Hi guys, I use to own a 2001 DZr400E - they are known to require a manual cam chain tensioner. My question to you guys is this, I've found a sudco ape products manual cam chain tensioner. Does the GS500 suffer from a sloppy chain inside the engine when youtake the throttle off quickly possibly leading to major valve / engine damage? Is this a good investment for this bike? I'm picking up a used GS500E (1989) this weekend and I'm looking for things I need to immediately address before the summer hits to get this in peak performance, bike runs like a top now...

MadMike

The manual adjuster is not needed on stock street GS motors. The automatic works just fine. Very very rare to hear of any that have failed.

I use a manual one on my race motors just because of the nature of the motor and its use.

I've never heard of anyone having problems with the stock tensioner. I think the hydraulic tensioners have more problems than the spring ones like on the GS. I just got a 1995 CBR1000F and they're known for having bad tensioners (hydraulic) but they don't make a manual one for it so I'm thinking about modifying mine to be manual. My stock one dosn't make any noise right now though so I'm probally going to hold off.

In years of racing GSs I've never heard of any ever failing because of a CCT. 
Save your money for more useful areas.

When flogged hard, GS valve trains fail a little further up, those big honkin' valves can float and spit their shims right out of the engine!



Did you ever fix this head Darrell? 

Quote from: JamesG on May 04, 2007, 09:43:47 AM
In years of racing GSs I've never heard of any ever failing because of a CCT. 
Save your money for more useful areas.

When flogged hard, GS valve trains fail a little further up, those big honkin' valves can float and spit their shims right out of the engine!

http://www.knology.net/~ARS/images/spitshim.jpg

Did you ever fix this head Darrell? 

Yes I have.....with JB Weld. Have not run it yet. I put a stock head on that 541 motor. I will put it on the 569 that is the works. Picking up the cyclinders from being honed on Monday. Still need to send the Ex cam to be repaired, it has some nasty nicks in it.