Heavy duty timing chain

[gsryder]

I am looking for a heavy duty timing chain for a 81 GS1100 engine.

I have looked e-bay, searched on here and anther forum I see lots a references to them but not a manufacturer or where to get them.

I am going to be doing a turbo build lower compression (base spacer) and mostly stock build but I cant find the info I need on the timing chain.

Any help would be appreciated.

[doctorgonzo]

Best bet is APE (American Performance Engineering). They are pretty much THE source for performance bits for these bikes. Google "APE motorcycle" you'll find them.

[sschering]

What he said..

http://gszone.biz/sprockets.html

Extra heavy duty cam chains are recommended to help eliminate chain breakage which can result in extensive engine damage. Tsubaki is the only true high performance cam chain available. The Tsubaki engineers have worked with top race mechanics world wide to produce the only cam chains that will stand up to the rigorous demands of high performance race machines. These same chains are equally at home in the stock street bike, affording the owner the added protection of a high performance chain at a price less than stock factory replacement chains.
BFO5MUx120GS1100 / 1150 / GS750/850/1000 2 Valve $50.79

[waterman]

Would this work?

http://www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=2921

I used a similar one on my 650, obviously not like your fire breathing 1100, but it does say Heavy duty.

[gsryder]

I see I was searching under the wrong name. I was looking for a timing chain not a Cam Chain.

Anyone ever heard of these? Any good??

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110347619337&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en

[sschering]

Would this work?

http://www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=2921

I used a similar one on my 650, obviously not like your fire breathing 1100, but it does say Heavy duty.

It's the same Chain APE sells..

[gsryder]

Just out of curiosity, can you tell the difference between the stock and the heavy duty by just looking at them?

What is the difference?

[Mysuzyq]

How many here have had a timing chain break?
Tony.

[Grandpa]

How many here have had a timing chain break?
Tony.

I rode five GS shafties, four 850's and one 1100GK, from 1986 through 2008. A total of 265,000 miles on them. Not one problem with the cam chain breaking or giving anything but 100% service.

Nick Diaz
Middletown, MD

[doctorgonzo]

You find a LOT of ebay resellers selling APE stuff at above the price you could get if you just bought it from APE.

[gsryder]

I rode five GS shafties, four 850's and one 1100GK, from 1986 through 2008. A total of 265,000 miles on them. Not one problem with the cam chain breaking or giving anything but 100% service.

Nick Diaz
Middletown, MD

Thats all good but I am installing a turbo and will be running somewhere in the vicinity of 180-200hp. I dont want to take any chances on the stock cam chain.

[doctorgonzo]

Thats all good but I am installing a turbo and will be running somewhere in the vicinity of 180-200hp. I dont want to take any chances on the stock cam chain.

Buy one of the APE ones, $60, a bargain. I'm only gonna be push 130 or so HP and I'll probably buy one as well. Occasional trips to the track in the future, and running at 11K or 12K very often, and a couple grand in an engine makes me lean towards doing it.

[TheCafeKid]

I rode five GS shafties, four 850's and one 1100GK, from 1986 through 2008. A total of 265,000 miles on them. Not one problem with the cam chain breaking or giving anything but 100% service.

Nick Diaz
Middletown, MD

Funny story for you Nick and everyone else: your old GK got it's motor torn apart a couple days ago actually. For those that don't know I bought grandpas GK with 130+k miles on it a couple of summers ago. I've since passed it on to my roommie as he gets more joy out of the big bagger than I did. Anyway at 140ish thousand miles now (yes I said 140THOUSAND miles) it finally devoloped enough of a base gasket leak to warrant a tear down and refurb. The head has never been off of this bike. Valves are still in spec and the funniest thing and my point for this story is that the stock cam chain is still in spec by over 50% of it's wear limit. At 140k miles this cam chain givin the current wear rate will last over 280 thousand miles before it would wear to replacement limit. These are tough engines boys. Overbuilt heavily. If you're not increasing HP I don't see a point in a heavy duty anything unless it's just as cheap as the OEM replacement (providing it needs replaced at all)

[bellucci]

Replacement is due to higher horsepower engines. As I am replacing cams and rocker arms on a 1327 GS motor, the cam chain had stretched enough to use up the adjustment on a manual cam chain adjuster. The smart people say to replace the chain and the 2 guides so there is no suprise when the turbo spools up all those ponies... My old motor only made 180 h.p. The turbo will probably be more than that...

[Steve]

Thats all good but I am installing a turbo and will be running somewhere in the vicinity of 180-200hp. I dont want to take any chances on the stock cam chain.

A turbo does not add anything to the stress imposed on a timing chain.

Pistons, yes.

Rods, yes.

Crank, yes.

Bearings, yes.

Cam chain, ... just can't imagine why.


By the way, I do have some experience with a turbo. Had a '74 Toyota Corolla that was running 22 pounds of boost.

The only problem I had with a timing chain was because I had foolishly decided to install heavy-duty springs with special retainers and all that, and the stronger springs were what was stretching the chain. I put new STOCK springs back in and ran that engine over 90,000 miles before retiring it due to a flood in the yard.

Oh, it was my car, but it was my wife's daily driver.

.