Motorcycle Cam Chain & Belt Tensioners

Cam chain or belt tensioners in motorcycles are needed to provide pressure to keep the belt or chain tensioned to ensure precise valve operation and avoid timing issues throughout the whole range of RPMs. Without a tensioner, the cam chain or belt rattles, especially at higher revs. It can lead to premature wear of camshaft and other engine components. There are spring loaded, hydraulic, or manual motorcycle cam chain and belt tensioners offered in the aftermarket. If you hear rattling or ticking noise from the camshaft area when your engine is running, it is time to inspect, adjust or possibly replace the tensioner.

If you want your machine to work perfectly fine even after hundreds of thousands of miles on the odometer, make sure to maintain and service it properly. Change oils, braking fluid, coolant, brake pads, clutch pack, and don’t forget to check timing belt or chain tensioners regularly. All tensioners apply pressure to the timing linkage through a plastic boot. Timing chain gradually wears down this boot. In severe cases, the chain could eat through this boot completely starting rubbing on metal parts. As a result, metal shavings spread through the motor causing accelerated wear, which may lead to a catastrophic failure.

One of the solutions to the problem is the use of a hydraulic tensioner with a thicker shoe. On higher RPMs, the oil pump increases oil pressure thus actuating tensioner. The tension on the chain or belt decreases on lower revs, which extends the service life of the tensioner. For those who don’t want to rely on automatic spring or hydraulic tensioners that could fail in cold weather, for example, we can offer manually adjustable cam chain tensioners machined from billet aluminum. They feature a simple construction with a tensioner bolt which you can tighten if you hear rattles or loosen if the linkage whines.