[ArmoniVisuals]

Possibly need to replace your plastic chain guides?

UPDATE:
There is apparently some discussion as to the nature of the noise. Mine is a hard ticking, or clacking, and apparently the typical loose cam chain noise is more of a rattling, which mine does not make. Thus, apparently, the need for a tear-down... I will dig deeper.

Possibly need to replace your plastic chain guides?

 

[ArmoniVisuals]

CAM CHAIN TENSIONER

EDIT: I AM TOLD 2015-2016 ALSO USES BLACK FROM FACTORY. SO IN THIS POST WHEREVER YOU SEE GEN1/2 VS GEN3, IT IS REALLY 2009-2016 VS 2017-2018


[Finally got these answers after a couple days of calling dealerships, several provided incorrect answers or could not explain the reasoning]

2009-2016 OEM CAM CHAIN TENSIONER IS BLACK.
2017+ OEM CAM CHAIN TENSIONER IS SILVER (UPDATED)

2009-2016:

- When you need to replace your BLACK OEM Tensioner, replace it with a SILVER OEM UPDATED Tensioner!

- When you need to replace your SILVER OEM UPDATED Tensioner, replace it with a BLACK OEM Tensioner just like the original which came with this bike, but when you do this you will need a brand new cam chain tensioner and cam chain guides

- ALTERNATE BETWEEN BLACK AND SILVER!
- Black: Shorter
- Silver: Longer (DO NOT USE WITH NEW CHAIN BECAUSE IT WILL CAUSE PREMATURE STRETCHING OF THE CHAIN)

SO:
1) Black (From Factory)
2) Silver
3) Black & Chain & Guides
4) Silver
5) Black & Chain & Guides (ETC)

Instead of replacing your cam chain / tensioner very few tens of thousands of miles, some people will switch to a manual cam chain tensioner, but this will need your tensioner to be adjusted every thousand miles or so, or maybe less.

 

[skapan]

I can appreciate all the research that you've done. But there is a lot of misinformation included in your post. There is no "BMW recommended replacement: 15,000 km." Chain tensioners are replaced "as needed" based on the judgement of the technician. ALL years came with a black tensioner. The silver tensioner has only recently been released to address a noisy startup due to a loose cam chain. If you read through this thread from the beginning you will see a lot of history on this issue that your "facts" don't quite match.

And if you decide to replace the chain on an earlier bike, you will find that there are updated sprocket and chain part numbers, so it's not just a chain replacement.

I'm sure Bennymx will chime in soon

 

[bennymx]

New member comes in with all the wrong info. Great. They all come with the black cap. The silver cap is longer and pushes the tensioner in further and can be fitted only after 15,000kms. If it is still noisy, then in some cases the tensioners fail. But that's rare. After high kms the chain, sprockets and guides need to be replaced if sufficient force from the tensioner cannot be achieved.

The silver cap must not be fitted prior to 15,000kms. If it is fitted and makes no difference to sound then the black one must be put back in. Some people have got the ape manual tensioners and love them. I have never had an issue with mine. Mine did get noisy and I fitted the silver one and its all good now.

 

[ArmoniVisuals]

"15K recommended replacement"
Don't blame me, blame the dealership [stealership]
This is the information I've gotten from them.

 

[bennymx]

No where does it say the cam chain is recommended to be replaced at 15,000km. The silver tensioner cap can only be fitted after that mileage. I don't care what the dealership said. I won't have bs info on this forum. Defeats my purpose.

 

[sro]

"15K recommended replacement"
Don't blame me, blame the dealership [stealership]
This is the information I've gotten from them.

Collective knowledge of this group is much greater than most dealerships. We have people who have gone to the dealers with solutions they found on this forum for problems dealers couldn't resolve.

We appreciate your assistance in helping us and provide insight. That's more than some folks do, especially those joining just to sell Sh!t.

Benny is correct on this one. This is a topic we covered for some time.

 

[dasher]

Cam chain change - new issues - update

So I posted about a month ago that my bike (3.1 years, 10,500 miles) was exhibiting a very loud "clacking" noise, at certain times. For example, if at idle, upon revving it quickly and letting it settle down again. The dealer's master mechanic bet on it being a stretched cam chain. Sure enough, they opened the covers and saw that the chain was very loose, beyond the ability of the tensioner to fix it. So they ordered parts from BMW and changed it. THANKFULLY BMW saw fit to give me a Goodwill fix (the bike was one month out of warranty - agh!), and what would have been about a $1200 job was at n/c to me.
So far, so good. I picked her up Saturday. All sorts of new sounds (to my paranoid ears), but no loud clacking any more.
Rode her for 140 miles on Sunday. Felt good.
But. Something happened that turned her into a two-stroke. She's now smoking rather badly. White (oil) smoke coming from the exhaust, especially on start-up. Once started up, and the white cloud has dissipated, she will throw out smoke but only when cracking the throttle. At shut down, the exhaust smokes like the barrel of a just-fired gun, too.
Nobody has any idea what it could be, just that it's not normal. I will post this separately in a new thread, too, as it's off-topic a little. Please comment there.
Thanks!

 

[SRod321]

I stumbled on this thread about two weeks ago and went ahead and ordered the updated part because I had a slight rattle on startup. Replaced it and took it out for a first "real ride" since the replacement and man, maybe it's just me but I feel a difference. Firstly, the clack on startup is gone. While riding, as another member stated, the engine feels like it runs a little "tighter" so to speak. It just feels better. Thanks for the heads up even though this thread is a little dated.

 

[A B]

Fitted the silver cap, topped up the oil, cold start rattle is gone[emoji106]

Sent by Shoephone using Tapatoe

 

[ReSpawN]

Fitted the silver cap, topped up the oil, cold start rattle is gone[emoji106]

Does the cap also solve engine noise while at medium temps (say 70+)?

 

[skapan]

It can, depending on how much the chain has stretched.

 

[A B]

Does the cap also solve engine noise while at medium temps (say 70+)?

mine doesnt have any unusual noise at those temps.

 

[Unknowns1krr]

My silver plug could not be threaded all the way in, I'm not sure for what reason. (bike does have about 45k kms)

I have ordered alpha racing manual tensioner, we will see how my bike behaves afterward.

I still have a huge clunking noise when the clutch lever is out. when the clutch lever in, the noise goes away.

Some say it might be my tensioner and some say clutch basket issue...

Can anyone elaborate on this matter?

thanks in advance

 

[Odysseas Pmp]

Right. This information is old hat and dealer's should be aware of it. It is not a secret.

The bike comes with a Black screw plug for the cam chain tensioner. The problem is a noisy cam chain at start up where it rattles quite loudly. The chain stretches over time and the tensioner no longer provides enough pressure to keep the chain tight.

An updated screw plug that is longer is the fix. The new screw plug is Silver. This can only be fitted after 15,000kms. It is not the tensioner itself but a longer screw plug that puts more pressure on the tensioner.

It's only if the bike has a start up cam chain rattle. This is not a be all and end all noisy fix as most people seem to have a problem with the noise on these bikes. The dealer would not just replace it if you ask. They would have to determine it has a start up rattle and then proceed accordingly. You would need to take the bike to a dealer complaining of the start up rattle. Do not replace the part if the bike is not rattling on start up. It's not an automatic replacement once you hit 15,000kms. Read my original post carefully before anyone starts jumping to conclusions. Replacing it prematurely could also cause damage and make the chain too tight.

THIS IS NOT A FIX FOR NOISY OR TICKING ENGINES IN GENERAL.

Mine rattles only when engine is cold and only for 2 seconds. My mechanic tells me this is normal when engine is cold and oil is still down.

Is it easy to be changed? We don't have any S1000RR specialists in my country

 

[CessnaA&P]

If you do have the noise at idle and goes away when you pull in the clutch leaver you might want to check my video’s out here
https://www.s1000rrforum.com/forum/...m.com/forum/bmw-s1000rr-general-discussion/240268-2010-clutch-hub-question.html
It’s what was wrong with my bike and the clutch noise it’s another avenue to check if your trying to illuminate your clutch noise

 

[SwiftTone]

Can someone tell me the part number? I couldn't find it. Thank you.

 

[jimbob8915]

who makes an manual cam chain adjuster for a 2020 RR?

 

[skapan]

Check this Alpha Racing Manual Cam Chain Tensioner S1000RR but make sure it's for the 2020 before purchasing.

 

[QuikSanD]

Dilemma. I've got what sounds to be a cam chain rattle / it's inside the engine on the right hand side so not really 100% sure rattle in there on my 2013. Can hear it slightly on startup / idle, but more at ~ 4k - 4.5k rpm. Tuner (dyno) said it sounded like a cam chain and after reading through all of this I believe the silver cap would fix the issue. Bike is also rounding off the horsepower graph around 12.2k. Increases up to ~173 then rounds off at 11.5-12.2 and levels off / starts to dip. Very strange.

Bike only has 6,500 miles on it and I'm reading that this CAN NOT be replaced until after 9,300 miles. Am I misunderstanding the information being presented or is that 9,300 mile number given based on the amount of stretch that generally appears by that time?

My plan at this time is to buy the $50 silver cap, fit it on there, see if the sound goes away, if it does not then refit the black cap and go the this is now going to get very expensive route. Dilemma, I do not want to preemptively fit the silver cap, over-tension the chain, and cause far worse damage. Is there a way I can analyze the pressure being put on the cam chain while installing the silver plug prior to starting the engine?