measuring camchain stretch

[kwaka]

Hi all,
i,m uming and arring about whether to replace my timing chain while i,ve got the engine out of my bike. i,ve split the bottom crankcase apart so i have a good view of the chain. Is it possible to measure the length of a number of links to determine if the chain is stetched, or is there some other way of checking the chain. I want to avoid pulling the rest of the engine apart if i dont need to replace the timing chain.
Cheers

[floydsz1]

Hi Kwaka,
While the engine is out i would go the whole way and replace the chain.Then at least it wont need doing again and you will know its ok. It is possible to put a new one in with a soft link but this needs doing by someone who knows exactly what they are doing, its not really recomended but i did it a a few years ago with no probs, Like i said while the engine is halfway stripped id go the whole way,

[cra-z1]

When I put my 73 back together I went all the way. I used all new componants. Cam chains are cheap, and are worth the extra time and money. Make sure you get the heavy duty chain. I also replaced all of the other componants related to the cam chains. If you can, spend the little extra and use Liska parts. Take a look at Z1 Enterprizes web site for the chain and related parts[/img][/url]