Today was...

[Randy B]

Maintenance day.
I had them check the valves...dead on spec. Still cost me too much money, but I didn't feel like messing with it.

So I got a new front tire:

And this is the original rear....still going strong:

The guy that did the work was shocked at the front lasting that long...and FLOORED about the rear being the original.

 

[the Ferret]

Good news. I've been wondering if you were going to have yours checked. you are the first I believe. How much did they ask for just a check with no adjustment if you are at liberty to say.

Can't believe your tech hadn't seen a front tire go that far, I'm usually in the 12 to 13000 range on fronts. 9 to 11000 on rears.

 

[Randy B]

Well....the raped me to be honest. Adjustment or no....4 hrs book time.

 

[the Ferret]

Well....the raped me to be honest. Adjustment or no....4 hrs book time.

Owwwwwwww ... Dayum.

 

[wildezt_imp]

new shoes ..eh Randy..? nice...

 

[the Ferret]

Its nice to know Randy's valves were in spec, because I believe Randy runs his bike pretty hard on his daily commute. Not as hard as some on here, but he knows where the rev limiter kicks in. i think it bodes well for the Honda's valve design, and from what the techs at the dealership tell me, is typical of the breed.

 

[CA200_imp]

Good pictures!

 

[Randy B]

new shoes ..eh Randy..? nice...

Only one. The rear is still original.

 

[Guth_imp]

Thanks for the report Randy.

 

[DAC]

I'm not a mechanic, but I feel like we're being ripped off on this valve check stuff. I waited until 26,000 to have the VFR valves checked and the result? All in spec and no adjustment necessary. Thank you and that'll be $450.

Which was cheap since they gave me an inline 4 price for a v4 bike. It should've been more like $650. The dealer stood by their original underestimate but told me to be prepared for more next time. But there ain't gonna be a next time. I am just not gonna pay 15% of what the bike is worth for a service where nothing is actually done.

I have read enough to know that a valve that gets too far out of spec may not close completely. And that can result in a burned valve and a very costly repair. But no less than Paul Dean of Cycle World has said that many VFR riders never get the valves checked or done more than once. His soft way of saying that it isn't necessary unless you're really running hard.

What I am seeing here could be the same thing. A rider that doesn't baby his bike comes away from a 9,000 check with no adjustment necessary. So, it'll be interesting what others have to say.

 

[Randy B]

I'm only doing it because I plan to pile on the miles (I've only had it 3½ months) and it's under warranty and I want to keep it that way. Once out of warranty I'll probably do it myself.

 

[rboe]

I don't see where you can say nothing was done. It takes effort to get the bike tore down enough to check; then it takes time to go through each valve. And then you have to put it all back together (without having spare parts leftover!).

What did you learn? That the valves were in still in spec. which tells you for YOUR bike ridden the way YOU ride should be good to go for a long time. Before this was done you could not say for sure if that was the case. You could make an educated guess; make conjecture or assume this was the case; but now you KNOW.

But if you're just going to check; you can do this yourself?* Checking is time consuming (as the bill you received proved) but not really all that difficult. At some point if you find a valve out of spec. you can decide if you want to try replacing a shim on your own (for this bike I have no idea if it's easy or not).

Or get a bike that adjusts with a screw and lock nut (and perhaps fewer cylinders) or has hydraulic adjustment then this becomes a non-issue.

*Meh! I see that you are going to. I gotta read the names of posters more carefully.

 

[Lord Popgun]

Our bikes require cam removal to adjust the valves too.

 

[DAC]

Our bikes require cam removal to adjust the valves too.

Which also requires wallet removal - and emptying.

 

[Randy B]

Our bikes require cam removal to adjust the valves too.

Which also requires wallet removal - and emptying.

Which also requires wallet removal - and emptying.
I would have payed the same if he had needed to change out all of the shims or none. They charged me 4 hrs book time for a valve adjustment....not a valve clearance check.

I took it in the rear, but that's fine as it keeps my warranty valid. I'm not all that worried about the valves pounding into the head at this point, but I think I still needed to have them do it.

 

[hl9td_imp]

Started with older bikes and continue up to current CB/GW/T100 etc. I use a stethoscope to listen to the valves. Kinda fun. Run across the engine and you can detect all the intake and exhaust valves. My assumption is if they all sound the same; mostly, then they are OK. Chances of all valves being out of spec is slim to none. Started doing this in late 50's and haven't puked a valve nor had a problem yet.

You can listen for cam chain slop this way also. Listen to your bike when new and then again at low mileage to get a feel. If you are a geek (me) you can record the sounds and compare with later higher mileage tests. Scope is about ten bucks. Experience is fun.

 

[The Spaceman_imp]

About valve checks, if you don't do it and they get too tight (that's what happens with this type), they fail with little warning and cause considerable damage.

As for the cost vs. DIY, over the years on other sites like this I read dozens of posts from guys who busted studs, stripped thread, got the timing wrong....not fun.

Hey, if you're good at it and have the tools, awesome. Me, I'm competent to install a tire or brake pads...stuff like that. Pulling cams is a whole nother deal. $400 to get it done right by a mechanic I trust is money well spent.

 

[736cc_imp]

Valve inspection intervals vary between manufacturers. Yamaha specifies 24000 miles on some older models (FZ 5 valvers). Do you think they use better materials and superior craftsmanship than Honda? I doubt it. My buddy raced an '86 FZ750 and totally hammered it all season w/o checking. When he finally took a look, all in spec. Suzuki TL1000 motors are used for flat tracking out of wrecked street bikes. They never bother to check valve clearances, never have a problem. Key to keeping valve clearances is clean oil constantly being changed.
I had a CBX and it had 24 valves. It was so smooth and quiet at idle you could hear a valve that had too much clearance! Adjusting valves on that bike was like taking clothes off a beautiful sexy woman; very enjoyable!
One last tale: my old 1982 V45 Sabre had infamous oil-starved forked screw adjusters. I checked valves every 5000 miles for 25000 miles, always in spec, so I left them alone for the next 25000 miles because they weren't tapping. Few years later I checked them and there was ZERO clearance in all 16 valves and grooves in all 4 cams! But it still ran fine.
Summary? Modern Japanese engines come from factory perfect and go very far between valve adjusting as long as oil is clean.

 

[enzo_imp]

Keep that oil clean, that is the truth...736....