[KYrider]

man, my pre is makin the same noise

[arsenic]

what year KY 1995 right? Shim valves suck big time, thats not a do it yourself thing. The 600 was shim valves between 1992 and 1997. Try the cam chain spring first like CP said, although I have never seen that go bad, not saying it don't, obviously it does CP has pictures of it. If that don't help, time to bring your bike to the shop, I won't even do shims without access to a master set of shims.

[mmikebaxter]

Try running a couple tanks of super. My bike makes valve noise when I run regular.
Mike

[arsenic]

Try running a couple tanks of super. My bike makes valve noise when I run regular.
Mike

your engine is meant to run on 87, filling up with super does 0, thats all in your head.

[IndyGunner]

cp, how much are they and what do they do lol

[mmikebaxter]

your engine is meant to run on 87, filling up with super does 0, thats all in your head.

It ain't in my head makes a big difference
Mike

[The CyberPoet]

cp, how much are they and what do they do lol

I don't remember the price off the top of my head, but under $20 delivered.

There is a chain that connects the crank at the bottom of the engine (that the pistons push down against to rotate) to the cams at the top of the engine (that control the valves opening). To keep this relationship from getting out of sync as the chain ages, stretches, and flings outward at different RPM's, there is a guide on the backside of the engine to keep the chain under tension (takes up any slack). The guide is pushed on by a button that is in turn pushed on by this spring. If the spring gets weak with age/use/heat/etc., there isn't enough tension on the chain and the relationship between the crank and cams can drift -- the common first symptom is a sound that is almost always referred to as sounding just like a singer sewing machine.

It ain't in my head makes a big difference

In the US, 87 octane is the optimal gas for any stock Katana engine; if you are running higher octane and believe that you are getting any benefit from it, one of the following must be true:
(A) The higher octane fuel contains more detergents and the detergents are giving you the benefit (not the fuel itself); using a higher detergent, better brand of low-octane would benefit you more in this case;
(B) The engine has a lot of carbon build-up, and the higher octane is masking other problems from an engine in very poor condition;
(C) The benefits are strictly imaginary; OR
(D) The engine has been reworked with a WiseCo conversion kit to give it both higher-than-stock displacement and (the important part) higher-than-stock compression ratios, and thus is no longer stock in any sense.

87 octane contains more punch per gallon than higher octane fuels, and the engine in the stock Kats (with their low compression ratios) can not exploit any advantage of the octane difference of higher octane fuels.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[arsenic]

don't even try the my engine is a Canadian model crap because the compression ratio that CP is talking is exactly the same US and Canada.
pre and post 600 11.3 : 1
pre and post 750 10.7 : 1

[yeemartin]

So, are Post-98 and Pre-98 the same?

While you are at it, I highly suggest replacing the cam chain tensioner spring assembly, based on your reports of the sounds. It's a cheap part to replace and if the old one is defective (see pic below), will make a significant difference.

Pre-98 Tensioner Spring, Upper is new, lower is old & bad


PS - I have the spring & gasket here.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[arsenic]

So, are Post-98 and Pre-98 the same?

what are you asking about?

[The CyberPoet]

So, are Post-98 and Pre-98 the same?

When it comes to cam chain tensioner springs, no. The 98+ gets a new design of tensioner spring that is a different length (shorter) and from what I understand stouter windings as well, to address the failure rate issue they had in the pre-98's.
But if your 98+ starts sounding like a singer sewing machine (literally), the fix is the same, just the part looks different.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[arsenic]

I have a sneaking suspension that spring changed on the 96 600. A lot of 98+ changes went in to effect in the 96 600, I think that might be one, I can't prove that, I don't know. Ah huh, just looked at the factory microfiche, not the Ron Ayers microfiche. The factory microfiche shows the cam chain adjuster for the 600 changed in 96, I knew it.

[yeemartin]

thanks!

When it comes to cam chain tensioner springs, no. The 98+ gets a new design of tensioner spring that is a different length (shorter) and from what I understand stouter windings as well, to address the failure rate issue they had in the pre-98's.
But if your 98+ starts sounding like a singer sewing machine (literally), the fix is the same, just the part looks different.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[IndyGunner]

is it a difficult install? (cam springs)

[arsenic]

no, it's really not