Intro and some advice required...

[Jozzer]

Hello gents, new to the forum but not to bikes, been riding for about 29yrs now and have owned many bikes from trailies to hyper sports...

Looking at a very tidy, low mileage 98/VTR1000f at the moment with a view to getting my foot back in the door after a 3yr layoff...

One thing that concerns me though is the cam chain/ticking time bomb issue...

Is there a real danger of it all going a bit "Pete Tong" or is this a few and far between thing and more bull than truth ?...

Been on the "VTR.org" forum for a scout about and as per usual you get the "mine's done 40k and never done a thing to it" routine and then someone else pipes in with "I've had 3 now and they've all dropped a bollock" routine so "as you can imagine" I'm left a little confoosed as to who's telling the truth and who's just full of it...

Any help would be most appreciated...

Many many thanks, Jozzer...

Ps, the other bike that's on the menu is a 99/ZX9R but it looks like it's had a reasonably hard life so not too keen on this one...

[Old Git Racing]

I've fixed one for a mate, lunched front cylinder and head when it broke. Ironically he had some manual aftermarket tensioners to fit. It's a well known fault with them. Aftermarket tensioners are reasonably cheap and easy to fit, If I bought one I'd fit them. Also if it damages a cylinder, it is integral with the top crankcase, expensive.

OGR
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2022 Tiger Sport 660 2019 Street Twin 2003 K3 gixxer 1000 1998 Srad 600 track hack

[ocatoro]

mate had one, it wasn't on the road much.

theyre also very very thirsty.

and imo, a bit shit all round.

I'd be putting my money elsewhere, there's a million bikes out there which won't make you sweat every time you switch it on
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CBT - 17/09/12 * Theory - 23/10/12 * Mod1 - 05/03/13 * Mod2 - 25/03/13 * BOSH!
Current - None but shed project H100 (first bike )
Past - ER5, '93 ZZR600, '92 CB400 SF, ZZR600 (again), yellow Monster 620, Blackbird - black Monster 620ie - '96 ZZR600

[Jozzer]

Just looking for something different really but don't really want it to drop a clanger a couple of months down the line if you know what I mean...

This is the problem you get when you have kids, you end up selling stuff to fund their skool trips etc etc hence why I've been relegated to bikes such as this...

My last bike was an 08/ZX10R would you believe...

Anyway, I'm fairly handy with the spanners being an ex engineer n'all so fitting manual tensioners ain't an issue, more just wondering if it's really necessary or more to the point if it's liable to implode on me when I give it a handful off the lights, that was all really...

Thanks for the input chaps, most appreciated...

[Irezumi aka Reuben]

I had an Aprilia Falco which as long as the battery is kept healthy was fine with me. Usual problems occur with chassis parts due to the age but they're standard Brembo & Showa so easily doable (seals etc.).

Looking at a bit more money wise than the VTR but not much and much better on fuel. Also have a look at SV1000's as they seem to be around the same price-ish.
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Pictorgraphicalfantastical