[tealetm]

Sorry- its not on the Triumph.

I'm trying to remove the head from my 74 CB200 and can't seem to figure out how to loosen/remove the cam chain in order to pull the cam out and lift the head off.

Any hints? I've loosened the adjuster as much as it will go which did help, but its just not enough.

 

[mikey]

can you unbolt the camshaft sprocket on it?
If that's possible make sure to mark the position before taking it of.
SOmetimes unbolting the camchain tensioner will help if there is some guidance for the cam chain one can usually be pulled up doing this stuff will give you some more links and enough play to remove the cam.
Mikey

 

[sweatmachine]

on some sohc bikes you have to break the chain, on my XS650 you had to use a special cam chain tool.

here's the cam chain breaker tool for the XS, it may work for the honda, but I have no idea:

LINK

Get yourself a motor manual.

 

[tealetm]

Yeah the manual is coming... but I don't expect it to arrive this week (ebay auction). I wouldn't think you'd have to break the chain although I could be wrong.

Makes you wonder how did they assemble it?

 

[sweatmachine]

that tool is a chain breaker and it also relinks it.

 

[MickMaguire]

errrmm don't you just unbolt the cam from the sprocket and slide it out the side of the head leaving the sprocket in place?

 

[zippythehog]

Mick, the cam chain runs down the middle of the engine, not on the end.
<BR>
<BR>tealetm try emailing Greg at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_new">[email protected]</a>. The website is Ohio Cafe Racers. He races a CB175 which I think is pretty similar to your 200.
<BR>
<BR>Good luck,
<BR>Zip

[ This message was edited by: zippythehog on 2007-01-24 17:10 ]

 

[9264]

Shouldn't matter. If you do what Mick suggested you then have more play for the sprocket and can remove the chain.

 

[Guest]

You should be able to release the tensioner then remove the bolts from the sprocket and the cam should slide out opposite the sprocket. You will need to back off the valve adjusters.

 

[tealetm]

Well I finally made it back out into the garage and tried a few things (never did buy a chain breaker). I unbolted the sprocket from the cam, and managed to get the chain off of the sprocket. Since the cam chain in routed through the middle of the engine there just isn't enough room to get the cam out still. I'll take a picture or two, but I think you HAVE to use the chain breaker (as the manual suggests).

Are chain breakers semi-universal?

 

[Guest]

Chain breakers are a real pain. Back in my bicycle days, you could buy a $7 doohickey that would break & join both sizes of chain. With the motor bikes, there are 73 different options starting at $25, & most of 'em *either* break *or* join 1 size of chain. The best cheap option I've seen is the Emgo tool for $50; it breaks AND joins everything from cam chain through 630. There's a Motion Pro tool for $80 that may be slightly higher quality, but I doubt there's a whole lot of difference.

HTH,
-Kit

 

[tealetm]

Another chapter in the "I have motorcycle parts all over my garage" saga.

I broke the chain, removed the head, did the valves, yada yada yada.

Is there any reason I shouldn't put a master link back in the cam chain? Its a 219T chain I believe- real small but I assume they make master links for them?

 

[Guest]

The rule of thumb there is this: if it had a master link on it from the factory, it's okay to use a master. If it didn't, it's not.

(Keep in mind this is coming from a guy who put 10k miles on his T3 with a clip-link chain.)

Cheers,
-Kit

 

[Mecchanica]

If you are worried about the clip coming off, then just put a dab of braze or silver solder on it. Relatively easy to remove later, if necessary.

 

[tealetm]

Well, 3 out of 3 shops told me I have to replace the whole cam chain now that I broke it. That means splitting the case.

I'm not a happy camper.

 

[Guest]

Eh? What kind of shops? Do they know you're working on a 200cc bike? Did you leave the chain in the motor? As long as the chain is still on the sprocket inside the motor, you should be able to join the new chain to the old one with a piece of wire or something & very carefully pull it through. (Twist the wire so that the spacing between the new chain & the old chain is the same as the link-to-link spacing.)

Z1 Enterprises lists a master link for a 219H chain. Might be worth calling them to see if they can get you a 219T link.

If the chain is off the sprocket inside the motor, it's a different story. If that's the case, you will need to split the cases.

Good luck,
-Kit

 

[tealetm]

Yeah, I was very cautious to keep the chain on the lower end. I split it on top and held the ends up with an assortment of wires and zip ties.

I think the shops just said you can't put a master in it because... there was no master listed on the parts diagram from Honda (which is funny because my Clymer manual says you need to split the chain, but shows a picture of a master link...).

Z1 Enterprises eh? Haven't heard of them, but I'll give it a go. Thanks

 

[tealetm]

She lives!!!

After many months of not doing anything, I figured it was time to bring life back into the little Honda.

To make a long story short- since I bought it I basically went through the entire bike, cleaning and adjusting everything before starting her up.

She runs- but only with about 3/4 choke on and the throttle is hardly responsive. So I'm stuck now- I'll try to lean it out a bit, but I think the problem could lie in a few places (I'm leaning towards a fuel/carb problem).

Assuming I get it running decently, I'll be looking to get rid of the bike as I need the cash. Anybody interested?

 

[kludge]

As I recall, these bikes had drop-down slide chokes with little petal valves in them. It's very easy to install the main throttle slides the wrong way around. Be sure you have the cutaway in the slide facing the airbox. :wink:

WRT the camchain, the stock chain has a riveting link to close the chain. That has soft heads on the pins so you can easily hammer them into mushrooms to keep the link plate on. Replacement chains either came with a new or a spring link. It's okay to use the spring link, my friend ran one on his CD175 for many years. Just remember to fit the link with the closed end in the direction of rotation and you're golden. I shimmed the valve springs on my 200 and with a Piper 2-1 exhaust it would rev happily to 13k. :hammer: