VFR 700 Cam Gear Issue

Ok im new the the forum, I have an 86 VFR 700 f1. Monday while riding down the interstate (5000-6000 rpm) i heard a ping and since then my bike has had a rattle when idling or above 4000rpm (1500-3500 is quiet) so riding home 60+ miles i pulled the valve cover and found the (rear bank, intake) cam gear lash mechanism has broken, sending it and two springs through my engine. I was running great when i shut it down. upon finding this i havent started it since. Question is can i replace the broken plate or do i need a whole new cam? The spring retaining plate is riveted on, maybe i can take it off completely and run straight cam gear..... Any thoughts? thanks

 

SHOCKING !

OMG !!!! Now you've found an awful potential fault in Gen 2 bikes that i never suspected ?? (Stop smirking you Gen 1 guys !)

Someone here recently mentioned the possibility of those springs collapsing , and i replied that it was unheard of, but now it's been heard of and well documented, to my great embarassment and disgust. Now i have another issue to worry about.

It's a bloody cruel damn world, it is.

Someone has a spare cam for you.

 

Update


So I found my three missing peices, look in the first picture and they are waiting to take another round with the gear drive. No shavings in oil pan, no additional damage. I guess I got pretty lucky! Since my cams are immaculate I really dont want to throw on a different one. If anybody has a junk cam with a complete spring retaining plate let me know. I think I can rivet a different one one and slap it back together. Honda did a nice job on the head, only a BB could make its way into the crankcase from the head.

 

Send your info and I will get one in the mail and on the way to you.

 

sounds like you got by without major damage, and the calvary is on the way.
thats what this site should be all about, and its a good thing.

im very curious what that "apparatus" is in pic #3 you show in post #5
the one with uno switch and the meter. it doesnt look very garagey.

 

That my friend is a BBQ grill

 

Wow....I have never heard of such a thing happening with the GDC assy.

May I ask the mileage on the motor, and the history of the bikes use?

 

19,000 miles, I bought it with 16,400. When I got it I did valve adjustment, spark plugs, coolant etc. It has been super reliable and It keeps up with my dads zx 750. I'm not sure how it was treated before I bought it but the bike is in great shape (otherwise). Just did my fork seals, and mounted BT-45's.

 

TOE, you got some of these lying around or do we need to get one out of my shop? I'll be in sac this weekend.

 

That's great that you found the missing parts. It definitely saves a lot of time and money with a tear down. I remember a thread from a few years ago where there were people expressing the fact that a gear driven cam failure is not possible and that the 6th Gen going to a chain drive was a mistake. I don't argue the point that gear is probably better than chain, but what this does prove is that any mechanical device is prone to failure, no matter how bulletproof it is perceived to be.

 

Wow that's pretty lucky to find everything in there!
And you need to share the rest of the Mooney as well...

 

It is one incident...... unless there are hundreds of gen 2's piled up in the bone yard that died from this problem... I would still call the design great... one failure shouldn't cause a riot... now if they start showing up in the next few years em mass then we have a problem.....

 

I appriciate all the help / feedback, you guys rock.

 

Gaskets are coming this week, should have her back together this weekend.

 

She's all back together, running better than ever. Thanks for the cam TOE.

 

My pleasure. Glad your back on the road.