MCC adjusters v Honda OE?

[Billyboy]

New to this forum, 1998 model with less than 15k. I am very impressed with the depth of knowledge here but as am still running on original adjusters, but have lately been concerned to get something done before anything breaks. There is such a lot of great information here and finding concise thoughts on what is the best route to take for avoiding a problem with the cam chain adjusters is a bit overwhelming. Forgive me therefore for revisiting this subject, my question is to find out please what advice there is on the pros and cons of using the modified Honda auto adjusters v using the manual sets, which seem wisely available and of which there seem to be many variants. I appreciate the costs are different but as an infrequent rider these days I am thinking that an auto set would be "fix and forget" rather than having to install and then adjust a manual set and have to use judgement on play to allow and getting them tightened up and set each time. Grateful for any thoughts on this.

[MacV2]

In their wisdom Honda led us to belive that new CCT's from them have been modified or thats at leaste what the dealers will tell you...

Tosh...compleate tosh TBH, a different coulour blob of paint ain't gonna make much difference...

Go manual & ride with the relaxed knowlage that your engine isn't going to eat itself...

Plenty of options out there, Bazza of this here very manor takes std honda ones, guts them & makes them in to manuals...Or there are plenty of aftermarket ones out there you can buy & fit yourself...

Some on here will praise the 'free' option of the stopper mod which is only free until the spring fails & you need to buy another set to re do the stopper mod...

viewtopic.php?f=31&t=22720#p186028 ... the various types.

viewtopic.php?f=31&t=28583#p264315 ... How to fit manuals.

viewtopic.php?f=31&t=19416 ... The stopper mod...

[bobbler]

I may well be wrong but as I understand it the MCCT'S are the better more reliable option and dont need constant adjustment. The ACCT'S have a good chance to ruin your engine if they go so for me it was worth it just for that alone.

[jchesshyre]

When you fit the manual tensioners the best way, as described in the Workshop Knowledgebase on here, is to set the tension by measuring the chain slack between the cam sprockets.

You might imagine that adjusting them subsequently is a chore, but FYI I fitted mine at 35,000 miles and am now on 92,000 and haven't needed to adjust them once. I can *possibly* hear a slight extra rattle from them so will reset them when I do my valve clearances. In theory you're meant to do valves every 16,000 miles (I haven't) so what I'm saying is you certainly shouldn't need to adjust the tensioners any more often than every 16,000 and, as I've found, you may well go for way longer without having to touch them.

[8541Hawk]

This is what the man had to say on the topic:
http://www.vtr1000.org/phpBB3/viewtopic ... 8b#p456868

Hi Guys,
The question of CCTs is multi-faceted and complex one and sadly there are no definitive answers. Here are my experiences for what they are worth!
All the Revolution Racing VTR1000f Firestorms (ST2 and ST3 raced using OEM CCTs without issue. As they were being raced also under the banner of Honda Britain and partially supported by HRC it would have been impossible to change them for an aftermarket product but we have allowed to modify the OEM part had we found it necessary. It must be remembered the engines were all brand new and were rebuilt after every BSB Supercup weekend. Also the engines were fired with the bike standing level on front and rear stands and subjected to a twenty minute warm up procedure from cold whereas street bikes tend to be fired up on the sidestand while the rider puts on his helmet and gloves before driving off.
My workshop experience of street VTRs CCTs is extremely varied. The highest mileage I have had to CCT failure was 97,000 miles on a bike used every day by a London courier. The lowest was less than 30 miles on a bike that had been run from new for two days after it had been stored for three years. I have had failures at every mileage in between! Therefore mileage is not a factor but types and regularity of usage possibly may be. I am always an advocate of Preventative Maintenance but in the case of CCTs I cannot give any sort of replacement schedule based on mileage.
Although all the Revolution Racing bikes of other models (R1s, R6s, CBR 900s, CBR 600, GSXR 6s and GSXR 1000) raced under our own banner used Manual CCTs I never felt comfortable in recommended their use by DIY riders. The reasoning for this is that setting up is “by ear”, feel and experience and these qualities often in short supply by private riders. The long term and extensive damage that can be caused by incorrect adjustment often outweighs the damage caused by CCT failure in the majority of cases. All our MCCTs were adjusted before every track appearance.
It cannot be denied that there is an issue with some OEM CCTs I believe that the fear of it is greater than the reality and there are relatively few major engine failures due to CCTs. I am therefore generally in favour of retaining the CCTs on normal mileage street bikes.
I am really sorry that I cannot give more definitive or less controversial advice based on known facts instead of opinion.
Good Luck guys

[alanfjones1411]

We all have our opinions on the matter of cct's.I changed mine for manuals at around 5000 miles as the bike had been stored for at least 10years before I bought it.I then knew I would have no reliability problems regarding cct's.I had the bike for 3 years and never adjusted them at all.I worked on the presumption that prevention is cheaper than the cure.

[AMCQ46]

as its a low milage bike, the lack of use could be a factor, so I would also recommend taking action to prevent damage

as Mac said above, some like the idea of keeping the Auto adjust, but making it fail safe by putting a specific sized stopper inside the std mechanism ..... I am one of those people. ... its not that it is cheaper [but that helps] for me it is the fact that it still has the full Auto adjust still working as Honda designed. so changes in chain tension with revs, age and temperature are still managed.

and so far, none of teh bikes I have put a stopper on [mine and about 10 others] have failed ... but we can thrash the bikes without fear

[Billyboy]

Wow, what excellent and well reasoned advice, my grateful thanks to all who have replied so quickly. Will certainly look to change the existing one soon, my riding style is modest and annual mileage so far low, so rather attracted by the manual option and putting in a bit of workshop time. Thank you again to all.

[KermitLeFrog]

I'm with Al on this and have done the stopper mod myself. As Roger said, the manuals are very much dependent on mechanical skills and although I'm a good mechanic (as is Al) I like the idea of auto adjustment. There have been instances of other good mechanics on this forum who have had manuals go wrong.

I have nearly 30k on my '98 Storm and as far as I know, still on the original ACCTs but I accept one data point is meaningless.

If they DO go I'll probably fit manuals then as it would be a faff fitting new autos, running to get the adjustment and then fitting a new stopper but as it is I'm happy.

One final point to think about is if it's your only bike. If my ACCTs go there will be no damage but the bike will be off the road for a while. No big deal for me as I have other bikes to ride. If you need as much reliability as you can get for a daily rider that may colour your thinking.

[fabiostar]

Phone round all the breakers yards and ask if they have a firestorm engine,

il put my bottom dollar everyone thats broken has had Honda acct failure... fit manuals or stopper modded autos. and forget about them for the next 10 years.

[VTRsquid]

Are these ones any good? https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HONDA-VTR-1 ... SwB8tbl4Yw

[felix barrao]

Any one will work fine, ( It´s not rocket science), I installed those.

https://www.ebay.es/itm/Honda-VTR1000F- ... 261337f3fd

Bought to another seller ( not available now) , but same item. IMO they are much better design, they have inside two orings inside to avoid the common oil leaks in the threaded ones. A little more expensive, but.. Very happy after 6000 km.

[VTRsquid]

They look really nice. unfortunately i cant seem to get anything like that in australia. I ended up buying a pair of Chinese ones https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Fit-VTR-100 ... Sw7e5bNLyG but in black. It seems the market is flooded with this style as if the CAD drawings are up for free use or something lol. If everybody is selling these they couldn't be that bad, yeah?

[tony.mon]

Any thing's better than std...

[thelens]

I found it an easy job !
Took it to Biketech in longport and they fitted manual ones cost £250 for both