Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Hi Everyone!

Thank you for looking, I have an 05 zx-6r and it has started making an odd noise, not so much what I would call the kwaka tick as it had this before however it is a more consistant noise.

The video is the bike being started cold however this noise doesn't go away once it is warmed up it is just consistantly there and you can kind of hear it when on the open road if you listen for it.

The noise hasn't had an effect on the bikes performance, I have rode it to and from work for two days since it started the only difference is the idle is slightly lower now, which I adjusted up but it feels to me as though it struggles a little bit with it now.?

Before taking it to my mechanic and paying him just to look at it I thought I would post here first.

uploaded a video to youtube link below please watch and comment here



Thank you in advanced for helping out, much appreciated!

note sure if video worked as I cant see it but here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byZwxG92 ... e=youtu.be

CCT (cam chain tensioner) i'd bet b ut the sound on the vid isnt the clearest. Its positioned on the right hand side, just where you can hear the noise.

Common fault (i had the same issue on my 06 RR). You can get a manual one from APE and they're cheap.

Johnnyflash wrote:CCT (cam chain tensioner) i'd bet b ut the sound on the vid isnt the clearest. Its positioned on the right hand side, just where you can hear the noise.

Common fault (i had the same issue on my 06 RR). You can get a manual one from APE and they're cheap.

thanks mate, yeah its hard to hear its a noise kind of under the CCT its more like a grinding noise. yeah unfortunately the vid noise is not the clearest.

Oh and Johnny would you suggest the 6th gear trick to try manually pre load it? (ride bike, stop in sixth gear and walk the bike in reverse for two wheel spins)

A mate of mine that now rides a black R1 (some of you guys might know him) had his CCT fail on him on a previous bike.....he had a listen at mine last night and said that it needs CCT done ASAP........Cath has also said the same thing when I bought the bike nearly a year ago.

The manual APE CCT is cheap as chips. Ive had one for 5 months but always too scared to touch and install it on the bike..........it wasnt like the chain and sprocket with a very detailed and helpful step by step instructional from Robracer.

I was wondering if anyone knows where I can get a step by step instruction on how to change and replace the CCT into a manual APE one for an 06 ZX6R?.................I really want to learn this and to do bike maintenance myself. Id even pay 2 cases of ALDI beer currency for someone to just watch over and guide me do it .

It would be good for some helpful and knowledgeable forumers can do another instructional video or write up on changing CCT too.......it would be very helpful .

Mate, it's. 5 min job to put a manual pull out the tensioner.
Problem with manual ones is how much tension to put on it? Too much tension will stretch chain.

Just buy a new std tensioner. You only really need the spring inside.

You simply take out the middle bolt, then the 2 side ones and pull the stock tensioner out.
When you do this, you will see where the stock tensioner is as far as adjustment. I'll almost guarantee that it's nowhere near the end of its adjustment.

AznCruiser wrote:A mate of mine that now rides a black R1 (some of you guys might know him) had his CCT fail on him on a previous bike.....he had a listen at mine last night and said that it needs CCT done ASAP........Cath has also said the same thing when I bought the bike nearly a year ago.

The manual APE CCT is cheap as chips. Ive had one for 5 months but always too scared to touch and install it on the bike..........it wasnt like the chain and sprocket with a very detailed and helpful step by step instructional from Robracer.

I was wondering if anyone knows where I can get a step by step instruction on how to change and replace the CCT into a manual APE one for an 06 ZX6R?.................I really want to learn this and to do bike maintenance myself. Id even pay 2 cases of ALDI beer currency for someone to just watch over and guide me do it .

It would be good for some helpful and knowledgeable forumers can do another instructional video or write up on changing CCT too.......it would be very helpful .

Hi Mate,
Does it sound like my bike? are you near the gold coast? as I would be willing to chip in and watch over someone do it also

Has anyone else listened to the video and can comment, it didn't sounds like the CCT to me however who knows maybe its just alot more worn then my mates bikes have been so sounds more harsh.?

Tripp wrote:
Hi Mate,
Does it sound like my bike? are you near the gold coast? as I would be willing to chip in and watch over someone do it also

Im in Sydney and I think your one sounds worse than mine and I think idles lower than mine as well..........

As for that 2 cases of light ALDI beer, to guide me through the CCT install, that offer still stands for any alcos out there ..........

Back out the original tensioner by undoing the top & bottom bolts, when you hear 1 click do them back up. This worked perfectly on my 636, don't mess with the middle bolt & don't pull out the whole tensioner or you will need to reset it which is a bit hard to do when you don't know where the last adjustment was. I have posted up on here about how to do it, just do a search

That's why you pull the middle bolt out 1st. Then the tensioner stays in its position and comes out easy.
Then you can pull it out one click and push it all the way back in and re-insert it and put the spring back in which puts the pressure back on it.

Only went off what experienced people have explained is the best procedure wattie, I spent a week researching before commiting & getting the tools out. This method worked perfect & by leaving everything under tension makes it easy to hear / feel the click. I would do it again this way again in a heartbeat as I know it works. My old 636 went from a knocking noisy bike to silly smooth with 1 forced click of the tensioner. Put a smile on the dial real quich with the easy fix!

Qurious! So, if you take the middle bolt out it doesn't adjust the tensioner? Is that right?

Can you push the tensioner back in when you remove it? Ie set it back the first click and let it adjust it self back out?

I made the adjustment by easing out the bolts top and bottom, as it turns out my noise wasn't the cct... So wouldn't mind going back a click to ease wear...

Yes. It is a ratchet style thing. Without the spring, it's stays in its position.
You could throw the spring in the bin, and pull it out, adjust it a click at a time and put it back in if you want.
If you pull it out, there is a little button on it, that you hold down and this allows you to reset it back to the start. The you can put it back in bike, then put spring and middle bolt back in and it's back to the start.

The spring is what looses tension over time.
I've just put a new one in my crim.
At PI earlier in the year I pulled it out while sitting at the house having beers and adjusted it out 1 click and put it back in.
It's hardly a complicated piece of equipment.
Buy leaving the spring in, and letting it push out as you loosen it, if you miss the click and give it 2 clicks accidentally, you risk over tightening the chain and stretching it.