Replacing the Timing chain, when and how

G/day all

I have just had my F800GS in for a major service.

It has 125,600kms, which I have ridden it from new, bought Jan 2011.

I booked it into BM Motorcycles (Ringwood, Melb, Oz) with the instructions, "go over it and do whatever you think needs doing" as I have, today, put the bike into a container in Melbourne bound for Greece, and a tour of Europe for 6 months.

Put it in last Monday, Tuesday Chris (owner, rings to inform me the cam chain is rooted, but no worries, he is confident that they replace the chain in situ, that is with out removing the motor and splitting the cases. One of his mechanics, Mick has been working on bikes since Moses played full back(old Oz saying), i.e a bloody long time, and knows how to replace the chain, these sort of things you learn when spannering for works racers

So, my question is? can you still have it ready to put in the container Friday. Yep, no worries.

Down I drive yesterday afternoon,(240km's from home) and there she sits, cleaned and running perfectly.

These guys are brilliant.

They use my bike as a test bike, its the highest k's for a Rotax motor they have serviced.

They now know that you need to replace the timing chain at no more then 100,000 k's.

The valve clearances on my bike at 125,600k;s were spot on, the heads and cams are as clean as they were when they were installed in the factory. Motor does not use or burn oil.

Clutch is very good.

The steering head bearings and wheel bearings which they replaced back when the bike had 90,000km's are perfect.

So there.

Looks like these Rotax motors are very good.

When I return from Europe in late September, with at least 160,000kms on the clock, they will go right over it, but we are confident the bike will still be preforming.

Chris

I am on my third cam chain. My needs replacing about every 25,000 miles (40,000 KMs).
It rattles and makes a hell of a racquet at that time. So I change it when it rattles excessively.
New chain and tensionser installed and she purrs quietly on start up.

There is a great thread on this forum for DIY cam chain replacement by Dieselboy! Link below:

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=727687

That's interesting Indy.

My bike is a 2010 30thGS model, built Sept. I bought it new from SouthBank Melb, Oz, in Jan 2011.

That was my 1st chain replacement and tensioner at 126,500km's.

I called into BM Motorcyles in early Nov 2014 to make the booking as I was heading down to NZ for 3 months on another bike, and Chris picked up on the slack Cam Chain tensioner, but other then that, the bike was running quietly, no chain slap etc.

Until they pulled the heads on Tuesday.

Chris

I have no idea why some people can go 100,000 miles on a cam chain.
I just prefer to change it because of the excessive noise and rattle that starts to worry me.
For my riding the 25,000 mile mark is consistent. I am not sure what the risk is of running a sloppy timing chain for a long distance but seems that many inmates are getting over 50,000 miles and then changing them.

The Dieselboy method is easy and can be done in one day. The chain is cheap. master links are cheap and a new tensioner may not be needed but gives a piece of mind.

I like these "this engine is bombproof" threads .

Gives me a warm, cozy feeling...

What I find humorous is that the F8 motor is also being used in the BMW I3 series cars as the back up gas motor. I suppose someone should tell them they are buying a death trap, right?

I replaced my tensioner at 12k miles, and again at 24k. It makes a noticeable difference in sound, and quiets sooner after startup.

It's not expensive to do, and only takes a couple of minutes. I figure - why not - and it will be my little experiment in chain longevity....

Next time I will try just a new tensioner. Or maybe I should use a manual tensioner and bypass the oil completely.

Has anybody "studied" the wear rate of cam chains on the F658GS vs. the F800GS?

I would guess that due to the less radical cams installed in the F658GS that the chain would last far longer but ...

Indy note he was talking Km not miles ... so still better, but closer to your experience

Okay good catch 60,000 miles is more like it.
I still wonder if our cam chain tensioner struggles to maintain tension as it strokes out further and the chain stretches but is not completely out of spec yet.
There may be some merit to trying a manual tensioner.

Interesting thread but I am wondering if anyone has specific info on when or what would call for a timing chain change?

120k kms on my 09 (bike wasn't really ridden until June 2012) I've done three tensioner changes and the bike rattle a little bit at start up, very little. Valve are in great shape.

The i3 engine is built by Kymco in Tiawan. Same engine that BMW uses
in their big scooter. So, a German car with a Chinese engine. How cool
is that match-up? Photo of the engine here:
http://gas2.org/2013/03/23/kymco-to-build-bmw-i3-extended-range-hybrid-engine/

Something to maybe consider that I haven't seen mentioned;
as timing chains wear (elongate), the valve timing slowly retards.
So there's a gradual loss is power as the chain wears. Thus you
may notice better acceleration, smoother running after replacement of a worn chain....

over on the new posts, I have started a thread on trying to have a MCCT made for the 650/700/800 engines...it will help slow down the rattle when where the automatic fails...it wouldn't help the timing issue but it will stop the rattle, as well as stop the chain slap that can damage/destroy the guides, which isn't good either...

check it out and put your thoughts to it...

Took my wife's 2010 f800gs in for valve clearance check and other tune-up items. I am told it needs a new timing chain. 35k miles. Loose in parts, tight in other parts, but in danger of jumping. Just posting as a data point.

HMMMMMM?????? Either there was an issue with the chain from the beginning (very unlikely) or your are being told a load of BS. We (wife 2010 and I 2009) have bikes both coming up on 150,000 miles and there are no timing chain issues as of yet. My F800 in particular has been ridden very hard at times, dunes etc and again no issue with timing chain. I'd be looking for another dealers opinion.

With the bike valve cover off, engine not running, the cam chain would normally be loose at some points, tight at others as the engine is manually turned. As the chain pulls the cams around, the valve springs place tension on the chain only some of the time. Also, the tensioner is both spring and oil operated, which is why many engine cam chains rattle a bit on start-up, before oil pressure reaches the tensioner. There's not a lot of tension with the engine not running. So, deciding if the chain should be replaced takes a bit more than "loose in some places, tight in others"..

I am running the manual cam chain tensioner now on the new forth cam chain. Will see if this improves cam chain life down the road.

4th Cam Chain????? Seriously?? How many miles?