Necessity of Valve Adjustment

[BudRinPa]

Looking for feedback. I have 40,000mls on my 2013, 18,000 added just this year. I purchased the bike with 15,000mls on it 3 years ago. I have never had the valves adjusted and in my opinion the engine runs no differently than the day I bought it. I am mechanically inclined and after watching ytube videos on the procedure I contacted my local dealer and was quoted $504 for checking then approximately 1 hour more for any adjustments necessary, plus cost of shims/spacers. Not bad I thought! My concerns lie in the fact of me adding electronic cruise plus more add on's that would require to be moved/disconnected (wiring) to complete the job. Maybe it's just me but I feel concern things may not be reassembled to my standards. So do I have the valves adjusted/checked on an engine that runs fine (average MPG 45) and has a reputation of being "bulletproof" or do I spend the money and have confidence in the mechanics to do a proper job? I am aware this is mainly a question that can ultimately only be answered myself. Looking for some feedback from those who have not had the valves adjusted and have had no problem and those who have had the adjustments done and found they were glad they did and the results of said adjustment! Thanks to everyone in advance!

 

[cyclemike4]

I am sure you will get all kinds of different thoughts on this. May be more confusing after you get answers. All I can say is when I was young I made it a point to follow the manufacturer's manual. I found myself checking valves for no reason. All of my Yamaha's have been good about keeping valves in adjustment. I have a FJ 1200 with 180,000 miles and it has only had a couple valves adjusted once. I am not hard on my motors like a racer would be. I bought my Super T new and ran it for 40.,000 plus miles and checked them. I had one exhaust out just a bit. Not enough to hurt it. It was probably that way from the factory. I will check them again next year sometime. It will have over 100,000 on it then. It is a good idea to check them and find out where you are and after that you can get a feel for how long you can run the bike between checks. that is the way I do things but like I said I am not hard on motors at all.

 

[RCinNC]

You probably already know the kinds of responses you're going to get.

1) You don't need to have it done. My bike has x thousands of miles on it, and the valves have never needed adjustment.

2) You should have it done. I had my first valve check done at 26,000 miles, and 1 or 2or 3 or 4 valves were out of spec and had to be shimmed.

My bike has 86,000 miles on it. I've had three valve checks done. I didn't record the results of the first, but I did on the second two. The second was done at 55,000 and the third at 84,000 and there was no change from the second to the third. One of the valves is right at the limits of spec, but it didn't change in the 30,000 miles in between the second and third check. Maybe it was that way from the factory.

I'd still get them checked once at least, to find out what the clearances actually are. If you've hit 40,000 miles and everything is still well within spec, then you can decide if you want to have it done again or decide that if it stayed good til 40 thousand, then it'll be fine for the rest of the bike's lifespan.

 

[holligl]

That is not a bad price quote if you can trust them. I had my first check at about 30kmi, all were in according to the dealer, with measurements provided, but a couple exhaust on the lower end. Unfortunately, as you fear, they did not get everything back in place correctly, leaving the crankcase breather disconnected, which I found later when doing a plug change. Dealer has since gone out of business.

I elected to do my next check and adjustment myself. All exhaust and 2 intakes were out at 55K. Did it all myself with assistance via this forum. I suggest you read through the various threads. The hardest thing for me was resetting the CCT, which is more learned technique rather than force.

My 2 cents:
If you ride hard, don't skip any checks.

If you're an easy rider, probably OK to go to 50k.

If you are mechanically inclined and have proper tools, do it yourself, and check/recheck everything. You will learn a lot, know it's done right, and save your money. Plan on two long days your first time (if adjustment is needed). Ask for help if you run into questions (~tabasco~ or GV550 are great)

If you review the threads, and get a bad feeling, take it to a reputable mechanic.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[WJBertrand]

My 26,000 mile check found all clearances in spec. My 54,000 mile check found all four exhaust valves too tight along with two of the intake valves. At 84,000 miles all were in spec again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[BudRinPa]

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I have booked an appointment for my local dealer to check/adjust valves. Being I have no garage and would be forced to do the work in a stone parking lot, in the cold, $5-6 hundred, depending on if they need adjusting seems worth it. To address my concerns about reassembly, I plan on removing the tank and inspecting all routing of wires after taking pictures before sending it in. Wish me luck! I will report back with results..

 

[RCinNC]

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I have booked an appointment for my local dealer to check/adjust valves. Being I have no garage and would be forced to do the work in a stone parking lot, in the cold, $5-6 hundred, depending on if they need adjusting seems worth it. To address my concerns about reassembly, I plan on removing the tank and inspecting all routing of wires after taking pictures before sending it in. Wish me luck! I will report back with results..

When I get my valves checked (which is the only maintenance task I've farmed out since I bought the bike), I've found that it streamlines the process when I buy all the parts for the check ahead of time and have them on hand to give to the shop when they start the job. Most shops aren't going to have Supere Tenere gaskets on hand at any given moment, and they aren't going to order the parts they need for the job until the bike is actually in their custody. I know shops differ, but the one I go to only orders parts for Yamaha when their parts order reaches a specific dollar amount. That means that if I drop my bike off and they wait til then until they order stuff, it might be a week or more until they put the order in. It might take another week to get the parts. And now, in the era of supply line problems, it could be even longer. Since I use my bike as my main transportation, minimizing downtime is important. When I've provided the parts to the shop, I've gotten my bike back the following day.

My shop doesn't have a problem doing it this way, even if I didn't buy the parts from them. If a quick turnaround is important for you, I'd ask them ahead of time about how their system works, and if they have an issue with buying the parts in advance. Shop prices for a head cover gasket are probably around $29 (part number 23P-11193-00-00), and the crankcase cover gasket (part number 23P-15461-00-00) is around $24.00. I've also had the breather cover gasket replaced during valve checks (part number 23P-11169-00-00). I don't know if this is really necessary, but the first shop I ever had do my valve check said it was, so I've had that gasket replaced at each valve check. It's about two bucks. If you buy the parts on line you'll save some money (could be as much as 25%), but shipping might cut into that savings. And, your shop might not want to install a part you didn't buy from them, even if it's an OEM part.

It's true that the gaskets for doing this job could be salvaged and used again, but I prefer having new ones put in when the job's done. Plus, if the wrench wrecks a gasket during the process, then at least there's still one on hand and the job won't halt while they wait to order another one. And if they do have to adjust the valves, the only additional parts involved are the valve shims themselves, and my shop does keep those on hand.

 

[BudRinPa]

When I get my valves checked (which is the only maintenance task I've farmed out since I bought the bike), I've found that it streamlines the process when I buy all the parts for the check ahead of time and have them on hand to give to the shop when they start the job. Most shops aren't going to have Supere Tenere gaskets on hand at any given moment, and they aren't going to order the parts they need for the job until the bike is actually in their custody. I know shops differ, but the one I go to only orders parts for Yamaha when their parts order reaches a specific dollar amount. That means that if I drop my bike off and they wait til then until they order stuff, it might be a week or more until they put the order in. It might take another week to get the parts. And now, in the era of supply line problems, it could be even longer. Since I use my bike as my main transportation, minimizing downtime is important. When I've provided the parts to the shop, I've gotten my bike back the following day.

My shop doesn't have a problem doing it this way, even if I didn't buy the parts from them. If a quick turnaround is important for you, I'd ask them ahead of time about how their system works, and if they have an issue with buying the parts in advance. Shop prices for a head cover gasket are probably around $29 (part number 23P-11193-00-00), and the crankcase cover gasket (part number 23P-15461-00-00) is around $24.00. I've also had the breather cover gasket replaced during valve checks (part number 23P-11169-00-00). I don't know if this is really necessary, but the first shop I ever had do my valve check said it was, so I've had that gasket replaced at each valve check. It's about two bucks. If you buy the parts on line you'll save some money (could be as much as 25%), but shipping might cut into that savings. And, your shop might not want to install a part you didn't buy from them, even if it's an OEM part.

It's true that the gaskets for doing this job could be salvaged and used again, but I prefer having new ones put in when the job's done. Plus, if the wrench wrecks a gasket during the process, then at least there's still one on hand and the job won't halt while they wait to order another one. And if they do have to adjust the valves, the only additional parts involved are the valve shims themselves, and my shop does keep those on hand.

Sound wisdom! Thanks, will be checking into it.

 

[bimota]

my valve check done 3 weeks ago at 28000 miles all in spec NO gaskets needed

rob

 

[Don T]

At 40.000 km my bike was running fine, but all four exhaust valves were out of spec and needed adjustment.
All valves were within spec at 80 and 120.000 km.

If you skip a valve check you might be OK, or you wont. Only way to know is by checking...

 

[BudRinPa]

When I get my valves checked (which is the only maintenance task I've farmed out since I bought the bike), I've found that it streamlines the process when I buy all the parts for the check ahead of time and have them on hand to give to the shop when they start the job. Most shops aren't going to have Supere Tenere gaskets on hand at any given moment, and they aren't going to order the parts they need for the job until the bike is actually in their custody. I know shops differ, but the one I go to only orders parts for Yamaha when their parts order reaches a specific dollar amount. That means that if I drop my bike off and they wait til then until they order stuff, it might be a week or more until they put the order in. It might take another week to get the parts. And now, in the era of supply line problems, it could be even longer. Since I use my bike as my main transportation, minimizing downtime is important. When I've provided the parts to the shop, I've gotten my bike back the following day.

My shop doesn't have a problem doing it this way, even if I didn't buy the parts from them. If a quick turnaround is important for you, I'd ask them ahead of time about how their system works, and if they have an issue with buying the parts in advance. Shop prices for a head cover gasket are probably around $29 (part number 23P-11193-00-00), and the crankcase cover gasket (part number 23P-15461-00-00) is around $24.00. I've also had the breather cover gasket replaced during valve checks (part number 23P-11169-00-00). I don't know if this is really necessary, but the first shop I ever had do my valve check said it was, so I've had that gasket replaced at each valve check. It's about two bucks. If you buy the parts on line you'll save some money (could be as much as 25%), but shipping might cut into that savings. And, your shop might not want to install a part you didn't buy from them, even if it's an OEM part.

It's true that the gaskets for doing this job could be salvaged and used again, but I prefer having new ones put in when the job's done. Plus, if the wrench wrecks a gasket during the process, then at least there's still one on hand and the job won't halt while they wait to order another one. And if they do have to adjust the valves, the only additional parts involved are the valve shims themselves, and my shop does keep those on hand.

Checked with my dealer today and all parts they listed, which did not include the crank cover gasket or the breather gasket, which I had them add, are in stock and put to the side for my appointment. I told them to replace them all weather or not they thought they needed it. What's a couple bucks when you are that far into the engine. Thanks again

 

[RCinNC]

Checked with my dealer today and all parts they listed, which did not include the crank cover gasket or the breather gasket, which I had them add, are in stock and put to the side for my appointment. I told them to replace them all weather or not they thought they needed it. What's a couple bucks when you are that far into the engine. Thanks again

My pleasure. We Pennsylvanians have to look out for each other

 

[BudRinPa]

My pleasure. We Pennsylvanians have to look out for each other

No kidding, your from Pa? Where abouts? I'm in Central Bucks County.