1982 CB750F...Better Devil

Heard back - the company that makes the cam chains is called Borg Warner. From what little I found online they're very reputable and a good aftermarket option. Anyone got any first hand real world feedback on them?
 
So gents, anyone got the skinny on cam chains? I got chastised (read - chewed a new one) on another forum for suggesting I’d be buying a cam chain which I’d be opening and then installing a master link - apparently this is Not The Done Thing and cutting corners. They’re probably right - to do the job properly I should be splitting the cases, and installing an endless chain. What gives?


Sent from my iPhone using DO THE TON
 
Ask how many of them (themselves, not read on the internet) have used a master link and had their chain break or run for a shorter life.
 
No drama. It's not the clip kind like we use on our drive chains. You still have to use a press. How in the hell do they think the factory makes them?
 
From another thread -

teazer said:
Couple of thoughts. If I have to use a soft link, I use a large hammer on the other side as an anvil.

Most bikes of the era use a 219 chain but that size comes in a number of different "strengths". Some use thicker side plates and so have longer pins. Some use thicker pins, so if you buy a link, make sure it is the right size. And if you can find one with a clip and not rivet, it's OK to use it.

Personally I've only ever used endless cam chains because I don't want to deal with the master link and if I'm replacing the cam chain then I already have the cases split for whatever reason.
 
I thought splitting and assembling the cases would be more of a job then it actually was.
You are going this far, why not go the whole way?

It gave me a chance to look at the main and rod bearings which about half of them where shot. There aren’t cheap though at about $200 to replace both sets.
You can also look over your gears and gear selector forks to make sure no chipped teeth or extra wear.
There are a few rubber O rings down there that could probably be replaced, and clean out your sump screen.

Also, i didn’t do it cause I found out too late. But if you want the engine to purr and not rattle there are rubber dampeners in the primary shaft (that aren’t shown in parts lists) that can be replaced, check the 1100f forum there is a guy there that sells them. Along with clutch basket dampeners (but you can get a cheaper kit from cb750.com)

Just watch those torque values on those case bolts, found out the hard way they aren’t all the same.

The cam chains stamped with a M are the good ones.
Can’t remember did you end up getting the cam chain tensioners from Brent at V&H? He sells them.

Tool rocks!


Sent from my iPhone using DO THE TON
 
I can't tell you how long a master link will last on the street, but on a road race motor I have never had one fail - clip type or soft pin design (rivet type). But that applies to 219 type single row chains. On the DOHC motor with HyVo chain I have not tried to use a master link. Last CB900 I built was stripped and bored etc so new endless chains were fitted.

As Irk said earlier, ask them how many failed master links they have personally experienced or seen in the real world. There's a lot of armchair experts out there. If you do choose to go with a master link on a DOHC HyVo chain, make sure it is correctly rivetted and still free to move.
 
Just installed a cam chain for my 360 and it was the press type. I don't know if 750s are the same way, but the links were so small that it didn't line up in the press correctly. I had to walk it back and forth between pins to get it absolutely perfect. Makes me wish I had sprung for the motion pro one, it seems like it wouldve fit better. Just saying in case you run into the same issue.
 
borg warner is oem for some honda motors

the cx500/650 has borg warner timing chain
 
Nybz said:
I thought splitting and assembling the cases would be more of a job then it actually was.
You are going this far, why not go the whole way?
Why not indeed.

What makes me laugh is the fact that this engine had excellent compression before the teardown (160psi across all four), and the only real reason for pulling the head off was to repair a stripped spark plug thread. Now look where I am! Balls deep and staring into another rabbit hole. Well, f*ck it.

For some reason or another I thought splitting the cases required specialized tools, clamps, god knows what. But having had a decent look at the Clymers and after some schooling on another forum, I think I may have been over-egging my omelette somewhat. No walk in the park, but not as difficult as perhaps I thought. Not only would it obviously make the exhaust cam chain replacement much simpler, but no doubt there will be plenty of other things for me to check and empty my wallet onto yet again.

That said - what would be the must-do things to check for, and what can be left alone? How deep need this particular rabbit hole go...?
 
You pulled this thing apart to fix a stripped spark plug thread? I just do it while it's all together. LOL
 
irk miller said:
You pulled this thing apart to fix a stripped spark plug thread? I just do it while it's all together. LOL
Yeah, LOL it up mate. You're not the only one. ;D

I'd be selling myself short if a stripped thread was indeed the only reason. I'm also thoroughly curious by nature, and can't leave well enough alone. I like learning new stuff and getting my hands fucking filthy in the process. In that regard, I'm not disappointing myself.
 
Why not indeed,
but no doubt there will be plenty of other things for me to check and empty my wallet onto yet again.
ha ha ha, Oh I been there so many times......
Go for it, you only live once.... what is the werst that can happen?, apart from the cut fingers lost money and extreme frustration?
Good luck :p
 
Popeye SXM said:
.... what is the werst that can happen?, apart from the cut fingers lost money and extreme frustration?
Yeah no that's pretty much the sum of it. Any or all of the above are almost guaranteed - but if I can get in and out with only one of those things then I'm ok with that 8)
 
I, for one, am glad you pulled it apart and went with a ripping bore. It's going to be a blast.
 
And I for two. There's the right way, the wrong way and the way things happen in my garage. It's kind of a mash-up of sense, self-doubt, naive enthusiasm and camouflaged creativity.

And beer. It’s for courage, honest.
 
Call came in from the machine shop - block is bored and honed, fins fixed (I hope). Will duck out later today and pick the thing up. Meanwhile, debate is raging over these cam chains. I'm definitely steering now towards splitting the cases and simply slipping on an endless chain - while I'm in there there are a few other things I can check and replace like the damping rubbers on the primary shaft, a few seals and o rings. Anything else that is a definite must-do while I'm in there?

Feel like I'm my own Cousteau - plumbing depths never before explored. In my garage anyway. It's the new frontier.
 
Tear it down mate. Might as well! All you need is a deadblow mallet and some Yama/Hondabond

giphy.gif
 
Back
Top Bottom