Doing my first Valve Clearance Inspection/Adjustment | GTAMotorcycle.com

Doing my first Valve Clearance Inspection/Adjustment

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I'm doing my first Valve inspection and possibly an adjustment on my Suzuki C109 (just over 21,000km). I've read the manual three times and must admit that It looks intimidating if it gets to valve adjustment. Particularly, for my bike since it has no adjustment screws on the valves and I have to replace the shims if out of specs.

What I need to know is; Since I'm opening the cylinder covers, do I need to replace the cylinder cover gaskets? Or can I just throw the old ones back in?


The second concern is; Would the valve covers allow access to do measurements with a Feeler Gauge once I've removed the cylinder covers? It would seem highly improbable that I would have to remove the valve covers to do the gap measurements! Otherwise, what would be holing the camshafts down?

Thank you in advanced.Any directions is appreciated.....and oh....yeah wish me luck!!!:read2:
 
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Havnt had one apart so can't comment on how tight it will be in there.
As far as the gasket you may be able to reuse it but as a rule of thumb you should always replace gaskets when opening up an engine.
Goodluck :)
 
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I've got a different bike, but if you remove the covers carefully and don't damage the gaskets (and they are in good shape) you can reuse them. Once I have my covers off I have easy access to set the gaps (I had to cut down a feeler gauge to fit in but its easily accessible).
youtube is your friend. Do a couple searches. I wouldn't be surprised if you find a video of a guy setting the gabs on your bike or one very similar.
 
As far as information i have goes we do not have to do valves unless and until its absolute necessary, and even number of mechanics do not do anything with valves untill and unless the rider has any specific problems with them like a starting problem, or the engine isn't running smooth. It is quite and extensive job. Even worse if you need to adjust them.
 
Well there's such a thing as preventative maintanence. Why wait for a problem or worse yet damage to your motor to have a job done? I don't wait till my tires blow or my brakes don't work before I work on them why is this any different?
 
Well...Just got my inspection done. It was quite an extensive job. Thankfully, I didn't have to replace any shims, all measurements were smack in the middle. it was a bit scary as I was removing parts I had never touched in the passed. But it was an experience.

I ended up putting the existing gasket back in as it was in very good shape.

Thanks for all of your inputs..
 
Good job, and you saved yourself a fistful of cash.
 
Yup. Plus you learned a few things, had an interesting experience, can be confident in the quality of the work, and have a better understanding of your bike's state of health. Do-it-yourself is always the way to go when you can (except when it comes to sex and debating).
 
jennysmith said:
As far as information i have goes we do not have to do valves unless and until its absolute necessary, and even number of mechanics do not do anything with valves untill and unless the rider has any specific problems with them like a starting problem, or the engine isn't running smooth. It is quite and extensive job. Even worse if you need to adjust them.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but this is just terrible advice. Best to ignore it. Check your valve clearances as required or maybe suffer the consequences of a burnt valve. Most shim under buckets type engine only need to be adjusted once, if at all, and then they will be good for years.
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