Just wanted to get this right. I need to adjust my manual cct but I'm not sure as to tighten or loosen. I figured I'll just loosen it all the way, hand tighten. The next part is where I'm lost. Incognito says to tighten, while Jdub's how to says to loosen. Should I just play this part by ear?

 

Prop up fuel tank.
Losen the locknut.
Start bike.
Pinch the cctl adjusting nut with your fingers. (you'll feel it vibrating like crazy)
..if you let go it will quickly back itself out with motor running from the vibes which is BAD.
Slowly back it out until you hear the rattling. it will be loud, you can't miss it.
...some people will say you can damage your engine this way. It's true if you COMPLETLY back out the cctl like a moron and allow so much slack in the cam chain that it will jump cam gear teeth. which is VERY bad. So don't back it out too much.

With bike still running, tighten the adjusting nut slightly until the rattle goes away (give a few revs with your free hand to make sure all RPMs sound good. Then shut off bike.
Tighten Lock-nut. DO NOT MOVE YOUR ADJUSTING NUT IN THIS PROCESS.
This is how i did it and never had a single problem or sound.

They key is to get JUST enough tension on the cam chain. Not enough will cause noises and too much will wear parts out quickly.

 

The best part was when the little rollpin fell off the nut and down behind the engine; oh yeah!

 

I'm closing this thread because I feel nothing more needs to be added. If you have a question, or feel like you have something to add, PM me, and I'll add it into the thread. Plus, a few pages of this is all we really need. It's a common problem, won't cause serious damage if taken care of in a timely manner, and yes it is annoying.

 

Vangill asks:
can an old cct be modded so it doesnt rattle?
i have a bad one-in the bike and another one off another engine i pulled, but i never knew if it was bad or not so im curious if i could mod it or fix it or if i should just get a new one?

 

xjoewhitex says:
Ive been thinking about getting a manual cctl tensioner so I went to the dealer to ask a very trusted mechanic. He said in 5 years he has only changed 3 on our beloved f4i's. He said they do wear out, but if your changing them alot more often then you should, or a brand new one didn't fix it. Its not the tensioner at all, chain wore out and slapping your tensioner stretching past where your tensioner can reach. He then added easiest way to tell is to pull out your tensioner and put it back in extended. If it fits flush against your motor it would be your chain thats the problem. If it is sticking out, then its the tensioner itself. He warned me to stay away from manual tensioners because they cause the valve guides to wear prematurely due to the added stress. And it will always need adjusting.

 

I disagree with your mechanic on the generic statement about the manual tensioners. If not installed properly of course they can be the souce of excessive wear in addition to other problems that can evolve. But properly installed and adjusted by a mechanic who is familiar with the manual CCT, I'd pick the manual any day of the week over the automatic.

 

Exactly, I didn't get that far into detail. He told me manuals are fine as long as you know what your doing, and you have the knowledge to adjust when needed. But if you don't and your just going to put it in and tighten until the noise is gone.. well thats where the problems start.

 

Sorry guys I know there are already thousands of posts concerning rattling noise potentially caused by worn Cam Chain Tensioner Lifters ... this is one reason why I'm posting my problem ... because my rattling noise is NOT to do with the CCTL ....

I replaced my CCTL today (with a Honda OEM auto CCTL, strangely double blue dotted) - it turned out the existing CCTL (strangely single blue dotted) in my bike was not worn at all, but since I bought the bike from a previous owner 3 months ago, at least I have peace of mind now the CCTL isn't worn.

Anyway, my rattling noise is still there, especially when I go over little bumps ... normally around 3000-5000rpm. I understand the CCTL noise is quite a high pitched rattle at high or abrupt revs - my rattling noise is not that, rather like a metal piece bouncing somewhere, irrespective of engine speed.

I've ridden without the fairings before and the noise was still there - clearly now it wasn't the CCTL causing it.

Has anyone found this non-CCTL rattling gremlin? I can only take apart the bike to a certain nakedness to find out where the rattling is coming from ...

Apologies for posting a topic that was probably already covered somewhere, but I've spent the past hour trawling through the relevant posts with no success .... so in the interests of reducing post traffic, please don't reply to this post, unless you have actually experienced and isolated this particular non-CCTL rattle .... thanks

 

All i can recommend is to check and double check everything. Does it do it while riding only?

Screws, bolts, exhaust springs? clamps? keys? loose chain?

Metal piece bouncing around? sounds like someone threw a penny down your exhaust.