My new to me 2009 has "the rattle" at 5.5k rpms and it goes away around 6k. Wait, a little background first. I'm 19, my first bike was an XT250, it was stolen months after learning how to ride, a friend of mine let me pay off his 95 BMW r1100gs and weeks after getting it payed off the first gear failed and i was forced to sell it back and get this '09 KLX250s with 4100 miles, it now has 4500 miles and it is bone stock. I worked on the BMW for the year or so that i had it and i learned a lot, but I am still a novice mechanic at best. I have talked to my dad (harley rider dont shoot me) and he thinks since it is so new, theres nothing that can be wrong with it. I have let him hear the noise and he says thats just how kawasakis are, they have noisy valve trains. He is telling me to ignore the noise and ride it. The noise is not only annoying but unsettling to me. I brought up that it was a common problem and that there is a manual tensioner that solves it. He tells me that the cams and cam chain tolerances are different from second to second and that they make it an automatic tensioner for a reason. How much truth is there to that statement? Could i replace the tensioner with another auto tensioner? How often do you have to adjust the manual one, i would think that if you adjust it while it is hot, then they wont require adjustment all the time. I would think that if the chain was kept at the correct tension with no (slap) then it would only be susceptible to true over time chain wear, not accelerated (sloppy) wear. Any input from anyone would be helpful because i really love little red and i dont want to hurt her. Thank you so much, this forum has already been a great resource and a joy to be on!

This is exactly what my bike sounds like.

 

Do a google search for "Klx250s krieger" you will find your solution. Good price for a quality part. Mark is on the forum KLX678. I say google it because the search on this forum is really bad. The google search will provide links back here and to other forums.

 

KLX250/300

 

I believed it when they told me "all Kawasaki engines are noisy" about the KLX650... then it cost me over$400 to get the top end rebuilt and new cam chains (2 on the 650). That was the first bike I made a manual tensioner for - 30,000 miles ago and still going fine. The Zephyr was the one that got me making them for sale, no one made them for either bike. I was told "all Kaw engines are noisy" again, but didn't buy it the second time. I now have an 09 KLX250 and it had the 5000 rpm noise, I put on the tensioner I've been selling to everyone here - fixed. My brother put one on his KLX too.

I've done enough research and have experience with these parts now that I have them pretty much figured out. I was a quality technician/engineer for a cutting tool manufacturer and a heavy equipment company, so I have a real good mechanical grasp of how mechanisms work and what to look for. I've noted it in other threads here and on other forums as well as on my site. I've spoken with people who had questions before they ordered, explaining exactly what the problem is, how to see if it is present and that I provide a true solution to fix it.

The automatic tensioner does not vary. It is intended to click into a notch and stay. When it can't quite hook it will kick back damaging the tip of the tooth and pawl over and over. Then it starts working in and out over two, three, and four teeth ruining the teeth - kind of like missing gears and ruining shifter dogs that allow a bike to pop out of gear. It is all about machining tolerance stacking and how far the cam chain wears in. There is no short cut. All of them over tighten the cam chain and risk premature wear on the chain and possible damage. Plus the tensioner may pop back again and start making the noise again. The noise is not the problem, the chain whipping around wearing out and possibly damaging the sliders is the problem, as is the variable cam timing when the chain is loose. Let it run too long and it is possible to break the chain (not common, but happens) or have it skip teeth, which can cause the piston to hit the valves (again not common, but happens).

Good part with the manual unit is you KNOW how it is adjusted. When the chain wears or seats in a bit you might hear light ticking. You do the adjustment. Besides, should you have to re-shim the valves you end up readjusting the tensioner anyway, you have to loosen it up to get the cams out to pull the caps and reach the shims. Not a big deal though.

The tensioner is an inexpensive fix and is totally non-invasive. You unbolt the old one, toss it in the can, then bolt the new one in and adjust it per the instructions. A half hour. I'm sure a fair number of riders here can vouch for the part and that it works.

And I'm available for questions by email or phone after the purchase. I actually worked real-time on the phone with a Kaw Eliminator 900 rider in his adjusting the tensioner.

Feel free to PM or email me.

Mark

 

I've never heard the sound. Installed mine...a lot of miles ago, but not so long ago...did it as preventative maintenance around 10,000 miles.
Mark makes a quality unit. It is rock solid.
I just rolled over 30,000 miles. I've only touched the tensioner when I needed to take out the cams. Which I've only done once. We'll see this weekend if I need to shim again, or not.
PM Mark and get the KCCT, it is short money compared to any fix down the road.
No affiliation, just a satisfied customer.

 

My auto CCT was bad at around 4K miles, and I'm another one of very many satisfied Krieger cam chain tension adjuster fans. Krieger goes way beyond great customer service. AAA+++ rated in my book. But I wouldn't invest in his company because he doesn't charge enough.






(As above, no affiliation. Just a very happy customer.)

 

I'm not sure if that noise is from the cam chain. It almost sounds like a heat shield is loose on the exhaust and vibrating(resonating). Can you isolate the area where the noise seems to be coming from? A mechanics stethoscope can be very helpful in tracking down problems.

 

The cam chain is on the other side of the engine.

That noise could be a loose screw somewhere, heat shield, crank shield, etc.

 

Not too sure how one could tell that since he did not move to the other side. It may be louder there. But I'm betting it is the tensioner based on the audio. A valve would make a bit of noise at all rpm, not just in that range. The biggest reason to say it is the tensioner is because that is the specific symptom of when the OEM is failing. The engine makes that noise in the middle range rpm - exactly where that one is. And the OP mentioned it was the engine.


I'm betting the tensioner is the fix. If I did not think so, I'd point out what I thought the probem actually was. I don't tell people to fix what ain't broke.

 

I could tell what side of the engine he is on by the video, he was on the left, the chain is always on the right. So, my statement stands.
Your the one telling him what his problem is, I didn't. Hope your right.