Primary Drive is loose

Has anyone experienced problems with the above? I took my bike in for an MOT and was told that I need some tensioners to try and sort this problem out otherwise engine damage may result!
Does this sound reasonable/correct?

[timwilky]

Primary Drive? Tensioners.

Do you mean the timing chain tensioners. Common problem is that they stick. It is a simple job to back them off and let them spring back. I suggest you search the forum for timing chain tensioners for advice as to how to unstick them.

Occassionaly if you have a bad one, you may have to replace it.

Ahh yes mmm, TW just beat me to it...

[rictus01]

Terminology breakdown perhaps (to many American chopper programs on Discovery)

Cheers Mark.

Isn't the primary drive the chain that used to take the drive from the crankshaft to the gearbox on old bikes ? In that case its got nothing to do with the cam chain and it sounds like the mechanic is bullsh!tting you. Unless you misheard the diagnosis.

Originally Posted by oldjack

Isn't the primary drive the chain that used to take the drive from the crankshaft to the gearbox on old bikes ? In that case its got nothing to do with the cam chain and it sounds like the mechanic is bullsh!tting you. Unless you misheard the diagnosis.

The mechanic doesn't seem to have moved on with technology, i think he's still in the 1950s era

[tinpants]

We need a bit more info about this.
What, exactly, was the diagnosis? And what was the mechanic looking at when he/she/it mentioned it to you? Was the engine running?


As mentioned before, the primary drive is the link between the crank and the gearbox so its doubtful it would be that. If the mechanic is on about the "play" in the front sprocket it would appear that they don't know what they are on about as there is supposed to be a bit of movement along the driveshaft that the sprocket sits on.

[timwilky]

Originally Posted by oldjack

Isn't the primary drive the chain that used to take the drive from the crankshaft to the gearbox on old bikes ? In that case its got nothing to do with the cam chain and it sounds like the mechanic is bullsh!tting you. Unless you misheard the diagnosis.

My original reply did add a question mark to the "Primary Drive" in the knowledge that there is no primary drive system in the conventional usage of the term on modern motor cycles.

Primary drive however, does still exist in the sense of the sub system driven directly by the crank and ungeared. However this system certainly does not have "tensioners". So I am guilty of assumming the only other component driven by the crank and containing tensioners, AKA the valve timing system. Hence my initial pointers to the timing chain tensioners

Has the first poster, modified the post? i'm baffled