Hitchcocks Forum

The new 350 Meteor seems to have a timing chain - a better alternative than most cars with timing belts. Does anyone know if that's right - or does anyone have more engine details of this new 350?

Yes, camchain, which is usual on overhead cam motorcycle engines.

It's also got a gear driven balancer shaft and primary drive. Should be smooth.


The main problem with camchains is tensioning them. Even the Japanese manufacturers were ballsing this up well into the 90's, despite having 30 years experience by that point. Hopefully they'll have fitted a hydraulic tensioner in defference to the near total lack of routine maintainance they are likely to recieve in their target market.

It reminds me of the old Honda CB250RS motor, only with fewer valves. They were nice engines.

Looking at the top camchain sprocket on the picture I posted above, I wonder if it has a cetrifugal tensioner built into that. That would be interesting and hopefully reliable providing they didn't get their sprag clutch guy to design it.