What would you do if you were me ?
VTR Model 2001, 28 000 kms (17 000 miles), no strange sound, stock honda CCT's pink dot.

Be careful of strange noises, check them, change them by new honda ones (orange dot ?), APE CCT's , OE CCT's ?

 

Replace them with new stock ones if they are the updated models. I'm not sure if thats pink or white, etc.

If you already have the updated models, which I doubt, then if it were me, I'd replace them with the manual kind, not the APE but the other type that someone found that looks better built.

They're very easy to re and re. Personally I have more confidence in the manual CCT's

 

If it ain't broke...

 

don't fix it.

 

..or wait for it to break, which they are prone to do, and possibly be stuck on the side of the road with a hooped engine.

 

just my 2 cents about pink dot CCts etc.

As seems that I am guilty of mentioning orange dots here.
I know for sure that latest CCTs partnumber ends with -013. This is what I have now, purchased them in February this year.
My CCTs seem to have orange dots, but I might be as well color blind or Honda Germany (they stock parts for Belgium dealers) might've run out of pink paint. I am serious - may be they just look orange to me.
I would recommend to refer to part number rather than to color of dots.

Manual CCTs of better quality that I've found occasionally made by "Orient Express", sold by "BigCCracing" comany in UK and by list price cost about same with APEs.

All below is IMHO.

I think that all CCT thing grew in literally paranoia that already started to make people sell their Shawks or avoid buying one.
Chances for latest CCT to break are not any higher than chances to be hit by drunk driver or ride into idiot making u-turn in a middle of interstate (happened to one my colleague recently), so - riding a bike is a bit of a gamble anyway...shall we stop riding then?

 

This is a highly unlikely scenario. It's a tensioner. It gives plenty of warning when its going.

 

It happened to me. No warning 4 valves gone!
pic posted in this thread

 

I think you had a different sort of failure.

 

There shoud've been some warning you missed - it is easy to miss.
I have played with CCTs for a while, trying Kawasaki CCTs, checking springs on old and new CCTs - if you try to remove spring alltogether and push CCT back you will see that it requires very serious effort to "fold" them. So, it takes some time for CCT to retract even when spring broke - it is what that worm screw does.
Somewhere it started to rattle, but I am sure it is easy to miss, especially with sound VTR makes

 

Actually, it can be a little confusing. Honda calls the cam chain tensioner a "tensioner lifter" and calls the cam rail a "cam chain tensioner." If the latter fails it will fail catastrophically. But the tensioner lifter (what everyone else calls the CCT) almost always fails with symptoms.

 

Perhaps, but it still sucks!

 

Though probably paranoia I started hearing the ticking around 3K rpm a few months back and it was getting louder. I figured either the CCT or it needed a valve adjust. With nearly 20K on my bike I decided to replace the CCT. I specified the part number (14520-mbb-013) to the shop and they have orange dots. Sounds like they are updated design as mentioned earlier.

Now to hijack the thread. I struggled with whether to do this myself or have it done. While checking the valve clearance and replacing the CCT seemed easy I was worried about removing cam essentials and measuring shims to thousands of an inch for adjustments. My reasoning to take it in was-Why take the whole thing apart to check the valve clearance if you're not prepared to adjust if necessary-? Turns out the valve clearance was fine and checking them was the bulk of the cost for labor. Ouch.

Which brings me to my question. Understanding every case is different, about how often have folks had to adjust the valve clearance? My new reasoning would be -It's OK to spend 4 hours checking the valve clearance because it's unlikely it will be out of spec, and in the event that it is, it's going to cost a bunch to get it adjusted anyway.

Looking for a little future maintenance advice.
Thanks!

 

The steel top of the old tensioner is removable. I placed that on the new one.

Number 6 on the drawing.
I realy think it should be used

 

Actually this part is not coming with new CCT, it need to be either ordered separately (but it never wears out, so) or taken from old CCT to new one.
If you will remove that metal cap from old CCT you will find that it actually sits on exactly same rubber cap. And this part is a "must", otherwise you increasing chances of CCT faiure, as tip of CCT pushing agains open-loop camchain guide-tensioner, and it must be round and and protected from wear.

 

I got pistons for my Kawi from Orient, I think. I liked them. Lots of BOOOST!

More to the point: I believe I have the APE adjusters. Is there anything I should worry about? Where would I find the procedure for adjusting them?

Thanks!
________
HISPANIC / LATINO RECIPES

 

If they're not making noise there's nothing to worry about.
If you wanted to adjust them,
loosen only the lock nut,
with the engine running,
turn the adjustment bolt counter clockwise till it starts to make noise (you'll feel it though the bolt more than hear it)
Then turn the bolt clockwise till the noise just stops and tighten the locknut.

~Jeffers