How do you know you need to adjust it?
What are some signs that it has problems?

 

You will hear a different sound when you slack off on the throttle. The cam chain slacking up and hitting off the slider. I took off the automatic chain tensioner and put on manual adjust.

 

How, do you go about doing this? Also how do you know it is just the tensioner wearing out, and not the guides or the chain?

 

pretty sure you cant adjust an oem one, you'll have to get an ape manual one if you want to adjust it i believe.

 

The OEM one is spring loaded.

 

The oem one is spring AND Hydraulic loaded. Depending on the engines speed and load the oil pump pressurizes the CCT to increase the pressure on the tensioner guide.
When I pulled my head apart to redo it 5 years ago the guides and chain were perfect and had close to 20k racing miles. The CCT was shot however, I've had to replace it 3 times in the 10 years I've owned my cane.