So my 06 klx 250 has started ticking, I think its the cam chain Tensioner because it sounds like a cam chain (I put a stethoscope to it) and that seems to be a very frequent problem with these bikes but its far louder when its cold and its worse at idle which I haven’t seen described here as a symptom of the tensioner going, so before I go order a part that might not fix my issue I thought I’d post here and see if anyone could guve me some insight.

 

Makes sense, after all as the engine warms up everything grows a bit, taking up a bit of the slack in the cam drive. If you found the noise loudest at the tensioner and cam drive it is the tensioner. If louder up around the cam cover it is valve clearance.

As you may or may not know, I make the KLX250 tensioners and you can PM me. Don't buy on ebay, I charge an extra $4 for the fees on there and both of us pay more. I will also say replacing the tensioner is the least expensive non-invasive change you can make to see if the drive is loose or is something else.

 

I would say its probably a bit louder up top but its got a more distinct sound right by the Tensioner bolts, have no clue which it is lol

 

So.... what do you think that is telling you?