Subject: Timing chains
Author: Darrell J Dick
Date: May 3, 2004, 9:28 AM
Post ID: 1716681967
I asked this question in the middle of one of my rambling Convert posts
and I haven't seen a reply. I don't know if you guys either don't have an
opinion on timing chains, or are snubbing me 'cuz I've been riding a
Tonti frame lately, or hopefully are busy riding yourself. ;-) I thought
I would try again.
I've been hearing an usual noise from the timing cover on the 'Vert
occasionally at idle. I suspect the timing chain. The bike has 26,000
miles on it. I don't know if any of the PO's ever did any maintenance to
it. No, is probably a good guess.
I have replaced the timing chain and tensioner on an 850T and another
Convert. In both cases, I cut the old chain off leaving the sprockets
entact. I replaced the chain with a split type with master link sourced
from Moto International. I replaced the tensioner with the Valtek spring
loaded type. This worked well for me in both cases and I will probably do
this again. Now, the thing is I sometimes have a tendency to be cheap and
lazy, and I don't want to have the Convert down to long during riding
season. I was sort of hoping to do this little job next winter, but I
don't think I better wait too long to at least check it out.
So, should I?
1. Don't do anything til next winter. I've never heard of a Guzzi timing
chain actually breaking or something, have you?
2. Open the timing cover and adjust the manual tensioner. I was reading
Guzziology, and Richardson says that the rubber shoe was only really
crappy on the first timing chain bikes. That was news to me, I thought
they all were crappy. If anything, this might get me to next winter.
3. Put a Valtek tensioner on the old chain. Can you install the tensioner
without removing the chain?
4. Do like I have done before and replace the tensioner and chain with
the split deal and Valtek?
5. Do something else entirely (remember, I'm cheap and lazy)
Thanks!
Darrell Dick
Imlay City, MI