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How to: Daytona cams in 12< Street triples

19K views 22 replies 15 participants last post by  Capt1986 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey guys. This is going to be an overview of what needs to be done to install Daytona cams in your Street triple. This is for 12 and below Street triples. Some stuff may transfer to the 13+ bikes but I don't know for sure. Some of whats stated here is here say gathered off of the forums. Anything written here that I'm not 100% sure is fact I will star like this** Don't take it as scripture. Use it as a general guide and do your research.

Benefits are almost 10hp on top with minimal loss in mid range. The Daytona cams are the same lift on the exhaust but longer duration**Source: MacBandit. I will have my bike on the dyno here soon to get some actual numbers. I never did a before dyno run, but Street Triples are pretty consistent on the dyno. You can find Daytona cams for about 100 bucks, so the cost/HP ratio is ridiculously high on this mod.

Obviously I'm not liable to any damage done to the bike. Worst case you screw up the timing and bang a valve into the piston and you need a new head. Consider yourself warned. Get your self a service manual. Read the section pertaining to the cams before you dive into the bike. If you need the service manual feel free to PM me and I'll send you the link for it. If your not mechanically inclined, take it to a shop to do it. Its not worth the risk of damage. I'm writing this off the top of my head so If i left anything out let me know. As your doing this if its your first time take pictures of every connector, every bolt as you remove it. You'll thank me later.

Getting the right stuff:
Get yourself a set of 06-08 Daytona cams. The 08+ Cams are not a good match for the 12< Street triple. It was brought to my attention that due to the cam wear pattern on the buckets you should try and get the original buckets from the Daytona if possible to avoid any wear issues.**
Source: mrmikeracing


Make sure you have a Tune ECU cable, software, and are familiar with mapping/diagnostic functions on your bike. You'll use it.

Valve cover gasket, timing cover gasket, Cam Chain tensioner gasket(may or may not need) Cam cover bolt seals(you may need them, you may not. I only needed one.), Various valve shims (you wont know what you need until you get in there, and obviously you need feeler gauges to check the clearances) Finally get yourself some plugs while your at it. They're right there and easy to replace.

SAI delete plates, might as well do it while your in there. You can turn it off with tune ecu later.

Some sort of aftermarket exhaust is highly recommended for this mod.

Teardown:
I didnt take a lot of pics here, If you aren't capable of getting the airbox off your bike you probably shouldn't be doing this.

Remove:
Seat

Radiator cowls:
tip for anyone here that doesn't know, when you go to remove the turn signals disassemble the actual flasher and disconnect the wires from the bulb socket and pull them through the stalk. This leaves you with an extra 6 inches of wire and the connectors are buried under the airbox.

Tank:
Be sure to not put stress on your fuel pump electrical connections. I accidentally tore one of the wires. Just lift the tank up enough for you to get your hands in there and disconnect the two connectors and the fuel line. This is what happens if you put too much stress on the connector... not fun. Trouble shooting that was an absolute *****.

Airbox:
Pretty strait forward. Disconnect everything and pull the top off, giving you access to the velocity stacks. Use the allen key to pull those out and remove bolt at the front. Before you pull the airbox out make sure you disconnected the vacuum line that runs to the map(i think its the map) sensor on the left side of the airbox. Remove the SAI intake, and the crank vent on the undersides of the airbox and remove the airbox. Block off your throttle bodies with shop rags to prevent any thing falling in. You should be left with some wiring, and the valve cover. We're making progress.

Disconnect the throttle cables from the throttle body. You only have to remove the bolts that secure the cable. Dont remove it from the actual shaft. you just have to move the throttle cables a little bit out of the way. ( you dont have to do this. I just found the extra clearance useful)

Unbolt the frame infill panels and remove. Disconnect SAI system and remove if your blocking it off. Dont forget to remove from the valve cover. Disconnect electrical connectors from coil packs. Remove coil packs but wait to remove spark plugs. Mark the connector to the corresponding plug if you feel its needed. Move all the wiring off to the left of the bike and out of the way.

At this point you should be left with the valve cover and not much else. Take the top two bolts out of the radiator for a little extra clearance. You'll thank me for this when we check the clearances.

Start pulling the valve cover bolts. The service manual has the directions for removal order. The shorter bolts are on the far right side where the cam chain is.

Pull out your valve cover. Use a rubber hammer to break it loose, do not pry it you can damage the machined surfaces. Clearance is tight, but pull it out the right side. Make sure you don't get hung up on the gasket. When you get it out check to make sure you have all 3 dowl pins in the valve cover, if you don't pull them out of the camshaft ladder and put them in the valve cover for safe keeping. Remove valve cover gasket.

This may seem like a good time to install the SAI block off plates but wait. You may have clearance issues re installing the cover. Check your cam cover bolt seals and replace as needed.

Remove spark plugs

Remove the ignition timing cover on the right side. Put a pan under the motor on that side, its going to drop some oil. Your gasket may come off clean, may disintegrate.

Locate TDC Cyl 1. You do this by looking for the detent in the gear and lining up with the raised groove in the case. My gear was marked with just before with some white paint. I found a socket big enough to fit over the cam chain sprocket nut and used a breaker bar. I suppose you could put it in 6th gear and spin the rear wheel but you'll save yourself a lot of headache by finding the right size socket.

At this point you should have the motor at TDC Cyl 1.
For the love of god, do this next step. It would have saved me probably 10 hours of trouble shooting time and headache. Take a picture of your stock cam timing marks on the gear(should be pointing in), and the cam lobe location. Take note of the cam lobe location on cyl 1. Use a clock, your intake should be somewhere around 4 oclock and exhaust around 7 . Your cam lobes on cyl 1 should be pointing inwards toward each other.

###A note on this### Anyone with common sense can say that's not right. At TDC on any 4 stroke the exhaust cam should be just getting ready to open. I don't know why it's like this with the intake cam getting ready to open, but for whatever reason that's not the case here. I called triumph tech support ( I work at a dealer) and they told me they don't know why, but this is the correct timing.

Next remove the cam chain tensioner. Set the gasket aside if it came off clean. Steps to remove the plunger on the tensioner are in the service manual and you really should look at it for this part but I'll give you a run down. Basiclly you hold the clip together by the loops and pull the plunger out. Be careful. Its full of oil and spring loaded. You should have in your hands the tensioner body, the plunger, spring. The clip you held together , and another clip closer twards the motor if it was installed, should have stayed in the body. Drain any oil out. Re install the spring, then the plunger. Put tensioner in a vice. Use the two loops you used earlier and start cranking down the vice. If you get any resistance you don't have the loops pulled in correctly. Start cranking down until you can get the clip closest to the motor to seat in the plunger. It should hold it there completely compressed. Set aside for re install. You should have something that looks like this.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
At this point its time to get down to the fun part. Double check you're still at TDC on the crank detent. Start removing the camshaft ladder. There's a bolt sequence for disassembly in the service manual so follow that. On the far right side directly on top of the chain slider, the second bolt from the rear wont pull all the way out but don't worry about it yet. Get all of your bolts out. Follow the service manual here. The camshaft ladder is unique to each head and can crack so if you crack the ladder you need a whole new head**
The first time I did this I diligently marked each bolt location don't bother. They're all the same except the ones that hold the cam slider on(two in the middle on the far right side). One of them you will not be able to remove as I said earlier.

Pull your camshaft ladder out the right side. As you pull up on the ladder it'll have enough room when you lift it up to pull the bolt we didn't remove. When you pull the ladder, make sure you got all three dowls out with it. Also there are 3 Orings at the spark plug holes. They might stick to the bottom of the ladder. Grab these O rings and re install on the recess in the spark plug hole.

Check again that you're at TDC on the crank detent. Pull your cams out theres plenty of slack in the chain at this point. Pretty straitforward, just do it one at a time and they'll come out. Once you get them both out you can drop the chain. The 675 has a pin that doesn't let the chain drop all the way so don't worry about it. But I would make sure the pin is there before you do it!

Figure out which Daytona cam is the intake, and which is exhaust. On the sprocket side of the cam it'll be bossed with a number and either I or E on the end. Obviously the I is for intake and E for exhaust. Also the exhaust has a raised edge on the exhaust and the intake its machined off

Check to make sure your still at TDC Via the crank detent. Install the exhaust cam first. When you put it in do it in a way that takes the slack out of the cam chain on that side. So slide it in slightly advanced, get the chain on the gear and set it down on the head.
Be sure your timing marks are pointed in. If they're not check to make sure the exhaust cam is pointed in on cyl 1. If its not your 180 degrees out. It is possible that the timing marks are reversed on the cam sprocket, so if the mark is pointed out, but your cam is pointing you're good to go. The timing mark should be level on the head.

Install the intake cam in the same fashon. This time you want to remove any slack between the exhaust cam and the intake cam. Make sure timing marks a level with the head and pointing in. Again check cam lobe location. Should be pointing in. If its pointing out again your 180 degrees out. At this point there should be no chain slack on the exhaust side and no slack between both cams. All the chain slack should be where the cam chain tensioner is. Use your finger and between the cam chain guide and the cam chain and put pressure on the cam chain forward much like the tensioner would do. Check your timing marks. If they aren't lined up any more you need to pull it all back out, and advance it one tooth and try again. When you put pressure on the cam chain your timing marks need to be level with the head.

BE PRECISE!! 1 tooth advanced wont hurt anything, 2 Teeth advanced is Piston to Valve Contact!

Got it so the timing marks are level when you put pressure on the chain? Good. Take zipties and ziptie the chain to the cam sprocket. This will keep it from jumping a tooth. Should look something like this. IGNORE MY CAM TIMING MARKS!! I had it 180 Degrees out when I took this picture and corrected it later. Also the camshaft ladder is installed in this pic. Ignore that also.

Look at the cams from the top of the motor. Make sure your journals are properly lined up with the cam. They have a bit of wiggle room so do this before you reinstall the ladder

Time to re install the camshaft ladder. Make sure the 3 dowl pins are still there and in proper location. Also check to make sure you have the O rings between the ladder and the head installed or you're in for a world of hurt.(ask me how I know) Be sure that the bolt we couldn't get out earlier on the ladder is in its proper location, once you get the ladder installed if its not in there you have to pull the ladder back out and put it in then reinstall the ladder. Place the ladder back on and start throwing the bolts in. Do not torque yet just hand tight. Once you've got all the bolts in break out the service manual for the bolt tightening sequence. Torque all of them to 5NM. Double check your still at TDC on the crank, your timing marks are lined up and all of the cam chain slack is on the tensioner side. torque to 10 NM.

Grab your cam chain tensioner and re install. Don't forget your gasket. Replace as needed. At this point you need to take that breaker bar on the crank cam chain sprocket and slowly work the cams back and forth. When you go counter clockwise you should hear the cam chain going click click click. Its just taking up slack. Keep in mind its not going to fully engage until it has oil pressure. Everything good? No teeth jumped? Cut off the zipties.

Take the breaker bar and continue to work everything back and forth this should be getting the tensioner a bit tighter. There should be a little bit of resistance from the valve springs but anything major stop and recheck everything. Give it one full rotation. Line up your cam timing marks and recheck to make sure you're at TDC and the marks are level. If not pull it all out and try again.

Checking valve clearances. Use the Street Triple clearances. Check the specs in the manual. I'm not going into checking the clearances here. You can find a write up on this forum. Its strait forward though,

Install Spark Plugs

Re install ignition cover

Re Install valve cover gasket, making sure you got everything in its proper place, Pull the SAI dowls out of the valve cover where we put them eariler and install them in the ladder, the gasket holds them there. Bolt valve cover down in same sequence as removal. Torque to 10NM. Install SAI blocking plates.

Re install top 2 bolts in rad

Install Coil packs and re connect all electrical connectors under airbox. Be sure you've run your turnsignal wires out where they belong. Re install frame infill panels

Reinstall throttle cable bolts. This is a good time to check your cable play and adjust as needed.

At this point just re assemble your airbox. Don't forget to re connect the MAP sensor as well as the vacuum hose that feeds it. Also don't forget the crank vent line on the underside of the airbox. Get the lid on and everything reconnected. Make sure you run the fuel line through the metal wire that runs along the back of the airbox or it will kink(again ask me how I know). Re install rad cowls. Inspect your fuel pump connectors to be sure they're in good shape and re install the tank.

Turn the key on. Fuel pump prime? Good. If not go back and check your fuel pump wires. Go ahead and fire it on your stock map. Does it run? Good. If not. Go back and double check everything, All your connectors, your timing, everything. Plug it in to Tune ECU and try out a map you can find here . http://www.triumph675.net/forum/showthread.php?t=66947.
Go ride!!! I cant believe I Just wrote 7 pages and almost 2000 words on this topic! I can barely write a page of content for school. Good luck guys. Hopefully this helps someone out.
 
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#3 · (Edited)
Just a couple tips.

There is no reason to touch the throttle cables. I've never removed or loosened them at all on the dozens of 675s I've checked the valves on.

Regarding the SAI dowels. Do not put them in the valve cover. You want them in the cam carrier. You don't want them falling out on accident when you put the valve cover back on.
 
#4 ·
Just a couple tips.

There is no reason to touch the throttle cables. I've bever removed or loosened them at all on the dozens of 675s I've checked the valves on.

Regarding the SAI dowels. Do not put them in the valve cover. You want them in the cam carrier. You don't want them falling out on accident when you put the valve cover back on.
Ahh I guess I wasnt clear about that, Fixing now.
 
#10 ·
Interesting and thanks for posting this. I am now attempting to swap out cams on the Thunderbird Sport I recently purchased. Though the Striple is a more modern ride and more complicated per se, I'd consider doing this. Maybe. Please report back following many rides.
 
#11 ·
I just wanted to clarify some things that I found confusing and possibly different based on which model year you have.

I have an 08 street triple and I just swapped out the cams with some from an 07 Daytona 675. The correct timing marks on mine were pointed inwards and the lobes for the intake were pointed TOWARDS the front of the bike. I've attached some pictures just in case anyone else might find them useful.
 

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#12 ·
So finally got the bike on the dyno. It put down 115HP. It was 95 degrees and almost 100% humidity. I expect it to be almost 120 in ideal conditions. Considering thats a 15-20 HP jump, this mod is well worth it.
 
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#14 ·
Resurrecting this thread as I am getting ready to do this mod.
Just curious- by how much were the clearances out of spec after swap?
Will be swapping a 2012 daytona on my 14 streety, and clearances were spot on when I checked last week.

I guess my question is: I should not expect clearances to be that much out of spec with the daytona camshaft to possibly create issues when I rotate crankshaft by hand a few times so I can get through all lobes for valve clearances?
 
#15 ·
On mine all the exhaust were off about one shim size and that was with a pre-09 Daytona cam. If you're using a 09+ cam than its going to be way different as clearance range for the exhaust cam on the 09+ is .325-.375 and the pre 09 Daytona and Streey triple have an exhaust clearance range of .275-.325. So right off the bat you have that difference plus however the cams fit your head differently from your stock cams which was the change in my case.
 
#20 ·
Hi everybody,
my question comes late, but I hope there is an answer available. I installed 2 Daytona cams I bought used into my 2010 STR yet. The seller did not know if the cams were 2009 or before. The cams are in good optical condition, the journals as new and the camlift measured by calipers corresponds to the workshop manual (675 2009). After the installation the engine can be turned by hand without any collision between valves and pistons.Everything seems to be ok so far.
The workshop manual states slightly different timing and valve clearance for the exhaust cam pre and after 2009, is there any chance to identify the year of the exhaust cam? The sprockets that are still fitted look the same as these on the stock STR cams.
Best regards
Dirk
 
#23 ·
I’m just going to revive an old thread because I can’t find any clear answers and some of these are very old.
For lack of a better option but not for a lack of trying I could only get my hands on 09 Daytona cams to fit into my 2016 STR675R.
I’m worried about poor idle. So as far as I can gather I need to use the later Daytona valve clearances. But any year in particular?
Do I or should I consider changing valve springs as well?
Any insight advice suggestions walkthroughs would be greatly appreciated. Particularly from anyone who’s put a set of 09 Daytona cams into a 2013+ STR675.
 
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