Hyosung cam chain tensioners

[Weaver]

I've just received a letter from Hyosung New Zealand telling me that I should get the cam chain tensioner upgraded on the GT250R which I no longer own.
The letter goes onto say that I should get this done as soon as possible to [I]avoid any serious engine failure and inconvenience.[/I

I imagine anyone who has ever purchased a GT250R brand new will or has received this letter as well.

[Katman]

That's interesting.

I wonder if Hyosung will be willing to supply tensioners at a reasonable price or if they're going to be ridiculously expensive like most of their other parts.

[Weaver]

That's interesting.

I wonder if Hyosung will be willing to supply tensioners at a reasonable price or if they're going to be ridiculously expensive like most of their other parts.

I forgot to add that this will be done at no charge and only takes thirty minutes.

[CookMySock]

That's interesting.

I wonder if Hyosung will be willing to supply tensioners at a reasonable price or if they're going to be ridiculously expensive like most of their other parts.We got the letter. Took the bikes to Undies. Tensioner swapped in one hour flat. Total cost to us - $0. Bike mechanic scratches his head and cant see any problem with the old one.

We too are a little surprised at the cost of Hyo parts. New tank, swingarm, dash (for example), are all around $1500 local retail.. each.. I can import them myself from RichardHyosung at about 1/3 of that... including freight. Some bits are cheap enough, indicator lenses and little things are cheaper locally.

Steve

[BiK3RChiK]

Yeah, we got the letter a month or so ago. Duly took the bikes in and the job was done at no cost to us, as it is a factory re-call.

Not all GT250R's are affected, but if you own one, then it is recommended you get in touch with your local dealer, as they have a list of the serial numbers of bikes which are affected.

[xwhatsit]

I forgot to add that this will be done at no charge and only takes thirty minutes.
That's a pretty good time for swapping a camchain tensioner -- is that both cylinders?

Wonder what's so wrong with it. You don't hear of those Hyo 250 twins blowing up from camchains going, especially compared to some of Hondas best (the VT250s etc.).

[Katman]

I forgot to add that this will be done at no charge and only takes thirty minutes.

Even if the bike has been on-sold to a new owner?

[CookMySock]

That's a pretty good time for swapping a camchain tensioner -- is that both cylinders?Yes. They are very easy to work on.


Wonder what's so wrong with it. You don't hear of those Hyo 250 twins blowing up from camchains going, especially compared to some of Hondas best (the VT250s etc.).Serious? I have heard of one GT250R engine going pop, that PROBABLY was camchain related.


Even if the bike has been on-sold to a new owner?Yes.

Steve

[disenfranchised]

What year bikes have you got?
I haven't seen a letter yet, and my bike is coming up due for a service soon.

Will follow up with the bike store.

[BiK3RChiK]

The letter specifically stated that if you were no longer the owner of the bike, then please pass this letter on to the new owner, as they will need to take it in for the replacement part at no cost.

Big ups to Hyosung!:niceone:

[Weaver]

What year bikes have you got?
I haven't seen a letter yet, and my bike is coming up due for a service soon.

Will follow up with the bike store.

Mine was an '07

[DarkLord]

How much are cam chains usually?

[CookMySock]

How much are cam chains usually?Dunno. They are replacing just the tensioners, not the chains.

Steve

[tri boy]

Done quite a few of these recall tensioners over the last year.
Hyosung NZ need to be given a good rep for their handling of this.
It only affects a set production/frame numbering system but letters have been sent to all owners so they can have their frame number checked against the list supplied to dealers.
A few internal spiral springs in one or two tensioners failed, allowing the tensioner plunger to float a bit. In one extreme case, the cam chain jumped, and bent valves. Repairs were completed at no cost to the owner, except oil, and a small sundry charge.
The chains are fine.
Doing the front cylinder is easy, but care is needed on the the rear, as the chain easily jumps a tooth on the crank, as the old tensioner is pulled.
Cam covers need to be removed to hold the chain up, so their is a bit of mucking around.
If you own a GT/GV250. get your frame number cross referenced at dealers.;)
Best time to get them replaced is at service time as the valve clearance check can be included while the covers are off. Saves your favourite w/shop a bit of lost time, as they only receive a small flat rate from the factory. (flat rate worked out by doing the tensioner job on an engine that is out of the frame, ie removing fairing/tank/moving wires, hoses, brackets etc are not included in the time allocation).

[xwhatsit]

Saves your favourite w/shop a bit of lost time, as they only receive a small flat rate from the factory. (flat rate worked out by doing the tensioner job on an engine that is out of the frame, ie removing fairing/tank/moving wires, hoses, brackets etc are not included in the time allocation).
I always wondered what workshops get for these service bulletin-type jobs.

I'm waiting for this to turn into another piece of ammunition for the Hyosung-baiters. However if anything it seems like a positive point. Certainly handled very well and as I mentioned before, for a company like Hyosung where the 250 engines comprise the bulk of their motorcycle lineup (not including scooters -- do the GT125s sell in anywhere as high numbers overall), a camchain tensioner recall isn't too bad when you look at Honda or Yamaha over the years. Or Suzuki (service bulletin on cracking frames :pinch:).

Looks like a job well done then -- should've been designed right in the first place, but they got the rest of the engine right and dealt with the bug that did crop up.

[tri boy]

Years ago, (read 70's-80's), the Japanese issued flat rate manuals to dealers so they could submit their own labour rate using codes to enter on the warranty form.
As far as I know, this has died out, and franchises are at the mercy of the factory with regards to labour cost recovery.
Sometimes you work out a shortcut to the factory recall method, but 90% of the time, you lose out, as paper work etc eats into time.
I'm still waiting to meet a m/cycle shop owner that lives the rich life.

[CookMySock]

they got the rest of the engine rightThe GT250 gearbox is a little light. We had a cracked housing - seemingly from a few rough down-changes. That was a grand worth of work, plus two engine casings - labour paid for by the importer.

I had a leaky vacuum fuel tap on my 650 at about 15,000km - new kit to go in it, no charge.

Steve

[rphenix]

This is only for the 07 GT/GTR and not for all 07 models either some of them dont need it (earlier 07 models I believe) for instance our 07 comet didnt require it.

Interesting about the fuel tap my wife's 250 comet just required the same part but its only $10 or something so no big deal.

[nivram]

Taken from Korider:

This thread is just to inform you that there's a recall here about a problem found in the camchain tensioners in the models: GT250, GT250R, GT125 and GT125R (also fuel injected models are affected) bought during 2007 and beyond.

The problem causes strange engine noises and the possibility of it to blow. The dealers by now are being informed and they're slowly replacing those defective camchain tensioners under warranty. They have made public a list of affected VIN numbers, but there's evidence that there are many others affected too.

This is the list:

QuoteLast 7 VIN numbers for 125s:
from 1500041 to 1500713
and for 250s:
from 1500001 to 1500881



An important note: a dealer informed one mate of the Spanish forum that the defective camchain tensioners can be easily identified by finding the part in the right side of the engine and comparing it's size to a normal one.


Note 2: seems that GV models could be affected too...

Source: http://www.hyosungcomet.com/foro/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=22206

[nzspokes]

Thread dredge......

A mates GV250 has seized for no apparent reason. They are big on servicing so it didnt run out of oil. And its done under 20000k. Did the cam chain issue cause many seizers?

[nzspokes]

Another quick question, does anybody know if all Hyo 250s have the same motor? Will a GT250r motor fit a GV250?

[White trash]

Another quick question, does anybody know if all Hyo 250s have the same motor? Will a GT250r motor fit a GV250?

Yup.

It's funny. I just sold a guy a GT650 who's had an 06 GV250 since new, commutes every single day and has does 104000km. Zero (no shit) issues although it's got a bit of a rattle now. Sold another guy a 1250 Bandit, he's commuted every day 2 up on his 2006 GT250, done 78000km. Greg Wilkinson's GT250 has been featured in KiwiRider. 130,000km + on his of fully loaded turing. Admittedly he's had a top end rebuild. He jsut sold it for $2K

And yet Hyosung get a bad rap for being unreliable? Strange........

[nzspokes]

just spoke to mechanic and he thinks its bottom end bearing fault and is common on hyo 250s of this age. hes done 10 of them. lookin at a couple of K to fix....

[CookMySock]

A mates GV250 has seized for no apparent reason. [...] Did the cam chain issue cause many seizers?If it drops a camchain it will seize the engine for sure, and probably destroy itself in the process.

An important service item on these, is to lube up the tensioners so they operate freely. Simply remove the little cap and fill them with engine oil - maybe give the tensioner a little spin to make sure its not stuck.

[nzspokes]

If it drops a camchain it will seize the engine for sure, and probably destroy itself in the process.

An important service item on these, is to lube up the tensioners so they operate freely. Simply remove the little cap and fill them with engine oil - maybe give the tensioner a little spin to make sure its not stuck.

Well its rooted now. LOL

Will be checking that was done in its last service. Had one about 500k ago. Will be going to dealership where it is tomorrow.

[nzspokes]

Yup.

It's funny. I just sold a guy a GT650 who's had an 06 GV250 since new, commutes every single day and has does 104000km. Zero (no shit) issues although it's got a bit of a rattle now. Sold another guy a 1250 Bandit, he's commuted every day 2 up on his 2006 GT250, done 78000km. Greg Wilkinson's GT250 has been featured in KiwiRider. 130,000km + on his of fully loaded turing. Admittedly he's had a top end rebuild. He jsut sold it for $2K

And yet Hyosung get a bad rap for being unreliable? Strange........

Im sure that most are fine or the brand would be dead. But it would seem some have catastrophic failure. So if this particular bike missed this recall then that is a possibility of being the cause of this failure.

Ive known this bike for some time and the owner is big on servicing. It goes to dealerships for this. The bike has done 17000k. Its not been thrashed.

Im interested in the root cause.

[CookMySock]

Keep us informed!

[nzspokes]

Went and saw it today. Rockercovers were off. It not in the top end. Mechanic seems to be correct. Its done a main or big end bearing. :crazy:

Its rooted. Quote of 2k to fix.

Bit rough an well serviced bike with 17000k on it.

[G4L4XY]

Yup.

It's funny. I just sold a guy a GT650 who's had an 06 GV250 since new, commutes every single day and has does 104000km. Zero (no shit) issues although it's got a bit of a rattle now. Sold another guy a 1250 Bandit, he's commuted every day 2 up on his 2006 GT250, done 78000km. Greg Wilkinson's GT250 has been featured in KiwiRider. 130,000km + on his of fully loaded turing. Admittedly he's had a top end rebuild. He jsut sold it for $2K

And yet Hyosung get a bad rap for being unreliable? Strange........

I had done 60,000kms on mine, few minor issues not major ones, I should get another one for commuting