Ape CCT question
Thread Starter
Senior Member
SuperBike
SuperBike
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,031
From: Los Angeles ish
Ape CCT question
Hey,
I put the Ape's on last weekend and have ridden the bike twice after wards. First time everything seemed normal noise wise. Today I heard a noise that I can only describe as a harmonic (a steady almost musical note). Not at idle or cruising, but it would come in around 3k on acceleration then fade out again. I followed Ape's directions to tighten finger tight, then back off 1/4 turn.
The question finally: Is this an indication that the tensioner is too tight? If I was to back it out, say another 1/2 turn, do I need to worry about cam position while doing this? I'm wondering if the cam chain would jump with a small change like this.
Thanks
I put the Ape's on last weekend and have ridden the bike twice after wards. First time everything seemed normal noise wise. Today I heard a noise that I can only describe as a harmonic (a steady almost musical note). Not at idle or cruising, but it would come in around 3k on acceleration then fade out again. I followed Ape's directions to tighten finger tight, then back off 1/4 turn.
The question finally: Is this an indication that the tensioner is too tight? If I was to back it out, say another 1/2 turn, do I need to worry about cam position while doing this? I'm wondering if the cam chain would jump with a small change like this.
Thanks
Idiot
Squid
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 34
From: Kansas City
If it is a sort of whine, more than likely the tensioner is too tight. I would just do the recommended procedure again and see if the noise gets better. You definitely don't want it too loose even though the chances of it jumping time with an additional 1/2 turn are small.
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Superstock
Superstock
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 489
From: San Antonio, TX
In my experience, one half turn out on the APE tensioners will not cause any problems. The cam chains can actually have quite a lot of slack before you risk slipping a tooth on the cam sprockets. The principals are similar to the drive chain whereas a little looseness will not cause damage and is actually desirable, but a bit on the tight side will cause excessive friction. The chain will heat rapidly then begin to "stretch" unevenly. This will also cause the sprockets to wear quickly. Once that has happened then no amount of adjustment will make it right, and the chain will then need to be replaced along with new sprockets.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
SuperBike
SuperBike
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,031
From: Los Angeles ish
Thanks everyone. If I get time tomorrow I'll back them off a ¼ turn, for a total of ½ off of my finger tight. See what that gets me. I did ride the bike after my first post and didn't hear the noise, so I think I'm close to the right setting.
Moderator
MotoGP
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,708
It's worth it to take the valve coves off and actually measure the cam chain deflection. I measured the deflection with the stock CCT in place before I removed it. I found it to be slightly looser that the APE spec. I ended up tightening it to the loose side of the APE spec to compensate.
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