2nd Gen Valve Adjustment

[Semi-retired]

I have entered some answers and comments in your quotes below (see the blue text).

Goose

I have my doubts about their estimate of 2.5 hours (see similar comments in post #86 above). Remember that there aren't really many of these bikes around, so some shops either never see them, or maybe less than 1 per year. The valve check on MOST other bikes is much less involved than the RSV, so they might just be giving you and estimated guess instead of actually looking up the Yamaha time spec for this job. There really isn't much involved to just removing a valve cover and sticking in a feeler gauge on each valve - our problem is how much stuff has to be done BEFORE you can remove the valve cover!

 

I am not a professional mechanic, and I have never raced through this job to see just how fast I could actually do it - I prefer to take my time and think about what I am doing. But I have a very hard time imagining any way they could do it right in such a short time even if they do not change a single shim.

 

As for other things to do, the most important is to set the carb floats correctly and properly cleaning the jets while they are opened up. To me this is a no-brainier if the carbs are already removed, and it requires very little additional effort, but if they use the separate job pricing method, it will be several hundreds more bucks!

 

Well.......I (sorta) hate to say it......but, I sure hope you're wrong.......cause I've talked to their "service coordinator" on the phone....TWICE, prior to arriving at their service desk with the machine yesterday.....and both times I gave him the year, make and model (and they are THE ONLY Yamaha dealer in the region, so if there are any "local" Ventures around, they were sold by them)......and both times he said quite succinctly....it's a 2 and a half hour job and our shop rate is $86 per hour.....so, about $200 - $250 for the job. If they have any dreams of "monkeying around" with that (twice)-quoted estimate "after the fact".....they'll wish they'd never met me. (Don't mean to try and sound "threatening"......but I'm not just a small-c consumer advocate........I take people to court. :-)

 

On the carbs.....yeah, I thought someone MIGHT mention some kind of tune-up factor there. I'll do those myself the NEXT time I'm doing a big tear-down. I actually LIKE carbs. I used to play with the SU carbs on all our family's Triumph, MG and Mini (British Leyland) inventory when I was a kid.

 

 

Very tough to answer this. I think it is important to be somewhere near the estimated miles, but there is no magical critical number. Look at it this way, the maintenance spec for any item is the time when the factory is pretty darned sure that no damage will ever happen if you wait that long, but every mile after the spec adds some minor increased risk. A lot of miles changes that "minor" to "major". The idea of checking valves is to catch any that are drifting out of the clearance spec BEFORE they change so much that they actually do cause damage. Also note that our spec of 27,000 miles is already close to double what many other bikes call for!

 

No, absolutely no way. Any test that shows a problem, such as a compression or leak-down test, is showing you that it is already way too late!

I hear ya on that count. Having worked for Mistubishi Electric Consumer Electronics division for 10 years......and seeing how maniacal their engineers are, it's no doubt the Japanese penchant for doing things PERFECTLY (usually :-) ) that accounts for the maintenance cycle being as long as it is. (I'm actually surprised they didn't "invent" some kind of new technology ......other than the "ancient" tappet, hydraulic or shim method for "lifting" their valves. So last Tuesday!! :-) )

 

Just received a phone call from the dealer....telling me how "bald" both my tires are......and they've "found some Bridgestone Exedra's" that, if I give them the go ahead....by no later than 15 minutes ago......they can have them installed by the time I come to pick up the bike. "ONLY $242.99 for the front and $282.99 for the back"

(I think I paid $300 for the Avons that Squidley got me.......front and back combined.......so, this probably isn't a deal at all!)

Maybe this is how they think they're gonna make up for lowballing the valve-clearance job?!?!

 

Any suggestions for tires? Brand? Model? Shop/seller?

[djh3]

I got GREAT mileage out of the Michelin Commander 2 They don't make the OEM size for the front so you either go to the 130 or put something different on the front. I got over 17k on mine and I changed them because I had a fall trip to the mountains and didn't want to chance anything like rain and wife, more gear than usual and poor traction and....... you get the picture. Maybe the estimate is 2.5 hours for the valves, once they get all the stuff out of the way.

Usually things that are included in a job are covered under the flat rate. Say you go in for a water pump that leaks. Manual says they have to drain the rad to change the pump. So that time is covered, same goes for changing the belt if its shot. Thats where they try to make up some of the "gravy" is on extra parts. Like twice what a tire should cost say.... Just sayin might be a bit high there.

[Atoolnut]

petes superbike...tires last year metzlers.was cheaper than dealer i work for at my cost

[Semi-retired]

We did !!! Only It was the other way I think, cold for that time of year. LOL Go figure.

Thanks........you're a pal! What's the expression??......"with friends like that.....who needs XXXXX"

 

I'll just have to get down there again and "average my losses" as they say in the market!

 

Cheers,

m

[Semi-retired]

I got GREAT mileage out of the Michelin Commander 2 They don't make the OEM size for the front so you either go to the 130 or put something different on the front. I got over 17k on mine

I'll get a price on those......thanks. (No worries on the front size being other than stock; I already went "thinner" with my Avons when I put them on last time.

 

Maybe the estimate is 2.5 hours for the valves, once they get all the stuff out of the way.

Usually things that are included in a job are covered under the flat rate. Say you go in for a water pump that leaks. Manual says they have to drain the rad to change the pump. So that time is covered, same goes for changing the belt if its shot. Thats where they try to make up some of the "gravy" is on extra parts. Like twice what a tire should cost say.... Just sayin might be a bit high there.

I hear ya!

[Rick Butler]

Kent,

 

I've used a couple of 2" O rings on each side which seal up this junction pretty good.

 

Rick

[maddog2498]

I have my 2002 midnight venture down for valve gaskets and doing adjustment while in there. I have app 82k and never been into it. I just bought a tool and was wondering if I could find the shim kit and be able to use it. I have a man doing the work and he said some are running at .03 on intake(should be 4 to 6) and exhaust is .06(should be 6 to 8. what do you suggest to put these back to and do you leave the 6 where it is. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[Ace]

I am just working on the valve adjustment on mine as well. Most of my intakes were at .04 a couple at .03 all my exhaust except for one was at .07 I calculated to set all my intakes as close to .06 as I could get it and the one exhaust I calculated to get as close to .08 , once I had all my info I ordered my shims though my local yamaha dealer, I did order a few extras of .005 smaller/bigger than I calculated just in case. You have to know the size of each shim to be able to tell what you need to get back within spec.

I would not leave the exhaust at .06 as that is tight end of spec, change shims to get .08

[Flyinfool]

I set all of mine as close as possible to the max limit. The clarence actually gets tighter with wear. By setting to max you get the best life befoe work is needed again.

[bongobobny]

Yah!! It's hard to comprehend that they get tighter with wear but that's the way it is!

[Semi-retired]

I set all of mine as close as possible to the max limit. The clarence actually gets tighter with wear. By setting to max you get the best life befoe work is needed again.

I hear ya!

 

My local dealer (Clares) did mine and for the $250 I paid, all I got on my invoice was "within limits".

 

So, not only do I not know what my clearances were... I have no clue as to the appropriate time to look at them next. Shameful, I thought.