What is a camshaft on a motorcycle? What does a Camshaft do in a Motorcycle? How to identify a bad cam? Can camshaft be repaired? What are the advantages of a camshaft? How many miles does a camshaft last? Can you still drive with a bad camshaft? How does a camshaft get damaged? Find answers to all these questions. This content reveals A to Z of a motorcycle or bike camshaft.
What is a Motorcycle Camshaft?
The camshaft is a crucial part or component of the engine. You can find 1 or more camshafts in the motorcycle engine cylinder. A camshaft is the engine component that controls the opening and closing of the intake & exhaust valves.
What is the Purpose of a Cam in an Engine?
The cam lobes push against the valves through its rotational process. Thus it helps in the combustion process by letting the air and fuel be taken. It also helps expel the exhaust gases. Just like a human’s inhaling and exhaling, the motorcycle engine also inhales the air-fuel mixture. And it exhales the expelled gases. By opening and closing the inhale and exhale valves, the camshaft plays a vital role in this process.
How does a Camshaft Work?
The crankshaft drives the camshaft. Meanwhile, the cam shifts motion from the crankshaft to the valvetrain. It enables the cam to open and close the valves. The cam acts upon the valvetrain by turning on its egg-shaped cam lobes. There are multiple cam lobes in a camshaft. Those lobes have differences in their shapes and sizes. Thus they impact the time and length of a valve’s opening and closing based on size & shape. Meanwhile, a timing belt or chain connects the gears of the camshaft and crankshaft. Occasionally, a meshed gear set located at the motor’s front end can also connect the gears.
During each entire combustion cycle, the cam turns only once as opposed to the crankshaft which turns twice. Indeed, during the mentioned process each valve opens only once as well. As a result, at the intake stroke, the intake valve stays open while at the exhaust stroke, the exhaust valve also stays the same. On the contrary, right during the compression and combustion strokes, you will find the valves closed.
Where is Camshaft Located in Motorcycle?
Based on type, a camshaft’s location varies on a motorcycle engine. Because there can be 2 types of camshafts. The In-board cams utilize the pushrods and rocker arms to reach the valves. The other type based on location is the overhead camshafts. The latter-mentioned types are located over the valves in the cylinder head. This type is more common in modern bike engines. Overhead cams are more powerful and able to generate a lot of power with high revs.
Types of Camshaft
Apart from the location, there are 2 major types of Camshafts.
Single Overhead Camshaft (SOHC) is the most common type. The other type is a Double Overhead Camshaft (DOHC).
What happens when a Camshaft goes Bad?
You will notice the following scenarios when your vehicle’s camshaft is not good:
- The code in the onboard computer will notify whether it’s fine or not. So checking the engine light will help you understand the situation.
- When there is a problem in the camshaft, you will hear some ticking or tapping noises because of the excessive movement.
- A drop in power or power loss is another symptom. It’s because when the valves don’t open and close at the appropriate time, that will result in power loss, especially during acceleration.
- You may also find metal debris in the engine oil.
- A bad camshaft position sensor might be another indicator.
- The user may notice a misfiring or backfiring.
When a camshaft goes bad, it can bring harmful consequences to the engine, cylinder head, and crankshaft. Moreover, a bike or other vehicle won’t even start or run with a broken camshaft.
Does Camshaft Affect Performance?
Yes! How? The camshaft is responsible for the timing and operation of engine valves. Hence, the cam directly influences a bike or other automobile’s performance. The combustion process can’t run smoothly without a camshaft. An engine’s power, torque, and efficiency; all these are affected by the proper run of the camshaft.
