I removed the stock automatic cam chain adjusters and replaced with mechanical ones. I was told this was a thing you should do, at the time. I'm just trying to find out what experienced owners think.
My concern is over-tightening the mechanical adjusters. And to verify the tension of the chain you would have to take the cam cover off, which is a pain.
It makes me consider going back to the original automatic cam chain adjusters.
What are your thoughts?
Thanks!

 

I won't have an ACCT in the same garage with my SuperHawk, but I'm biased.

 

Well what a timely question, as I have just replaced the manual tensioners with stock units a couple of days ago. The stock CCT's will fail at some point, usually the front. That failure will cause catastrophic damage to the engine.So this issue is something that you absolutely want to address. Adjusting the manuals is not as big a deal as one might think. No, you don't want to over tighten, but if you follow the instructions, it's not difficult. Initially I did not remove the valve covers to verify TDC (I did it a different way) or the amount of cam chain slack. Quite a number of miles after my install of manual CCT's, I did a valve clearance check. While disassembled I could check the chain slack as well. What I found was they were a little less than the recommended 5ish mm of play.
So why am I running stock auto CCT's when they are going to fail? There is a mod to the autos called fail safe or stopper mod that I did to them.
Either install could be done with the removal of just the rear valve cover, which is easy to do. The hardest part might be getting the cover plug off to get at the crank bolt. I would do that before any other disassembly. Sometimes they don't come out undamaged.
https://www.superhawkforum.com/forum...pe-ccts-11275/
Fail Safe Mod
Vtr cam chain tensioners

 

So.. I've done a couple swaps to manual adjust tensioners. When I did my 1st VTR's, I followed one of the how-to's on here. I actually removed my valve covers to confirm, if I can remember correctly, 450 degrees of crank rotation to get the other cylinder perfectly lined up. After that, made them finger tight, buttoned everything back up and set them by ear. Yep, you heard that right. Start the motor, back off the tensioner till you hear it just start to rattle a little, then in X amount. I can't recall how far that was. After that, I put many many miles on my Hawk. 2 track days years later. When I sold it, it had just over 33k on the odo. So I'd say at least 25k set like that and never moved.

FF a lot of years and I became a little more educated and I had two local forum guys reach out to me for this procedure. One was APE Pros and I did it at the bike shop I worked at. Both valve covers off and set free play on the chains.. the proper way. While I was in there, I checked his valve lash. Those were the most stout units I've ever used.
About a year or so ago, I installed Kreigers on my blue hawk the same way and it's the only way I'd do it now. No need for new cover gaskets. Old ones sealed up fine with some anerobic sealer. If the APE Pros came in any other color beside the dreaded god awful red, I'd have used them.

Best advice I can give, don't gamble and get manuals in there. The auto's won't warn you, suddenly you'll be posting a want add for a front head. Seen it so many times.

 

Thanks, guys. I appreciate your replies and your experience.
I do have the manual CCTs installed already from previous, so I have the automatic ones to play around with and go with the fail safe mod that xeris did.
I'm going to be looking at doing this and might have other questions as I go along. Especially regarding the spacer that has to be installed and how to measure the length needed for the fail safe.
Hopefully you won't mind if I pick your brain a bit more another day,
Thank you again, gentlemen!

 

If you have manuals in, what is the benefit or removing them?

 

From the article on the "fail safe mode" (linked by xeris above), it's giving you a form of manual adjustment as a "fail safe" yet letting it be always under the correct pressure needed from the spring on the ACCT (so no overtightening, too slack, etc). It is the recommended Honda adjustment, which is needed for heat expansion and contraction.
Obviously these springs have failed in the past, but the fail safe shaft that you install at its correct length will be there if the spring fails. I'm assuming that the chain might get a little noisy, indicating that the spring has failed, but it cannot possibly unslacken to the point where the chain could possibly skip a tooth on the cam shaft.
The failure of the spring would be like having a manual CCT too slack on the adjustment.
I think it is quite clever. I guess this has been done quite a bit in England on the Firestorm forum from what I have read.