Topic: 400F owners: camchain question

[GroovieGhoulie]

When I get back, I am going to tear down my engine and install a new camchain, guide blades and horseshoe-shaped adjuster arm.

However, I recall from people posting here and magazine articles that the factory camchain "stretches like knicker elastic", requiring constant tightening, which is hard on the (poorly designed and nearly irreplaceable) factory tensioner.

I see that there are hardened, performance DID camchains available from 400F websites, intended for hot-rod 400Fs.

Would it be overkill to install one of these in an otherwise stock 400F in an effort to make the camchain tensioner last longer and not wear the grooves into the horseshoe-shaped arm?

Supposedly the chain has hardened rollers and links and shouldn't stretch like a factory item, allowing a longer service interval.

Any downside besides cost, which is no object to me?

[ttr400]

I use these chains in my motors, it has a full side plate and is basically the same as what Yoshimura supplied with there race kits in the 70's.  Every motor I have taken apart has had the lower horseshoe seized due to a loose chain wearing the metal at the pivot point. These are discontinued from Honda, but you can take them apart to get them working properly again. 
I will be manufacturing a new lower adjuster shortly with a bronze bush and a slight re-design so if the chain does hit the pivot point it wont seize up like the stock one.

Kevin

[GroovieGhoulie]

I use these chains in my motors, it has a full side plate and is basically the same as what Yoshimura supplied with there race kits in the 70's.  Every motor I have taken apart has had the lower horseshoe seized due to a loose chain wearing the metal at the pivot point. These are discontinued from Honda, but you can take them apart to get them working properly again. 
I will be manufacturing a new lower adjuster shortly with a bronze bush and a slight re-design so if the chain does hit the pivot point it wont seize up like the stock one.

Kevin

PLEASE keep me (us) updated on this new part.  If it works as advertised, I WILL be buying one.

That silly camchain tensioner design is the achilles heel of this wonderful little bike.

[ttr400]

Yes I agree, you know I looked at this design for months to see if I could come up with a better design and decided this was the best route to go and the easyest to fit. Another design I played with was to lock up the lower tensioner arm and have the adjuster at the top of the motor, but it involved a lot of work and mods to the rocker cover etc .
I will keep all informed to the progress.

Kevin

[crazypj]

Chains don't stretch, they wear.
 The full side plate is much better a slowing the tensioner blade/guide wear.
 DID is grease packed from factory to prevent corrosion during storage/shipping.
The first time it gets hot all he grease melts and the chain gets loose (usually about 15 to 20 mins)
The adjuster isn't the greatest in the world (it sucks) but you can modify the spring holding bolt to make it a manual adjuster instead of relying on the spring pressure to move the 'horse shoe' and bend tensioner blade
PJ

[Tim2005]

I've always used the stock DID camchains on all my 400f's, 460 etc, and never had problems from them. I adjust them every time I change the oil, if they're kept tight they never wear the horseshoe bit.That said, after about 30000 miles (of abuse) on a stock engine they need changing, but by then the head gasket needs doing at the very least anyway.

[aptech77]

GG, I used a heavy duty chain........all is well....