Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech cam (timing) chain lifespan

Has anyone here worn out their cam chain? At 82,000 mi. my "tensioner" is just two notches away from being fully extended. I use good oil and change it regularly so there has been no neglect. I was planning to tear the engine down and replace bearings etc. at 100,000 but am not sure how many more miles I have untill the chain has no more tension on it. 02 TBA.

Take a good look at the top sprocket and do a visual check, hard to see a bad inplace chain, but the sprocket tells no lies. The wear on both chain and sprockets account for the stretch you have, you have two clicks on the tensioner, maybe when your down to one, overhaul time or a low mileage long block changeout? My two cents BTW, any real sharp edges on the sprocket is a real bad sign, but you probably already knew that.

I had no idea you had to adjust the cam chain tensioner. I've got 60,000 miles and no adjustment yet.

it adjusts automatically via the "tensioner." That's the big nut in the center of, and back side of the two cylinders. It is spring loaded and as the chain stretches it pushes against the chain to take out any slack. It has notches in it that allow it to push forward but not retract. Mine is close to the end of its notches. I would love to take one out of a new bike and see how far they are extended before the bike has any wear on it. Then I would be able to estimate how many notches it has advanced and determine how many more miles I have before I have to pull the crank. I think I'm good for another riding season and can look forward to putting a stroker kit in when I have it all apart.

Along with the typical chain stretch and sprocket wear, you have to consider the chain guide/sliders for wear. Judging from the lack of reports related to cam chain failures (non to date), I would guess that you still have a lot of life left.

Why not give a dealer a call to see what Triumph recommends for average life?

I picked up a set of guide/sliders from Pinwall Salvage on ebay for $14. New ones cost about $140 for the set. They came off a bike that had 9000 mi. on it and gave me about six more notches in the tensioner - so I am now good to go. The chain and sprockets look to be in good condition. Thanks for the input.