New cam chain

28,400 km and the cam chain was toast. Went to install a new one and couldn't take the valve cover off. Throttle body components in the way. How people get their covers off without removing the body I can only dream!
Short story: local Yamaha shop did it, apparently removing said body to access the top end. Good news: in spite of swallowing the Sahara desert due to leaks into the clean air side of the air box, valves were perfect re clearances. Cost a fair bit of money: maybe I'll get the confidence to fool around with electronics etc next time. Engine has about 1500 hard(ie outside design intention) hours on it. Comparison? TTR 250 went 48,000 before it needed a new cam chain, and was really easy to fit it. Still rather ride my WR...

66T wrote:

28,400 km and the cam chain was toast. Went to install a new one and couldn't take the valve cover off. Throttle body components in the way. How people get their covers off without removing the body I can only dream!
Short story: local Yamaha shop did it, apparently removing said body to access the top end. Good news: in spite of swallowing the Sahara desert due to leaks into the clean air side of the air box, valves were perfect re clearances. Cost a fair bit of money: maybe I'll get the confidence to fool around with electronics etc next time. Engine has about 1500 hard(ie outside design intention) hours on it. Comparison? TTR 250 went 48,000 before it needed a new cam chain, and was really easy to fit it. Still rather ride my WR...

How it's 2016 and the Japanese makers still can't figure out how to keep a cam chain properly tensioned is beyond me. I feel like they should have gone to gear driven cams in all models a long time ago.

Mine was getting noisy and sloppy around 10K miles, a manual tensioner cured that. While checking the cam timing and adjusting the valves, I ahd to remove the valve cover. It was definitely a huge pain, but I didn't have to remove the throttle body, only the radiator. Even so, it was a very tight fit to get it out of the front right side. I'd love to never do that again, to the point where I'm thinking it might be easier to unbolt the top engine mount and let the motor rotate forward. Who knows.

I have a manual tensioner too, brokeagain. I turfed the original at 7k km - it just wasn't holding properly.

I, too, figured on rotating the engine, but in the end took my bike to a repairer I didn't have any experience with, as the bloke who I know is excellent was on a well-deserved holiday.

Maybe next time...

I had a VFR with gear driven cams.. loved that sound!

Not sure I would be able to ride a WRR with gear driven cams since I would keep passing out from that wonderful sound!