Got to looking at the self adjuster I took off my King and was wondering if I had just ground down the sliding adjuster teeth on it if it wouldn't work just as well as the Hayden adjuster. Anyone have one laying around and be willing to look at it and give feed back?
Could be a cheap fix.

 

Sorry, I don't quite understand what you are asking.

i used the Hayden on 2 of my Evos and it was some of the best money spent, easing every one of hundreds of downshifts and smoothing low speed operation.

The Hayden relied on constant spring pressure to keep good primary chain tension so I think a different mechanism that what you (seem) to be describing.
I don't think the H-D has the same spring tension -does it ?

Mike

 

I was saying that I think the HD automatic tensioner could be modified to act just like the Hayden unit that I installed by removing the teeth off the sliding part of the adjuster. Seems to have good tension on it as it sits. With the teeth removed it would be able to adjust up and down like the hayden unit.

 

if the spring tension seems to be the same, you may be onto a $$ saver.

How does it ride...downshift and low speed / any snatching and grabbing ?

primary chain condition would play a role in this as a high mileage chain would have loose and tight spots.

Mike

 

Whether it's as good as a Hayden or not, it seems like a good modification to prevent an overtight primary chain. I have one of the factory adjusters you are speaking of. First time I have the primary open, a Hayden unit is going in. I run a Hayden unit in my Buell White Lightning and it performs flawlessly.

 

The teeth are there in their configuration in order to hold the ramp in a rigid and parallel position on the base. And when the teeth are meshed, the ramp presents no back pressure to the take-up spring. That take-up spring is not attached to the base, it simply fits onto a U-shaped boss for back support. This spring is very weak and fragile when compared to the force delivered by the spring pak in the Hayden unit. Not to mention the obvious difference in force angles and design.

Filing off the teeth would eliminate the ramps stability, put back pressure on a weak spring that has a plastic guide, and it would fail. Failure would result in a very loose primary chain and parts and pieces of the spring, spring guide, and possibly the ramp becoming misaligned on the ramp. All of this would be a bad thing.

You are on the right track with trying to figure a way to mod the stock tensioner to convert it away from a "tightener" to an "adjustable-fixed" unit. Others are currently working on just such a project. I am confident something will be engineered to allow the stock tensioner to become a fixed tension device.

 

Lowcountryjoe, Thanks for the input. I was looking at the angle and thinking it would provide a strong enough tension to keep the chain tight. Modifying some of the unit might just work. I had just taken a fast look at it but maybe some more serious thought might produce a workable unit. Thanks for your thoughts . Some things I hadn't considered.

 

If the little wedge could be pulled down to rest against the teeth instead of being pushed upwards you would need a little lever to preset the minimal chain tension.