Did you find out that the tensioner is in fact bad? I wouldnt go selling it in fear of dealer prices. It can always be done for less. The tensioner part itself is only 80 bucks. Dont quote me on this but after reading up on the cam tensioner it appears it should auto adjust. So if the bike runs well and the only symptom is a sound I wouldnt suspect there is any reason to assume it has stopped working.
This should make you feel better. This past weekend my bike sheared off a header bolt and I was freakin out about how much it would cost to replace. Initially my options were to call a mobile welder and pay a few hundred in hopes they could weld a nut on strong enough to torque it out or tow it to a shop. I ended up finding a retired welder working out of his garage 4 miles away who did it on a Sunday night for 20 bucks and got me on the road again. There is always a better solution.
From personal experience I know these engines are loud, and not in a normal way. Also from my X and what I have read from other riders, lots of little things effect engine noise. Type and amount of oil seems to be a huge one. I had 10/40 oil designed for a motorcycle and wet clutch. I also had almost 5 quarts. My engine was loud, ticking, knocking, whirring, and took forever to warm up and required the choke. I just changed it and 15/40 Rotella T car oil. I put in the 3.9 required (I was previously reading the dip stick wrong) and now it runs like a champ. It isnt as loud and sounds solid.
Not saying the oil is your issue. Just saying it could be alot of things, or nothing. If it is the tensioner it can be done without selling a kidney. If it were me Id do it myself. I dont mind screwing things up when I remember I learned how to do it right the next time. This site is a huge help too.
This should make you feel better. This past weekend my bike sheared off a header bolt and I was freakin out about how much it would cost to replace. Initially my options were to call a mobile welder and pay a few hundred in hopes they could weld a nut on strong enough to torque it out or tow it to a shop. I ended up finding a retired welder working out of his garage 4 miles away who did it on a Sunday night for 20 bucks and got me on the road again. There is always a better solution.
From personal experience I know these engines are loud, and not in a normal way. Also from my X and what I have read from other riders, lots of little things effect engine noise. Type and amount of oil seems to be a huge one. I had 10/40 oil designed for a motorcycle and wet clutch. I also had almost 5 quarts. My engine was loud, ticking, knocking, whirring, and took forever to warm up and required the choke. I just changed it and 15/40 Rotella T car oil. I put in the 3.9 required (I was previously reading the dip stick wrong) and now it runs like a champ. It isnt as loud and sounds solid.
Not saying the oil is your issue. Just saying it could be alot of things, or nothing. If it is the tensioner it can be done without selling a kidney. If it were me Id do it myself. I dont mind screwing things up when I remember I learned how to do it right the next time. This site is a huge help too.
