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Timing chain tension = non running FT500 on bike for sale?

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johnnymot1:
All right. The FT500 orphan made it home to join it's five new siblings. It is my typical neglected FT500 adoptee, and has lived a rough 9600 mile life from sitting in a basement for years that led to a hap hazard gas tank coat job, to evidence of winter riding in road salt...Not too bad, but corrosion on the rims, fins, and some rust on the engine case bolts. Here's what I've done and my question:

 Gave her a nice bath
Pulled the plug, squired oil in the cylinder and then turned over by hand......Good compression
Notice the Champion plug had no gap
Put in new NGK plug and tested....Spark.....
Put in battery....cranked (starter sounded good) and not start
Removed air filter and squirted a bit of staring fluid and ca chunk...tap, tap, tap, she fired.....
Notice the "tap, tap, tap".....It's the cylinder head area.
Obviously I have a no fuel issue to solve, but the tapping.......
I've yet to pull the valve covers (ran out of time tonight), but I'm wondering if it's a loose rocker?
Compression and timing seems to be there.

The other odd thing is that somehow someone "whacked" the tab on the frame that mounts the gear shift lever. It's bent inward and the top of the mounting hole/tab is almost sheared off...No other damage to the chain cover, peg, starter solenoid...nothing to indicate being laid down...The angle you have to achieve to just affect the shift mount tab is pretty incredible. It's repairable, but none the less a mystery.

Pics to follow at some point of the Ascot family and stages of disrepair and rebuild of each. It feels good to be surrounded by them in the garage however.....A random dog showed up today and just stared at them in a state of reverance, animal intuition. It licked my hand, and then licked an Ascot tire. More meaning than ET extending a glowing finger to a human.

J6G1Z:
There was another FT on this forum that had the shifter mounting tab broken off. That bike had the shifter mounted on the shift shaft. I can no longer recall who's bike it was.


J.

johnnymot1:
My foot is big enough I could most likely go the direct shaft mount route. I may try and build the outter part of the tab/top of it back up too. It's a tough angle to straighten and bend with the engine in the frame, and again it took an incredible angle to just affect that part. Maybe hitting a curb at the just the right angle?

I'm pulling out the factory manual this evening and removing the valve covers to investigate the valves to see if that is the issue. With a little luck, TLC, carb rebuild, fork seals and a few more things hopefully she'll be back on the road again!

J6G1Z:
Here is the other Ascot with the broken shifter tab: http://ascot500.com/index.php?topic=318.msg1528#msg1528

I've looked at that area trying to figure out how that tab could be broken off the frame. It sits well inside the frame tubing & looks to be well protected. It must be a square impact right inline with the shift lever shaft that causes that tab to snap off.

J.

johnnymot1:
Once I get the correct sized photo, I'll post what mine looks like. The more I look at the damage the more it almost looks like the chain did it. Strange.

I'm still working on the engine noise. I adjusted the valves, but the noise remains, so I also need to go back and make sure I didn't make the mistake of adjusting them on the wrong TDC.

Otherwise, I'm about the adjust the balance chain tension-er which is probably 1600 miles over due. From there I'm also going to make sure I don't have the exhaust rattle. I'm still hoping its minor since the bike fires and runs, and I can get her on the road while working on my other FT projects.

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