manually as suggested above.

If too tight they'll squeal, stop engine immediately as this'll be the cams being drawn so tightly into the head that oil can't keep the surface apart.
If too loose, they'll rattle a bit.

But they'll have to be very very loose to be so slack that the chain could jump a couple of teeth and allow the piston to get at the valves.

[Storm Trooper]

You might as well start it up, once you've checked the chain run manually as suggested above.
.

Well started up today and.....................


Ye ha. No bangs wallops rattles or whining. Wow what a relief.

I then adjusted the tensioners by backing them off until you could just hear the chain starting to rattle and then tighten them back + 1/4 where it stopped. This was not a kick in the butt off where I had them set when installing them.

So pretty chuffed that the initial setting was pretty close.

Now ready for some decent riding this year, after the crap winter.

Cheers to all on here for the advice.

[sirch345]

You might as well start it up, once you've checked the chain run manually as suggested above.
.

Well started up today and.....................


Ye ha. No bangs wallops rattles or whining. Wow what a relief.

I then adjusted the tensioners by backing them off until you could just hear the chain starting to rattle and then tighten them back + 1/4 where it stopped. This was not a kick in the butt off where I had them set when installing them.

So pretty chuffed that the initial setting was pretty close.

Now ready for some decent riding this year, after the crap winter.

Cheers to all on here for the advice.

Nigel,

Glad too hear all went well It's always a relief once you start the bike up first time after doing something like you've just done and it runs

Doing it the way you did, measuring the old CCT positions after locking them off before removal obviously paid dividends.

Chris.

[Jaglifter]

I made some manual tensioners for my Storm. I first set them up too tight. Whilst they seemed fine with the engine cold, once it got warm the cylinder/head expansion tightened up the chain so much that it hardly produced any power. I slackened the CCTs right off until I could hear it slap a bit and had no problem from thereon.

[Geordie]

Yip had exactly the same experience.
I made a set of manual ccts with the locknut etc like desribed on here before, quite chufed with my work. Also locked off the old ccts before removal and found the distance also to be 57mm. So i initially set my manuals to that before fitting. the chain seemed tight after fitting the rear so i backed off the bolt a bit until i could move the chain from side to side in the tensioner blade and left the rear at that. The front wasn't so easy as i didnt remove the can cover. So did the same set to 57mm and bolted the manual cct in. Engine started fine and revd fine, didnt sound rattly at all, thought I was onto a winner. When i stopped the bike after it had been running and reved up for about 5 minutes, i decided to try start it immediately and it wouldnt turn over, instead a screetchy sound then stopped at a compression. sounded like the screech was coming from the front cylinder, so i took off the cam cover to have a look, all looked fine, but the chain did seem very tight, so backed the bolt right off and hand turned the engine through, all looked fine so tightened back up to ... well what ? dont know how far now .. ?! I basically settled on the same as the rear, so i could just still move the chain from side to side in the chain groove in the tensioner blade. I cant imagine that the block and hence the distance from crank to cams actually expands that much as it heats up to cause an issue, but it obviously does .. so I would adjust to be slack at cold so the heat will tension the chain a bit towards normal, but to do this accurately is very difficult and Ive not seen any guidnace on how to get the correct tension other than by sound which I believe is impossible really when youve got loud cans on, i cant tell any difference in rattle when i adjust them when the engine is running .. Just hope i havent damaged any bearings with having them too tight initially .. This is the reason why Honda fitted automatic tensioners. You really need to meet with another stormer with manuals fitted for some time to hear what theirs sounds like in comparison ..
God my spelling is shite ..

[bazza696]

I have just fitted manuals and mine makes a little squeel from the front cylinder when starting her in the morning, but don't get a peep out of the engine there after, should I adjust the tensioner out a bit to stop this or will it be okay.

[chris1bev]

Other than Debbens, does anyone know were else i can by Manual Tensioners from, i really need some now and debben's has just told me they dont have any in stock at the moment!

Help me!!

[bazza696]

Other than Debbens, does anyone know were else i can by Manual Tensioners from, i really need some now and debben's has just told me they dont have any in stock at the moment!

Help me!!

If you need them I will modify the automatics for ya, I have the set off my bike that I will modify and use them as an exchange. PM me and I will talk about it. I was intending to mod mine and take piccies as I did not have time Saturday because it was the first time we did `em, and alot of trial and error.

If I can get an idea of who wants them, I will sort a price out. It will work out like this, you pay me a nominal fee(to be figures out) I send you refurnished CCT's, you send me yours in replacement so I can get them ready for the next person, hence the exchange service.

[Pete.L]

I have just fitted manuals and mine makes a little squeel from the front cylinder when starting her in the morning, but don't get a peep out of the engine there after, should I adjust the tensioner out a bit to stop this or will it be okay.

Sounds a fraction tight to me. Loosen the bolt 1/4 -1/2 a turn and you should be fine.

Pete.l

[Stratman]

Just spotted this

and possible lives in close enough proximity to North Fife

Narrowing it down a bit there!

[bazza696]

I have just fitted manuals and mine makes a little squeel from the front cylinder when starting her in the morning, but don't get a peep out of the engine there after, should I adjust the tensioner out a bit to stop this or will it be okay.

Sounds a fraction tight to me. Loosen the bolt 1/4 -1/2 a turn and you should be fine.

Pete.l

All sorted, just needed one flat of the nut adjustment

[vtrbarmy]

Other than Debbens, does anyone know were else i can by Manual Tensioners from, i really need some now and debben's has just told me they dont have any in stock at the moment!

Help me!!

I ordered some off Debbens yesterday, guy there told me would be about 3 weeks (or so) - doesn't help you immediately I know, but that's the position there.