First valve adjust observations

[Slambo]

In the middle of my first valve adjust at ~ 18,250 miles.  Definitely doable for a regular guy used to doing some mechanic work.  Like everyone says it is tedious work to get to the valves, just taking my time to avoid breaking anything.  Found ten of sixteen valves out of spec tight...7 of the 8 exhaust valves were tight.  Spark plugs looked perfect, will change anyway.  Plan to drain and replace coolant and do throttle body balance also.  Any words of advice for routing the throttle body vacuum lines I will leave behind for next time?  Fred’s videos are extremely helpful...definitely recommend them, although they do tend to put me to sleep!
Just thought I would pass along some words of encouragement for anyone thinking about doing it the first time.  You can do it.

Slambo

[khager01]

Definitely not looking forward to my first  valve adjust.   I just finished checking the valves on my V-Strom for the 5th time,  75K miles on it and the valves only needed 1 adjustment at 30K.  My previous one had 62K and only needing 1 adjustment at 15K.  Hoping  the Connie is the same as checking is a lot easier than having to adjust.  Obviously  it's going to be a lot harder getting to the motor on the Connie!

[fordtruck]

Definitely not looking forward to my first  valve adjust.   I just finished checking the valves on my V-Strom for the 5th time,  75K miles on it and the valves only needed 1 adjustment at 30K.  My previous one had 62K and only needing 1 adjustment at 15K.  Hoping  the Connie is the same as checking is a lot easier than having to adjust.  Obviously  it's going to be a lot harder getting to the motor on the Connie!

You'll be fine, just take your time.  Before I did the valves on my Connie, the only experience I had with valve adjustments was on a KLR650 and my KZ1000.  Do you have Fred's videos?  They help a lot with removing all the plastic, wiring, and brackets.  My bike had 25K miles on her and 14 of the 16 valves were either at the bottom range or too tight.  I spent the better part of one day just getting to the valves.  There's a wealth of info on these forums if you get into trouble.  Good luck!

[TimR]

Plan to drain and replace coolant and do throttle body balance also.

Just be aware when you undo the coolant plug/bolt to drain the coolant, it will shoot out much further than expected. There are several including my self who got a surprise and pretty wet. Cap was off. Other than that pretty much straight forward.   

[Slambo]

Thanks for the heads up on the coolant...good to know!

[4Bikes]

Amazing how when doing your own valve checks you find so many out of spec. A dealer checks them and says “all in spec, good to go”. Your findings are similar to mine, since I adjusted 15 out of 16 valves the first time.   Agree with Fred’s videos being helpful. 2x or More play speed helps a lot. 

[ghostrider990]

I soooo need to do this at 18500 miles now, and I JUST had all the plastic off, including the tank. 

If ONLY I could find a trustworthy Kawi Tech.

gr

[C. Moore]

I did mine at 26600. At that mileage the valves had tightened up a bit but none were out of spec. I adjusted everything to the loose end. Not a bad job but nothing I would want to do under a clock or in one day. Just take your time and double check your work. The how to video is good to have so you can follow along.

[Downhill]

Nope.....Not doing it.  The tools I'm used to working with are larger than the entire bike.  Not to mention my patience is historically short.  I took mine to the only dealer in upstate NY that I trust back in October.  With just over 15k they did the valves the coolant, oil and filter, throttle and put new PR2's on front and back.  Thing feels better than new and I didn't do this 

[Bruiser]

I also like doing my own stuff, but when I had 22k, I had someone do the job. After doing my own sparkplugs, I thought "no way am I doing the valves"!

[jwh20]

I also like doing my own stuff, but when I had 22k, I had someone do the job. After doing my own sparkplugs, I thought "no way am I doing the valves"!

Gosh, if you can do the spark plugs you can definitely do the valves.  You're 90% of the way there once you get the plugs out.

[Fred_Harmon_TX]

FYI, my once a year sale on my videos is now active.

[Road Runner]

FYI, my once a year sale on my videos is now active.

Fred, I'm referencing your videos now (for valve check/adjustment), along with the service manual. Performing the work, this long Thanksgiving weekend.

Super helpful having both references IMO.

[MAN OF BLUES]

 

POSTING RULES...

"7- Advertising - Any subscriber may advertise motorcycle related products and services in the relevant COG Mart section of the forum. Industry Members only may ‘reference’ their products/services in a relevant reply to a thread, any advertising should be done as an afterthought to providing members genuine help or assistance."
 

FYI, my once a year sale on my videos is now active.

[Fred_Harmon_TX]

Rich (MOB), you seem to be overly concerned about anything I do on this forum, and you obviously have had a vendetta against me for some time now, and everyone on this site knows this.  You have done your best to belittle and berate me at every turn and essentially try to drive me off this site altogether. You are the sole reason I don’t post on here anymore.

I’ve had enough of you and I’m not going to put up with your crap anymore.  All you have done in the years I’ve seen you on here is insult people and try to make yourself out to be oh so smarter than everyone else.  You continually made folks angry in your very short term as tech-ed, so much that folks came to me complaining about you, and I let Guy know about it.  Ever since then you have had it out for me, and you take any and every opportunity to try to take a poke at me.  Anyone with half a brain can see through your veiled attempts and knows what all this is really about.  You want to seek revenge on me in any way you can. 

You’re like a little boy.  I suggest you grow up and act like a man instead of a child.

[sfsokc]

I'm going to chime in here as well, in spite of going off topic.  I have not been a frequent poster, but have been a member of COG for several years.  In fact, I recently attended the Big Bend event and met some really AWESOME people (my first ever event), including some on the COG board.  I spent some time chatting with them about you Fred, what a great man of character you are, and an excellent resource to the community over the years.  They all agreed!  I met you personally when you did my valves up in Ft. Worth a year ago.  Although at the time, I didn't want to mention here on the forum, but you came ALL THE WAY down to San Antonio, not once, but TWICE to fix an issue on my bike, to "make it right".  Who does that?!  Who provides service like that?!

But geez guys, can we bury the hatchet finally?  And yes Fred, many of us have heard about this silly feud, and yes, it came across quite obviously in MOB's post. (nothing subtle about that).

It would be nice if we could all get along, as the great community we obviously are.  Otherwise, I think the board should consider taking some kind of action, whatever that's deemed to be.  Just my two cents....

[Just Cliff]

It would be nice if we could all get along, as the great community we obviously are.  Otherwise, I think the board should consider taking some kind of action, whatever that's deemed to be.  Just my two cents....

Personally I was glad to see a post from Fred again. There have been to many good people leave this forum because of MOB. 75% of his post are belittling to who ever is on the other end.

We shouldn't be the one's struggling to ignore his post. For what ever reason he seems to be a bitter person.

I have no ties to either, just decided to finally speak up with my .02.

Cliff   

[MAN OF BLUES]

Rich (MOB), you seem to be overly concerned about anything I do on this forum, and you obviously have had a vendetta against me for some time now, and everyone on this site knows this.  You have done your best to belittle and berate me at every turn and essentially try to drive me off this site altogether. You are the sole reason I don’t post on here anymore.

I’ve had enough of you and I’m not going to put up with your crap anymore.  All you have done in the years I’ve seen you on here is insult people and try to make yourself out to be oh so smarter than everyone else.  You continually made folks angry in your very short term as tech-ed, so much that folks came to me complaining about you, and I let Guy know about it.  Ever since then you have had it out for me, and you take any and every opportunity to try to take a poke at me.  Anyone with half a brain can see through your veiled attempts and knows what all this is really about.  You want to seek revenge on me in any way you can. 

You’re like a little boy.  I suggest you grow up and act like a man instead of a child.

Ok
I bury the hatchet.

The ONLY issue I have ever, EVER, had, was the sale of videos to share technical advice, that should, or could, be given freely to the members that really rely on some input and assistance... period.
My post, just reiterates that if you want to sell something, it should be sold in the proper section of "products" by "industry members", whether they are an officer of COG, a Technical advisor, or whatever. Period.

I have had numerous conversations with all of the directors empowered since you began selling techincal videos here on forum.
I'm not the only person that found the sale of "information" from someone honored with a position to "share", very disconcerting.. and other Tech Advisors from this time period, and past, have agreed somewhat... but nothing could be done.
I chose not to open dialog with you directly to explain my displeasure with this particular issue, simply because I knew it was worthless on my part, after many back and forth emails were sent in discussion of whether it violated the basic and expected contributions to this group, without financial compensation.

That's pretty much the issue Fred, in a nutshell... I have absolutly nothing against you, nor hold some secret agenda which fires your paranoia, nor should it, when you give technical advice, I read it as anyone else's contributions, and if there is fault, I comment, if not, I agree, and its all done to insure correct exchange of info is out there...

So stop being so touchy, if I post something with regard to some advice you gave, when you gave it, then you may think a bit more about the advice... and not pull your post leaving people wondering what transpired, which I have seen you do.

Again, all I really ask, is that you come here, and offer the Technical advice members of COG expect of the person trusted to do so.
Nothing more, nothing less.

Posting 5 posts in a year, and having them all basically selling your video, in the C14 section as opposed to Industry Member Sales does not constitute sharing Tech.

You did a fine job creating this supposed vandetta scenario, which is, nor never was my intent.

Please Fred, do what you were tasked with for the Position, and things should work out.. its all I can ask.

[JDSCO]

There have been to many good people leave this forum because of MOB. 75% of his post are belittling to who ever is on the other end.

We shouldn't be the one's struggling to ignore his post. For what ever reason he seems to be a bitter person.

I have no ties to either, just decided to finally speak up with my .02.

Cliff   

+1
This has to stop!

[MAN OF BLUES]

I'm going to chime in here as well, in spite of going off topic.  I have not been a frequent poster, but have been a member of COG for several years.  In fact, I recently attended the Big Bend event and met some really AWESOME people (my first ever event), including some on the COG board.  I spent some time chatting with them about you Fred, what a great man of character you are, and an excellent resource to the community over the years.  They all agreed!  I met you personally when you did my valves up in Ft. Worth a year ago.  Although at the time, I didn't want to mention here on the forum, but you came ALL THE WAY down to San Antonio, not once, but TWICE to fix an issue on my bike, to "make it right".  Who does that?!  Who provides service like that?!

But geez guys, can we bury the hatchet finally?  And yes Fred, many of us have heard about this silly feud, and yes, it came across quite obviously in MOB's post. (nothing subtle about that).

It would be nice if we could all get along, as the great community we obviously are.  Otherwise, I think the board should consider taking some kind of action, whatever that's deemed to be.  Just my two cents....

Ok, as mob mentality is beginning to circle the wagons and burn the witch, I'll ask you to go back in time, and read exactly the progression of posts made when you said you had someone do your valve work.
I and a few others, jumped in there, and began to assist and troubleshoot the matter, and attempt to offer assistance.
Truth be told, you never said WHO di the valve work, so my comments regarding that service were not focussed on someone particular as being anything more than someone goofed up... only in the FINAL post of that thread, still unrevealed by you, did the person that made the error stuep forward, and make a statement as to what actually occurred. I applaud that person for his ntribution of that, as we all can make mistakes, and when mistakes happen at the hands of someone other than yourself, well.. it is kinda expected they fix it.. so, 2 trips or one trip, to make the bike right, would be expected by anyone. No fingers pointed, just good ethics. If I goof up, I fix it.

A dealer would give you a runaround, luckily you had someone who had irons in the fire to pritect, and for this reason it was all rectified, and that is good.

Don't jump on the bandwagon and start in on me based on what I posted in my attempts to assist you, you never once said anything about Fred doing the work.

As for others that just have to "jump into the fight", well, go right ahead.. read my post, it explains my feelings about why I simply posted that advertising a product should be in the proper section, but I guess it doesn't matter once people start gnawing on bones.

Carry on.

[Steve in Sunny Fla]

I also like doing my own stuff, but when I had 22k, I had someone do the job. After doing my own sparkplugs, I thought "no way am I doing the valves"!

Gosh, if you can do the spark plugs you can definitely do the valves.  You're 90% of the way there once you get the plugs out.

  Sorry JWH, gotta disagree with you heartily on this one.  I'm a mechanic, not an electrician. I can wire in a wall socket, but I'm not qualified to wire in a fusebox, even if someone says "how hard can it be, it's only a bunch of wires". Well a valve adjustment is like that... if you have to pull the cams and blow the timing or bend a cam going back together, it's gonna really suck. Maybe not as bad as using your tongue to check if a wire is hot, but you get the point.

Steve
   

[Fred_Harmon_TX]

I find it funny that you don't seem to have any issue with Kawasaki making a paper manual and selling it, and not giving it away for free. What were they thinking?  Could it be that it cost them time, effort and money to produce it?

I also find it interesting that you don't seem to be reporting any of the 50 different threads on here about Steve's flash, or have a problem with him selling it and not showing folks the map tables it contains.  I wonder why he doesn't just give that away for free, after all, it's just information.

Or have you reported any of the other half dozen other vendors that have made posts marketing things in the general or accessories form?  No, you seem to only have an issue with me, or my threads, regardless of content.  You've been stalking me on here for several years now, and I'm sick of it.  I make ONE POST A YEAR about my videos being on sale, and you are all over it instantly.  It's the only sale I have and I don't even make enough money off these videos to pay for dog food.  I'm lucky if I sell one a month, and crap like this makes me just want to pull the plug on them altogether, it isn't worth the hassle.

I'm done here.  It isn't worth my time or energy talking to you.

[Steve in Sunny Fla]

 Really Fred, you gotta drag me into it?

Steve

[TimR]

Now that this thread is back on track...lets keep it there. While some of this makes for interesting reading the fighting between two doesn't belong here. So enough already. MOB give it a rest.

[MAN OF BLUES]

I'm done.
Moderate the post.
Advise that for sale advertisements go into the proper section.
Industry members selling on Cog Mart section.
That's all I asked.