enigne marks horrible rattle noise a few minutes after startup. sometimes goes away for a second with a twist of throttle but then comes back. sounds like a clatter. is this the timing tensioner? it sounds almost like some collapsed hyradulic lifters. its quiet when cold. could this be realated to a bad thermostat causing hot engine condtion? it doesnt sound like a draging chain but then i've new to bikes. any ideas?

 

Time to replace your camchain.[X(]

 

darn. bike has 50k miles on it and i was hoping chain would go 100k like it does on most cars. is this abig problem? i read alot about tensioners, ape manuals, etc. didn't see much about the chain. i'll check around myself but is it an expensive part? could i do it myself at home? i downloaded an 11mb file containing an owners manual but i don't think it is specific to my 1987 1000f. any tips or tricks? does engine have to come out or get torn down? no chance this is simpler tensioner type problem ? what else should i do while i'm in there? thank you for the guidance.

 

Read the past posts about "cam chain again" etc - plenty of tips and tricks there.
The manual you downloaded is very specific - check each section for earlier models and if the procedure is different, it'll tell you.
Not difficult if you buy a camchain with a masterlink - DID part no SCA 0412A SDH(150 pins.)
Take you about a day the first time, take me about 4 hours now. No need to split the engine.
IF YOU LEAVE IT TOO LONG YOU COULD WRECK YOUR ENGINE - it's a high performance machine, not a Chinese scooter!
PM me if you need specific help, but READ THE MANUAL and the past posts -there are plenty.

 

If the rattling sound isn’t there when the bike is cold, but only after a warm up it isn’t the cam chain or tensioner. Further more if the rattling sound is louder at a certain rpm it’s another indicator that it’s not the CC or CCT.
Then my friend it’s the secondary chain. The one that runs below the engine and runs the generator (I think. I’m not certain that this is the chains correct name)
You shouldn’t worry to much about the secondary chain, only if it gets really bad, but if the sound is like marbles in a tin cup or so leave it alone.
Replacing the secondary chain is very difficult unless you are a good home mechanic. In order to get to the chain you have to remove the engine from the bike, and if you can’t do that yourself it will cost you.
I asked a mechanic once how much it would set me back to replace, and he said 2500 USD

On the other hand I can comfort you on this one. I had the same problem for a long period, and thought it might be the CC + CCT, and therefore replaced them both. It wasn’t.
On the secondary chain there is a tensioner that works a bit like a handbrake. It tightens mechanically in small notches, and when the warmed up secondary chain isn’t worn enough to reach that next notch, it rattles.
When your secondary chain gets a little more worn, it will reach that next notch, and remain tight, and the rattling sound is gone. This is what happened on my bike last year, after 1½ year with a rattling engine. You could always try to adjust the balancer shaft, that might help a bit, but the rattling secondary chain it won’t solve, only a lot of miles under your belt will.

Best of luck

Noe

 

Hi Noe, If I understand you correctly, the secondary chain has an automatic ratcheting tensioner then (I have one like this on my dirtbike cam chain). I'm currently trying to get rid of annoying rattling sounds in my '93 engine now.I've got 26k miles on the bike, so I think I will go ahead and replace the cam chain, but if that doesn't cure it maybe the sound I'll be hearing then is this secondary chain you speak of and it will improve as itstretches a bit more.

 

Noe, a funny thing - my camchain rattled but only after the bike had been running for a bit - also disappeared when I twited the throttle. Maybe a little of both chains ? Hard to say........mine stopped when I replaced C Chain, so maybe I was lucky......

 

the cam chain represents a significant investment on my part of time and money. the tensioner does as well. the generator drive chain might be a dealbreaker. the noise sounds like its up top. i'll start the bike when i get home and write down when the various sounds begin and what makes them quiet down. stay tuned.