Suzuki GSX650F Forum - www.GSX650F.biz

Hello again,

Had the 48,000 major service done last Tuesday 6/09/11 ie; TPS and Valve clearance, oil & filter, wash K&N air filter, replace oil with 5100 motul, 2nd set of iridium cr8iex's since last 24k service, b/pad check (ok), steering column check, shock check etc. Replacement (previous thread) PR3's fitted.

It was late when finished so I ride str8t back to the storage facility where I keep the bike.

I get up the next day and look outside and say to myself i'm not wasting a day like this and head off to pick up the bike for a couple hundred klm fun run and to scrub in the new tyres.

I arrive at the storage facility unlock the bike, whack on my riding gear and start her up..........idles initially ..then...click...twang...click...click...twang 10 seconds worth. I stop the engine and wheel her outside the storage to have a closer look in the sunlight. I start her up again....and the same...click..click..twang...click .. 10 seconds worth again.

I call Mark at M.A.S and says listen to this...when I try to start the bike up..key on, start button in place and bike in neutral there was no reaction from the electric start. So I explain to Mark what the noise sounded like. Mark says cam chain...says not to try and start again just in case...He organises a tow for me back to his work shop.

Today I contact him and he says he has ordered cam chain and tensioner..recommends strongly to replace both at the same time.. Aside from the major service cost I gotta pay for towage, cam chain and labor about 3 hours. which equates to approx another $600.00.

All I can say is oh well.

Mark reckons I have gotten a real good run from the cam chain / tensioner as he does bikes all the time with them gone between 35 - 40k's. He said that if I had kept riding and the cam chain slips it can change your timing and bend valves. I think its something to do with the stroke of piston in relation to the cam timing.

So, I cant wait to get her back so I can make the GP moto at Phillip Island 13-17 Oct, then onto Tasmania then, onto the GOR (gr8t ocean road) then, up the centre to Broken hill, Alice Springs and back home.

Next year I will look at trading her up for a 2nd hand gsxr1000 (k9).

The K9 gixxers are coming on the market more regularly now and some with between 5-10k for under $11K. I was talking to a few sales guys who get older dudes like me putting risers on eg: 1 1/2" up and 1" back to give similar ergos for touring. I would put a ventura rack & tank bag on for my touring and can take them off for some fun at Eastern Creek track days ( yep i'm over 50 years old ).

When I look at the cost associated with motorcycling...you have to weigh up your interests...my only interest now is motorcycling...so the expense of maintaining my baby girl be it a gsx650f or a gsxr1000 is/(will be) well worth it.

Yo!

Yo Yo!

Sorry to hear about your experience. It sucks having to spend money on stuff that isnt fun but I guess making it to 48,000km without any other major issues is pretty good. My bike is currently on 31,000km and I will likely be trading it in next year and I am trying to avoid spending a single cent on it between now and then. I dread having to fix something that costs $600 or more since then I will end up having to keep the bike for at least another year to justify the expense. Not that its a bad bike, I am just ready to move on.

I gave up trying to convince myself that I ride to save money quite a while ago. Mind you, when I rode a CB250 for 4 years as a student I really did save a lot of cash, that bike just wouldnt die no matter what abuse I dished out. These fancy liquid cooled inline 4's though, they seem to be a lot more delicate. But as you say, if it is something you are pasionate about it is a lot easier to invest the money and like you, motorcycling is my main interest (alongside homebrew beer ).

I'm in a bit of a quandry what my next bike will be but I always seem to go back to a Vstrom 650, mainly for the comfort and the possibility of doing some seriously long rides. Time (and finances) will tell...

Go the strom HP,
Tiger left for another life
Now have twins in the shed

Just revisiting this topic again.

Can anyone please tell me that if the cam chain tensioner bolt is loosened or backed out and left in that position would/could it cause the cam chain to become loose IF, I then accelerated hard say in first gear.

What I'm trying to say I guess is, if the cam chain tensioner spring as pictured below:

is allowed to become unsprung due to the plug tensioner being backed out or loosened.

Would this action cause the cam chain to then loosen if under hard acceleration it caused the adjuster assembly arm which presses on the tensioner comp to back away from the cam chain.

Maybe Kadett or someone else who maybe has tackled the cam chain area could enlighten me please as I am just trying to eliminate in my mind if indeed the plug tensioner has become loose causing this and if it would be a simple matter of tightening back up the plug tensioner if it is loose or do I need a new cam tensioner only.

The reason I say a cam tensioner only is because my mechanic inspected the cam chain in the motor during the valve clearance check and he claimed that the chain was in good order meaning he could not pull the chain out from around the cam chain sprocket in the motor, so the stretch was still in tolerance.

I have searched youtube and googled and have only found examples of other sportbikes (1000cc) that have experienced the problem of the oem tensioner (spring loaded not hydraulic) backing out under hard acceleration.

Thanks Yo!

Hi YO; well me thinks a error was made by the mechanic who did the valve shim check and adjustment.

The big four Honda Kawa Yamaha Suzuki with the in line fours have designed very durable engines,
that is direct from racing. So to read about this, if there was an issue i think a recall would have been done.

And hard throttle or hammering the engine should not bother any of the components, it is designed for that.

Yes way over or not proper care of engine oil change ect boo boos in engine work will cause engine failure.

I have a 1989 250cc Honda in my garage, with over 110,000Kms on the clock - in all likelihood it's actually 210...
The cam chain started rattling about 20,000K's ago, and sometimes sounds like it's about to fly through the tank. It's one of those jobs I've been meaning to get around to but every time I open the garage, I have to walk past the GSX

Point is: there's no way any of our bikes should be developing camchain noise at this early stage.

Your mechanic did something wrong. It was fine when you went in and there was a problem after the service. 30,000 miles (48,000KM) is not very many on a bike like that, and not enough to wear out cam chains and tensioners on a properly maintained motorcycle.

The mechanic I took my bike into for the 48,000 klm major service also did the 24,000 klm major service just before I took off to Perth form Sydney and return from Perth via Darwin to Sydney. My bike behaviour during that trip was awsome!!!! I was cruising along in far north west Qld and N.T at between 160 - 180 kph constantly with the lowest cruising speed of 130 kph. So I sincerely believe my mechanic IS NOT at question here. It is a matter of understanding a mechanical issue of my bike.

I was initially heading towards thinking it was a warranty issue...but..when I sought a 2nd and 3rd opinion from suzuki mechanics (eg; syd city suzy) I was able to confirm that whilst the gsx650f is an awsome little workhorse..travelling long tours at high highway revs will have a profound effect (wear) on the cam chain tensioner, guides and chain.

So, to wrap this up myself...I feel that the new cam chain and adjustment assembly is most probably warranted due to the type of flogging I have given the bike over the past recent months of non-stop riding at particularly hight revs. BTW the guys at syd sydney suzy say that if the same problem occured on the 1250fa then they would be concerned as the bigger motor wouldnt even feel the rev range like my 650.

yo!

dhula, your bikes look set up for some combo of on/off road use in touring. I prefer a more sport bike feel..in particular while cornering. Although the 650f is an entry level sports bike (tourer)...this little master equips itself awsome!(ly) as I became aware of during my very first long ride from Port Macquarie to Walcha NSW (re: oxley highway and thunderbolts way) and onto Armidale and then back to Port Macquarie. If you have ever done that run...you would appreciate what this little bike can do...eye-opener really even going hot into corners and still no back wheel chatter. My previous bikes (old timers 81-82, b1/b2 1100 kwakas wouldnt hold a bar to this bike in the corners and would also better them in the quarter mile no doubt.

But, anyway, tx for your reply even if it was off topic.

Yo!

HI YO Yes i will answer your reply ya 650 IF proper set up and correct mods WOW, She a sweetheart. I still taken back of how well she works.

Now the evil cam chain , one mod i did to prevent soft parts in engine, and to prolong oil life was to add the bandit 1250 oil cooler, if ur running fast in hot weather the lack of oil cooling might have helped in the
demise of the cam chain system, yet just a guess yet , 650 very much use the oil like a harly to cool everthing
sooooooooooooo might be the reason.

I think your mech messed up! I know you trust em in all, but he just puts your bike back together and your cam fails! sounds pretty fishy to me! suzuki makes a strong bike! strong enough for cam chains to last alot longer then that! I've owned a gs 400 (1983) and gs 750 es (83) they got maintenance but they also got rode hard and put away wet! I adjusted the valves on the 750 at around 40,000 k my friend has that bike now and it's still running strong! "just saying"