Checking valve clearances

[the Ferret]

Back in 1978 I was the service manager at a local Honda Suzuki shop. A guy brought his Honda CX500 in for a 600 mile service (the valve clearances were supposed to be checked at 600 miles back then). I assigned a mechanic to it and when the job was done and the ticket turned back into me, I called the customer to come pick it up. When he came up, he paid the bill and then went out to his bike but soon returned. He asked if he could show me something. I went out to his bike with him and he had taped the valve cover gasket nuts which weren't un-taped indicating the valves had not been checked as required. Man, was I embarrassed. I immediately went back and confronted the mechanic who said he adjusted them. When I told him about the tape, he said he "listened to them and they sounded fine". I rolled the bike back in, made the mechanic check the valves right then and refunded the customers bill. I also docked the mechanic the amount he was paid for the job (they were on 60/40 back then) He was lucky I didn't fire him.

I trust the guy who works on my bike (I just visited him this afternoon) but... you never know.