[southforkspeedster]

I recently sold my 06 with 40k on it.
Bike was serviced regularly, including valve adjustments.

New owner had the front cylinder, cam chain break on him and bend the valves.

Has anyone ever heard of this.

The 06 1000 that I now own has 37k on it now, and makes all of the same clicks and rattles as the previous bike I just sold. I am wondering if I need to replace my cam chains this winter:jawdrop:

Thanks for the replys in advance.

 

[honest bob]

It's certainly not unheard of according to Suzuki V-Strom Stromtrooper.com Wee-Strom DL1000 DL650 Discussion Forum adventure rider v-strom forum V-Strom RIders International VSRI - Search Results for dl1000 front cam chain (searched "dl1000 front cam chain.")

 

[greywolf]

DL1000 - Cam Chain @ 43k Miles
I don't think there have been more than two cases I've seen. A clogged oil jet is a likely cause.

 

[southforkspeedster]

It's certainly not unheard of according to Suzuki V-Strom Stromtrooper.com Wee-Strom DL1000 DL650 Discussion Forum adventure rider v-strom forum V-Strom RIders International VSRI - Search Results for dl1000 front cam chain (searched "dl1000 front cam chain.")

Wow............thanks for the link!

 

[southforkspeedster]

DL1000 - Cam Chain @ 43k Miles
I don't think there have been more than two cases I've seen. A clogged oil jet is a likely cause.

Thanks greywolf, that will also be some interesting reading when I get home tonight.

Have a great day!!

 

[marshallnoise]

You can add another one to your memory banks. My bike experienced a cam chain failure on the front cylinder at 20K. Previous owner just rode it on one cylinder for another 200 miles as he didn't want to be stranded in Death Valley.

Complete tear down and $3K later, it has 9,000 miles on the rebuild.

I am 99% sure he didn't change the oil like he should have on the bike and that is why the failure occurred.

 

[Lesman]

How does the clogged oil jet break the chain? How does the oil jet get clogged?






Les

 

[marshallnoise]

How does the clogged oil jet break the chain? How does the oil jet get clogged?






Les

I would assume that a lack of oiling (which functions as a heat dissipation liquid as well as a lubricant) can cause the part to heat more than it was designed to.

Foreign debris can clog a jet or metal shavings can do the same. This is why changing oil rather frequently is important.

In the case of my engine, it was the cam chain itself that failed, not the gear.

 

[greywolf]

There is an oil jet for each camshaft drive idle gear bushing which feeds the cam sprockets and chains as well as the cams and tappets. A jet can be clogged by debris left from the building process, excess gasket sealant or contaminants in the oil. RTV silicone seal is especially good for creating little drops of squeeze out that are perfect for clogging oil passages. Run a chain without oil for a while and it will overheat and break.

 

[southforkspeedster]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Would riding rather long wheelies possibly contribute?

 

[greywolf]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Would riding rather long wheelies possibly contribute?

Absolutely. The oil pump pickup is in the front of the sump. The engine gets no oil pressure on a long wheelie. The oil pressure light should go on.

 

[southforkspeedster]

Absolutely. The oil pump pickup is in the front of the sump. The engine gets no oil pressure on a long wheelie. The oil pressure light should go on.

:headbang::headbang:lesson learned.........never saw the light........but.........most likely never looked. Looks like I will go ahead and change out the cam chains on my current ride, just to be on the safe side.......

 

[SittingDuck]

The Dl1000 reviews I've read pretty much all stated that the cams in the 1k were gear driven.
What's this broken cam-chain you speak of?

Someone please educate me; I had a gear driven cam in my car, and there was no chain involved.

 

[marshallnoise]

The Dl1000 reviews I've read pretty much all stated that the cams in the 1k were gear driven.
What's this broken cam-chain you speak of?

Someone please educate me; I had a gear driven cam in my car, and there was no chain involved.

Its not gear driven at all. It has a gear on each cam, but there is a chain running to each bank of cylinders (2) that connects to the crank.

I would think in an inline 4 situation you could effectively package the engine easily for gear driven cams. But on a motorcycle with a V configuration, I would not expect this to be easy to do with out expanding the size (mainly width) of the engine.

 

[greywolf]

The DL1000 uses chains to drive gears that engage the cam gears. The cams can be removed without derailing the chains. You can see the chain inboard of the central gear.

 

[mtnairmist]

Looks like I will go ahead and change out the cam chains on my current ride, just to be on the safe side.......

I just cannot imagine that the wheelie would be long enough that, even without a nozzle spray of oil, the cam chain could have suffered damage. I would think the chain would have to be without oil long enough to build up heat causing damage and that would take a very long wheelie. Surely it was still getting oil from the bottom crank sprocket. But who knows, probably not me.

 

[greywolf]

Wet sump engines with the oil pump pickup in the front have no oil pressure in an extended wheelie. I would think plain bearings would be the first to suffer. V-Strom engines spin their cams directly in the aluminum alloy of the heads. Those will wear in a big hurry without oil pressure. Every cam chain failure I've seen can be attributed to lack of oil pressure.

 

[ozart]

I just cannot imagine that the wheelie would be long enough that, even without a nozzle spray of oil, the cam chain could have suffered damage. I would think the chain would have to be without oil long enough to build up heat causing damage and that would take a very long wheelie. Surely it was still getting oil from the bottom crank sprocket. But who knows, probably not me.

There are some very talented riders out there, I've known a few who were capable of wheele'n for as long as they could physically handle it - way more than a mile. It is hard to believe those who can, would ride a vstrom. :green_lol:

But even hundreds of short wheelies over time could take its toll.

 

[Cake_Kat]

DL1000 - Cam Chain @ 43k Miles
I don't think there have been more than two cases I've seen. A clogged oil jet is a likely cause.

As the author of Cam Chain @ 43k Miles, I can assure you that the likely cause was not a clogged oil jet but a manufacturing defect in the chain.

 

[Cake_Kat]

:headbang::headbang:lesson learned.........never saw the light........but.........most likely never looked. Looks like I will go ahead and change out the cam chains on my current ride, just to be on the safe side.......

If only it were so easy. It is conceivable to change out the chain on the rear cylinder without major dis-assembly but to change out the chain on the front cylinder you'd need to remove the cylinder.

The best advice I can give you is to inspect the chain, link by link, by turning the engine as you would when inspecting valve clearances. The chain is very stout, being composed of numerous plates, and is not likely to experience a sudden catastrophic failure. Gradual, progressive failure is what my bike experienced and had I inspected the chain I would have saved myself a lot of time and expense.