opinion on cct setting please?

[mattycoops43]

Hi peeps.

Fitted both manual cct's this weekend, runs perfectly, and sounds spot on when cold, but when I let it get to temp, if I turn it off and restart I have a funny moan coming from the front. Not a screech as I have read about with overtight, kind of a gentle owl like 'hoooo'. I have backed the cct off a bit, and it went, but I am concerned now that they are too slack as we set them to the 7mm with the cam covers off pretty carefully.

Is it just a case of each bike being a bit different, and feeling different? Mine is on 32k miles and I think it's had a pretty harsh life.

Bike is 'almost' roadworthy now, need to try and get forks and discs sent to me this week so I can get some use out of it.

[popkat]

If the moan goes when you back it off a bit and it Doesn't rattle then i'd say it's good.

[mattycoops43]

No rattling, I'll leave it for a bit and see how it goes.
Thanks

[darkember]

Did you check the valve clearances while you had the rocker covers off??

[tony.mon]

Have you managed to get the front head's breather pipe on correctly under the airbox?
You have to do it by feel, and it's easy to get the clip wrong, and it can make an odd noise.....

[mattycoops43]

Valve clearances all spot on, valve train looked immaculate tbh, which was a surprise, and yes, I forgot to put the front breather on till after I had reattached the oil cooler etc, so it was a pita, but it I did get it on properly.

[VTRDark]

kind of a gentle owl like 'hoooo'.

That's an odd noise. Defiantly sounds like an air thing. Hows the bike running otherwise. Carb intake rubbers nice and tight and carbs seated correctly.

(:-})

[mattycoops43]

Yes, I took my time, because the choke cable had been bodged and was the wrong way round and not routed properly. I went over everything, made sure all fasteners and pipes/cables were all going the right way, no kinks etc, carbs sitting perfectly.

Bit odd, when it's cold it starts instantly on the button, but when it gets hot, if I stop it, it seems to be struggling to turn it over. It's not turning and not starting, it's struggling to get it over the compression.

Battery is ok, it sat for 3 weeks with no use then started fine, has not gone flat on me, almost like a weak starter, but is fine when cold.

Any ideas?

[VTRDark]

Bit odd, when it's cold it starts instantly on the button, but when it gets hot, if I stop it, it seems to be struggling to turn it over.

The thing is this does sound like the tensioners are a tad too tight, but you say you where quite specific and precise with getting the 7mm and you have since loosened them a bit more. How much is a bit ?more than a 1/4 turn?

7mm is around the maximum and any more than that your starting to tread on territory where it will start to rattle more and possible be too slack. Since loosening it off more can you hear the cam chain rattle at all when cold. It should do slightly but not much and it should noticeabley go away as the engine heats up to full running temp. It makes sense that it's easier to start when cold as everything has not expanded with the heat and tightened up. The bit I don't understand is the Wooo noise and how they can be possibly too tight if there was 7mm play. Where did you take the measurement from. Was it the total up and down free play and from the outside edge of the chain?

Also you want to be very careful if loosening the cct with either the engine running or not at TDC on the compression stroke.

I would see how it goes over the next few day since you loosened off the CCT a bit. If it continues then I would loosen it a bit more, but no more than a 1/4 turn. Especially if you don't have a slight (and I mean slight) chain rattle when cold. Listen to the engine carefully when cold and when hot and make mental notes of any changes.

(:-})

[mattycoops43]

Thanks for the info.

I gave it just under half a turn out while it was stopped, then listened to see if that made it rattle, it didn't.

Measured overall play in the chain pushed in to pushed out, was hard to be too exact as it had a slightly springy feel to it, so I wasn't sure how hard to hang off it to get it to deflect.

No rattle at all at the moment, my thoughts are maybe I measured it wrong, and need to do it again, or should I just slacken it off in 1/4 turn implements till I get small amount of rattle then back up?

Sorry, appreciate the help. I had a friend who is a bike mechanic with me when I did it, and he seemed happy, but he is not a fan of manual cct's and kept telling me to put a new auto one on, so I don't think he knew what it should sound like as I know they are meant to sound different with manuals.

he's got 20 plus years as a bike mechanic and had a feel and then a tweak. I trust him, but am thinking maybe he did it up more and he shouldn't?

[VTRDark]

Mmm... how good are you at detecting the difference in sound from a chain rattle from other engine noises. You need to be careful loosening a tensioner blind as if you go too far the chain may jump. I would like to say loosen the tensioner until you hear a slight rattle then turn it back in 1/4 turn at a time, but to be on the safe side only loosen it when the engine is NOT running as the threaded bolt could run away from you and loosen way too much with the engine spinning over if not careful. The other problem is that your breaking the seal in the orifice the thread runs through, so may get a slight oil weep in the future creeping along the thread.

How about whipping the rear cam cover off and double checking the tension on the chain from there. If it's OK or very close then we can presume the front has been done the same. You will need to set the rear cylinder to TDC on the compression stroke first though.

For a rough idea of how slack the chain will be with the 7mm slack. Do you remember your friend leaving this much slack?
[youtube][/youtube]

You may want to have a read through this guide I have just written.
http://www.vtr1000.org/phpBB3/viewtopic ... 31&t=28583

(:-})

[mattycoops43]

The guide is awesome. Great now I have just DONE the job! ;)

There are no other noises from the engine, which is a good sign I guess. Have to be honest, i think I am going to whip the covers off again and double check it just to be safe, not such a bad job when you know how it is done.

[VTRDark]

not such a bad job when you know how it is done.

That's one of the reasons I wrote it and used a lot of pictures. It's almost like doing the job in your head first rather than people jumping in half blind.

(:-})

[tony.mon]

If this bike is still making that noise, it may be the transfer gears slipping under load.
Have a search for transfer gears in the workshop section.

[BigD]

I'm having a similar dilemma. Kreiger manuals were fit last year (by mechanic not me). Felt there was a bit of a rattle yesterday so thought I would investigate the CCT. Read they should be tightened finger tight then released 1/4 turn. My rear was way 'looser' than this and required turning in several complete turns before it was finger tight. I've then loosened it off a bit. Did this all with the engine running warm.

I've only adjusted the rear, can you adjust either or should it be both?

I didn't notice any rattle last year when it was done and I've done less than 500 miles since. Bit concerned I've adjusted it so much, but it sounds ok.