Yeah Scout, hit the brakes on that one. Do not attempt a chain adjust with a running engine. Bad call on the book I believe.
Some theory so you can make up your own mind. An engine never runs smooth and consistent at each engine pulse. If you lock down the chain with it running, you might hit a pulse that snaps the chain onto the tensioner rod. Meaning, you might time the chain flex to the loose side. If you make a static adjust, you eliminate this altogether. Another book mistake (Imho) is to find a cylinder on the compression stroke and move the crank another 15 degrees. This theory being... that the cam lob is on an open valve spring and there is a possibility of the cam to "roll back" on the ramp. If you advance the crank an extra 15 degrees past TDC, you override the roll back.
Do this instead. Adjust the cam chain with a dead engine. Undo the adjuster locking nut (first), then loosen the bolt. Turn the crankshaft back just a few degrees. What you want to watch, is the adjuster pin inside the adjuster assembly. If you see the rod moving back as you load the crank in reverse running direction (CC), then the pin is not seized and you are good to go. Now simply turn the crank in it's running direction (C) a few degrees more than you turned it back. Never let up on the tension of the crank. What this does, is load the front rung of the whole chain. There is no way the cam can do it's "roll back"... because you took the slack out of the whole chain on the forward load. Hold the crank in place, then tighten the cam chain adjuster bolt. Lock down the nut, and start the engine. Does the engine sound quieter or is it still noisy?
If you put your bike in gear, take the rear wheel and load the chain in either direction. Try not to move the crank. Just load it enough to the point of the crank moving. Take your other hand and note how tight one rung is, and how loose the other side is? This is the same principal you are doing to the cam chain.
Now a drive chain has high spots as you know. The same will happen with cam chains. If the engine could use just a touch more quieting, then you may have to adjust the chain one more time. Simply turn the crank 180 degrees and adjust the cam tensioner as stated above. Did the noise diminish with this adjustment?
