Who gives a toss about valve-clearance checks?

[Pete.]

You cannot tell that valves are in good condition just by listening. Any audible warning would indicate that damage is already advanced.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[arry]

It's interesting as on my 'first bike' (I gave a toss about) I didn't bother - CBR600 with 34k on the clock, no history of check so by rights you'd say well you don't know, so best get it done. But it was worth all of a grand and you'd be paying someone half that to do it most likely, so the law of bangernomics kicks in.

But on a £5k+ bike with expensive engine internals? I'd say the service cost of the valve check is just part and parcel of owning an expensive machine. I stuck my KTM in for it which, with a full service, new front tyre and new rear brake pads came to ~£850. Yeah, bit lumpy and it hurts a touch - but then I knew it was all good for donkeys years of my sort of mileage after, so worth it to me.

[1198]

As ‘Arry says, I’d assume it is a decision based on the value of the bike - both in cold hard cash and as a machine to you personally. If I was riding a clapped out old bike around a field I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be paying £500 or more that I paid for it being done on my ZZR for a couple of years ago (as part of a major service, carbs balanced, the lot). Equally if it’s a cherished £25,000 Panigale S you intend to keep for the foreseeable, then I’d say get it booked in.
It’s about long term plans as much as anything in my opinion!

[droog]

Ok - this is my experience with valve clearances.

I've never had a brand new bike - I always bought used and my bikes usually already had a few thousand miles on the clock - some of them with zero service history - I've always checked clearances at the appointed mileage because the manual said I should - and apart from my Kawasaki ZX7R which required a shim adjustment I've never been out of clearance on any of them or had any engine problems - even as they racked up high mileages . . .

So naturally sods law kicks nicely into action - after 20 years of having loads of bikes that never needed clearances adjusting - the one bike I didn't check the valve clearances on time (my cbr600) starts stalling - I do the check and find that all my exhaust valves are seriously tight, plus a couple of intakes - 50% compression on cylinder 2 - I'm re-shimmig right now.

Hopefully I will get compression back on cylinder 2 and won't have to take the head off and get further work done.

It's all my fault - I shouldn't have been complacent - but I was and I'm paying the price.

So yes - to OP get the clearances checked.

[Campbell SOUP]

[Hetzer]

[droog]

[chickenstrip]

I sort of care about valve clearances.
I insisted on the dealer I bought my Street Triple from doing them as part of the agreement of sale, as it was due. I couldn't prove whether they did or not though, even though it meant not getting the bike delivered so quickly.
Had the Fazer ones checked at about 30k (due every 25k - again, they said they did, can't prove it) - they said everything was within tolerances. It's not a job I'm willing to tackle myself, so I just have to trust the dealers. Bike is over 50k miles now; maybe I'll get them checked again if it goes back on the road, but I don't think there's any panic to do it, to my knowledge these bikes stay pretty much within for ages. Usually.
Most bikes I haven't kept long enough to worry about it.
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[Campbell SOUP]

[Pete.]

The biggest issue I would have with putting a bike in for valve clearance check is that on most bikes it's quite expensive (even more so if they need adjustment). There is a HUGE incentive for an unscrupulous mechanic to claim he had done the check and/or adjust without even opening up the cam cover especially on bikes that have a reputation for holding their clearances well past the scheduled check time and there's no way you could tell if they had or had not done the work.

That reason alone means that I would only ever do the work myself.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[mentalboy]

It always makes me a bit twitchy when manufacturers specify inspections/etc that are a lot shorter, timewise, than many of their like-for-like competition.

Needless to say that my sphincter is proper clenching at the moment as I have meant to change the ATF in my pick-up's transmission ever since buying it - Toyota specify 30K intervals (WTF), I bought at 80K and it's now approaching 150K. Does it run OK? Yes. Will I be pissed if the gearbox packs up because I haven't changed the fluids? Yup. Could I blame anyone else for such an oversight?
Bottomline: Can you afford to pick up the pieces, without moaning, if it goes wrong because you neglected the builder's advice?
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Make mine a Corona.

[chickenstrip]

[Tdibs]

[chickenstrip]

[stinkwheel]

[mentalboy]

[chickenstrip]

I know the previous owner didn't skip valve clearances because I bought the bike with less than that mileage on it. And with 17k on the clock at the time, it was pristine, definitely cared for.
I'd maybe give it a go if I had a fully equipped workshop, but don't fancy it in my shed. And for me there isn't incentive enough in the "look what I managed to do, all by myself" thing. Riding is my thing, spannering ain't.
I guess I just accept that bikes, if you're really going to the use them, have a finite life. I've had some nicked, crashed others, and just got bored with still others anyway.

As to dealers, a lot of them just seem to say no thanks when you ask them to do it. Better that than charging you for what they haven't done I suppose. Before I moved up here, I did use a mechanic I would have trusted - very knowledgable guy, totally bike enthusiastic, raced and rode on the road himself, was always up for a chat. Don't know of anyone like that up this way (although I believe stinkwheel mentioned someone to me a while back).

So why do some bikes have a recommended interval of 25k, and others are a lot less than that?
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[xX-Alex-Xx]

My local dealer only include the valve check as part of the “gold” service, which includes “valve check and necessary adjustment” which is 300 quid up from the silver service. Willing to bet they actually do the check, but unless a valve or 5 are waaaay out they let it slide as it’s free money then.
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DILLIGAF

[Robby]

[jeffyjeff]

My God, be happy you don't ride a VTEC VFR. A valve check requires removing the cam and inserting a dummy cam just to check the valve clearances; all that after removing the tank, airbox/air filter, throttle body, and valve covers. By comparison, anything you ride will be easier and less expensive.
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History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of men - BOC

[Fizzer Thou]

I have quite a long and varied experience of messing around with engines,starting with my little 'K' reg Honda CB125S back in 1975 right up to my newest purchase,the KTM.On all of my bikes,the measurement and adjustment of the valve clearances I have achieved without any drama.It is what it is and I can justify every occasion.Luckily I have the right facilities and I make the time to do them correctly.

I have also experienced situations where someone I used to know took their bike to a bike service facility and was charged for the measurement of the valve clearances and where it could be proven that the work was never done,despite the issuing of a printout where the so-called clearances had been noted.The fact that there was a thick layer of road dirt on the cam cover of said machine that was undisturbed until it was seen to be so dirty when the spark plugs came to be replaced a few days after the service facility released the bike,proved that the work had not been done.

I bought my KTM brand new,straight from Austria and was still in the cardboard box when I got it home.Amongst other work that that I did to the bike before I was ready to put it on the Byways of Kent was to correctly grease many parts that would not have otherwise seen a smear of the slippery stuff at the PDI if I had bought it from a shop,so I set about checking many other items...including the valve clearances...where all four were found to be too tight.This from a manufacturer who proclaim that they are ready to race from the off.

My more reason purchase of a 1991 'H' reg FJ1200 for riding abroad on the Continent with Mrs.Fizzer caused me to check everything to the smallest detail,including checking the valves.On this engine there are sixteen valves,with the shim on top of the bucket,suggesting that it would be a lot easier to change any shims if required by using the appropriate service tool,which I was lucky to have.Out of the total of sixteen,fourteen needed changing around or replacing.This was not possible using the service tool,so it was found to be easier to remove the cams.This was straight forward and easily achieved.Subsequent shim changes have been much fewer than that initial occasion and still a lot easier than pulling the cams.

As for the Exup-R and the R1,both have required shim changes.That work is a lot more involved due to the confines of the frames,but still a job that I would not ask any bike service facility to contemplate.
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Just talk bikes.What else is there?

Always have a 'Plan B'

[P.]

I'm trying to find the 2 threads on the BMW forum where 2 engines, a few years apart, around 3000-5000 miles had valves crack and drop in.

Had another engine fitted to one of them, happened again a few thousand later.

Obviously they might have fixed this on later bikes, but another had a valve shim pop out and lunch the engine, apparently the 'front exhaust valve pulley' was noisy and then all of a sudden, lunched.

My GSXR is due its valves in 2k, it'll get done (by someone other than me) once I move, only because I don't want to fuck it.

[R1stu]

I asked my garage if my valves need to be checked. He ask how many miles and I said 115k, which in return said nah no where near enough miles!
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Carbon closet tart! https://www.bikepics.com/members/r6stuk/02r6/
Stolen bike. 2000 R1: https://www.bikepics.com/members/r6stuk/00r1/
Current bike 1991 Honda ST1100 Pan European, 1986 Honda cb350sg (Finished)

[Kris]

I once tried to persuade a Honda dealer to check the valve clearances on the VFR....both the dealership owner and mechanic were adamant that every time they check them - they are all within spec. Basically - they didn't want to do it - even though it's work for them never understood that logic. The bike rode fine, but had done 24k by that point.

A bike I couldn't ignore was the ZZR14. Those things sound and run like crap after a while. The valves definitely needed tweaking every time it was due - and the bike required injector balancing every service. Valves were a pain too - fairings are a nightmare and the frame passes over the cams very closely...
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NSR125RR - ZXR750H1 - ZX9R E1 - GSF600S - GSF600SK3 - VFR400-NC30 - SV1000N - ST1100-R - CBR900RR-R - GSF1200SK5 - GSF600SK1 - VFR1200FA - GSXR1000K2 - ZZR1400 D8F
www.prisonplanet.com

[Nobby the Bastard]

I do them myself .
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050