Does anybody know how to check and adjust the valves to a motorcycle?

[mexican]

Checked and adjusted valves on the bonneville many times. Still have the special tools required to do the job correctly. Getting ready to check and adjust if necessary on the Rocket. Just finding the time to replace the fuel filter and check and adjust valves has been a pain (68 hours of overtime in two week period) PM me and we can work something out. The Ducati is out of my league. I do know that on certain Ducati models the first step to checking and adjusting the valves is to pull the engine. Sounds like a real pain in the ###.

The problem is findidng the time, and to take the little time that you have left for you and your family just wont be right. thanks for the good intention

 

[sonny]

My family is just me and the wife. She is use to my quirks. I do not mind taken the time to help you out. Watched the vid's on the valve adjustments and they are good. Hats off to trumpeteer. I could never make a vid like that even if I wanted to. Do not have the social skills. Do have the skills to maintain a bike that rides over 100,000 miles and still runs strong while doing my own work. Offer still good.

 

[mexican]

My family is just me and the wife. She is use to my quirks. I do not mind taken the time to help you out. Watched the vid's on the valve adjustments and they are good. Hats off to trumpeteer. I could never make a vid like that even if I wanted to. Do not have the social skills. Do have the skills to maintain a bike that rides over 100,000 miles and still runs strong while doing my own work. Offer still good.

Thanks!! i will hit you up one of these days and will make it happen

 

[sonny]

The feel when you insert the gauge for a go or no go is very important. Then taken a step further and figuring out were you are at and were you need to go is even more important. It is not something you learn in a book. The procedure is simple but experience and the feel is the difference between a noisy valve train and a good running bike. I'll leave it at that.

 

[budman]

or better yet, no matter what bike ya have, when it comes time for a valve adjustment, trade it in on a new one!

 

[Rocket Scientist]

Lupe, put some studs in that car tire and ride it up. I'll give you the grand tour on setting valves

 

[EasTexRIII]

the way i check the rocket is if there firing on all three and not making a lot of noise they r ok

Might not wanna wait for the valves to make the ole "clackity clack", because the Rocket valve tolerances decrease, due to the valves seating deeper, making the stem sit higher & therefore, closer to the cam lobes. So there is less slack & no clackity clack

 

[EasTexRIII]

The problem is findidng the time, and to take the little time that you have left for you and your family just wont be right. thanks for the good intention

Lupe, your original question was do you know how to check/adjust valves? I'm going to give you a different perspective to look at.
I've done everything that includes what is listed in the service manual all the way thru what is completed by the 40,000 mi service myself, EXCEPT the valve clearance check/adjust. I've done many of my own modifications including, as you know, a complete custom paint. My point being, I know how to do the valves, BUT here's the rub. Our local dealership is a H/D-Triumph dealership. They stock NOTHING for Triumph parts. I even had to have them order $1.20 banjo washers for the fuel line to the tank
So if I was to check my valve clearances & find i need a certain size shim, or 3 or 6... They will not have that size & hafta order them and I don't wanna wait!
So I took it to RPM Cycle in Dallas. 2.5 Hours book time (would take me 5 probably) @ $110.00 per hour = $275.00, $30.00 valve cover gasket, $20 worth of bolt washer rubbers = $325 Total cost.
So when you look at how much time it's going to take you + more than likely having to figure out what size shims you need (equals the difference in how far out of tolerance you are + what size shim you have in yours) & probably having to have your dealer order them, unless they stock every size so they'll have the ones you need - or ordering them yourself, that equals more time the bike is down. And if you were going to replace the valve cover gasket & bolt rubbers anyway, you would really just be out an additional $275.00 for their labor (they don't charge for any shims needed - that's included in the $275. Mine needed 3)
It was THE SMARTEST $275.00 I've spent on my R3 so far

 

[mexican]

Lupe, your original question was do you know how to check/adjust valves? I'm going to give you a different perspective to look at.
I've done everything that includes what is listed in the service manual all the way thru what is completed by the 40,000 mi service myself, EXCEPT the valve clearance check/adjust. I've done many of my own modifications including, as you know, a complete custom paint. My point being, I know how to do the valves, BUT here's the rub. Our local dealership is a H/D-Triumph dealership. They stock NOTHING for Triumph parts. I even had to have them order $1.20 banjo washers for the fuel line to the tank
So if I was to check my valve clearances & find i need a certain size shim, or 3 or 6... They will not have that size & hafta order them and I don't wanna wait!
So I took it to RPM Cycle in Dallas. 2.5 Hours book time (would take me 5 probably) @ $110.00 per hour = $275.00, $30.00 valve cover gasket, $20 worth of bolt washer rubbers = $325 Total cost.
So when you look at how much time it's going to take you + more than likely having to figure out what size shims you need (equals the difference in how far out of tolerance you are + what size shim you have in yours) & probably having to have your dealer order them, unless they stock every size so they'll have the ones you need - or ordering them yourself, that equals more time the bike is down. And if you were going to replace the valve cover gasket & bolt rubbers anyway, you would really just be out an additional $275.00 for their labor (they don't charge for any shims needed - that's included in the $275. Mine needed 3)
It was THE SMARTEST $275.00 I've spent on my R3 so far

You nailed it, basically i wanted to learn because the Oklahoma dealers suck big time and i do not trust any of them with any of my ikes

 

[EasTexRIII]

You nailed it, basically i wanted to learn because the Oklahoma dealers suck big time and i do not trust any of them with any of my ikes

Stripes tells me he had bad experience with RPM Cycle but I think that was a one off. They treated me great. One of the cam ladder bolts was frozen in the head & they said it took the tech an additional 2 hours to remove it. Since the job only paid him 2.5 he lost money on that job (well, I'm sure they "shop paid" him for that) & they didn't even charge me extra when they could have (I know they were telling the truth because it was 2 hours later than it was supposed to be done & he showed me the bolt he extracted & it was gnarly'd up)
Anything I ever need done that I don't want to take the time to do myself will be going back to them.

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