Finally had the valves checked

[PH14]

I had planned on doing the valve check myself last month since I was going to have about a month free to get some things done. I had to move back to Branson in May and had my schedule clear for April. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, I got booked for there weeks on a ship starting April 22 and had about a week to pack and start moving to Branson before leaving for the ship. 

I left the bike at a dealership that has a mechanic I trust so he could do the work while I was gone. I told them to replace the air filter, and plug, and sync the throttle bodies while he was in there, as well as do the state inspection. They quoted about $630 for that. I was fine with that. Then as I was leaving the bike, I figured I would have them replace the coolant, oil, since I ran out of time, and also replace the hydraulic fluid. Since they aren't a Kawasaki dealership, they said they may need to buy a manual. They used to own a Kawasaki dealership too and I didn't know they had sold it. They got a copy of the procedure for the valves so all was well.

Later they emailed and said they would need a manual for the throttle body sync. I bought a manual since I needed one anyway. During the three weeks I was on the ship, the service manager emailed me some pictures of Ken working on the bike. It was funny, but it was nice to have them update me.

I flew back to Pittsburgh Tuesday to pick it up. As I was talking to Ken, the mechanic, he said he removed my levers, cleaned the pivot points and lubricated them. I knew he would do that. He said he also adjusted the steering bearings while he had the bike. I raised the side stand and it flipped up quickly and I realized he had cleaned and lubed it too. I looked the bike over and saw he lubed every pivot on the bike. It feels like a new bike. His attention to detail is amazing.

Total price with all the gaskets, plugs, fluids, filter, PA state inspection and the shop manual which was $75, and every other odd part he decided to replace while he was there was $1380 after tax,  I was happy with that.

I hated paying for them to do work I can do myself, but I just didn't have the time and once I got to Branson, I would have no garage to work in.

I packed the bike and left Pittsburgh around 2:30 PM and fought rush hour on my way out since I live in the Eastern suburbs, and rode straight through 920 miles and arrived here in Branson this morning. It was a nice ride, and the bike ran beautifully.

I'm happy to get all this done. The bike is a 2009 that I bough new in 2010. It had a little over 32,000 miles on it when he did the check. This was the first check. He didn't adjust any of them. He did give me a shim map.

I really figured I would have a lot more miles on this by now. The first two months I had it I had 8,000 miles on it, but then I began traveling too much and couldn't ride as much. Most of my riding is done in chunks like yesterday. It's good to have the bike back.

[maxtog]

Thanks for sharing the info.  Another data point (and another example of valves NOT needing adjustment; not to say this is always the case, since it is not).  I like the authentic grimy fingerprints

[PH14]

Thanks for sharing the info.  Another data point (and another example of valves NOT needing adjustment; not to say this is always the case, since it is not).  I like the authentic grimy fingerprints

Yeah, Ken told me my manual had some greasy prints in it too. I told him that's the way it's supposed to be.

[Steve in Sunny Fla]

Perhaps incorrect, but I assume you are a very easy rider. Some of your clearances indicate zero movement, maybe all of them. I have done close to a dozen valve adjustmets on c-14's to date, and I have NEVER seen clearances like yours. I just did one 2 weeks ago for a guy who is a very conservative rider, with 25k on the clock. All the clearances were at the minimum except for one, which was .002" under - and it was an intake, which was surprising. I removed the cams and brought them all to the outside spec. I'm not calling BS, but it seems whenever someone goes to a dealer all the valves were "in spec" but whenever they come to me, or a couple other guys I know, or the owners do them themselves, they aren't in spec, or at the bare bottom end of spec. Steve

[maxtog]

It does seem odd for them to be so near perfect.   I will point out in his case it wasn't a dealer.   We all hate this procedure, since it is time consuming, expensive, and the potential for it to be done incorrectly or just plain lied to by a mechanic is very high (because it can't be verified or seen).  I know there are very few people I would trust- the one I do the most is my best friend who is a master mechanic.  He never seems to have much time anymore, but I will ask to pay him through the shop he works at if necessary.  It is a general car shop, but I don't know why they wouldn't.

[Throttle 8]

Perhaps incorrect, but I assume you are a very easy rider. Some of your clearances indicate zero movement, maybe all of them. I have done close to a dozen valve adjustmets on c-14's to date, and I have NEVER seen clearances like yours. I just did one 2 weeks ago for a guy who is a very conservative rider, with 25k on the clock. All the clearances were at the minimum except for one, which was .002" under - and it was an intake, which was surprising. I removed the cams and brought them all to the outside spec. I'm not calling BS, but it seems whenever someone goes to a dealer all the valves were "in spec" but whenever they come to me, or a couple other guys I know, or the owners do them themselves, they aren't in spec, or at the bare bottom end of spec. Steve

That is because they have triple plated titanium feeler gauges made by  virginal muses from Mt. Olypus, and your rudimentary equipment just cannot compare!  I'm not saying there aren't honest dealers out there, but in the last thirty years I have never had any luck with any dealer doing a bigger repair. It is to the point that I am willing to drive hundreds of miles to anyone that is proven good for a repair too big for me to handle.

[PH14]

Perhaps incorrect, but I assume you are a very easy rider. Some of your clearances indicate zero movement, maybe all of them. I have done close to a dozen valve adjustmets on c-14's to date, and I have NEVER seen clearances like yours. I just did one 2 weeks ago for a guy who is a very conservative rider, with 25k on the clock. All the clearances were at the minimum except for one, which was .002" under - and it was an intake, which was surprising. I removed the cams and brought them all to the outside spec. I'm not calling BS, but it seems whenever someone goes to a dealer all the valves were "in spec" but whenever they come to me, or a couple other guys I know, or the owners do them themselves, they aren't in spec, or at the bare bottom end of spec. Steve

Steve, there are a lot of long highway trips on this bike. There are also a lot of hard twisty miles on it since I live in Western PA and ride there and in the hills of West Virginia as well. Half the year I live in Southern Missouri which also has nice twisty roads. But, the vast bulk of the miles are long trips. The mechanic in question is very good, is a 20 some year friend, and I know the bike was tore down and the valves checked. I saw the old gaskets that were removed and replaced. This wasn't a Kawasaki dealer, since I don't trust the one there to do the job. I do trust Ken, which is why I go to him. So this isn't your typical stealership.

No, I don't hammer the bike. But it slaps the redline often and did a few times on my ride to Branson the other night.

[VirginiaJim]

Maybe you're just an....

http://youtu.be/UjlxqANj68U

[gPink]

Whoa, I think I just had a flashback.

[PH14]

Maybe you're just an....

http://youtu.be/UjlxqANj68U

 

Yeah, highway miles has a lot to do with it.

[VirginiaJim]

I must ride kinda like you, then....which isn't a bad thing in my estimation.  I hardly ever rev it over 4k.

[PH14]

I must ride kinda like you, then....which isn't a bad thing in my estimation.  I hardly ever rev it over 4k.

I rev it over 4K all the time, just not when droning on the highway. Since the highways miles add up faster than the other miles though, the use on this engine is skewed towards that end.

[kzz1king]

All this talk about "hammering it" is making me want to go out and ride some more. Is there any other way to ride this bike?
Wayne

[PH14]

All this talk about "hammering it" is making me want to go out and ride some more. Is there any other way to ride this bike?
Wayne

It is perfectly fine to ride while hammering the bike, but don't ride the bike hammered. 

[JerBear]

Perhaps incorrect, but I assume you are a very easy rider. Some of your clearances indicate zero movement, maybe all of them. I have done close to a dozen valve adjustmets on c-14's to date, and I have NEVER seen clearances like yours. I just did one 2 weeks ago for a guy who is a very conservative rider, with 25k on the clock. All the clearances were at the minimum except for one, which was .002" under - and it was an intake, which was surprising. I removed the cams and brought them all to the outside spec. I'm not calling BS, but it seems whenever someone goes to a dealer all the valves were "in spec" but whenever they come to me, or a couple other guys I know, or the owners do them themselves, they aren't in spec, or at the bare bottom end of spec. Steve

This too was my experience, I had to adjust every one of my valves at 27000.  They were all on the short end (but w/i spec) with two being 1.5 - 2 thousandths below, both intake.  I hope the tech did not adjust the number rather than the shims but either way at some point you will do it yourself and find out.  I did not want to do the job but felt much better after I was done.

[tjhess74]

Dang, those are some darn near perfect numbers.  Almost too perfect.  I'm not calling BS, but even after changing the shims, getting even numbers like that takes time.  Surely those valves have been adjusted prior to this service.

I baby my C14 as well, and until recently (Shoodaben Flash), I hardly ever crossed 4k.  Even with that, I still had to adjust valves in two out of three checks.  My third (and final) valve check at 75k miles produced numbers that matched where I put them last time.

Like Steve (thanks again for the flash, Steve!!!  ) , I too see consistent results of 'good valves' when a dealer checks them, but lots of necessary adjustment when self-performed.  PH14, your mechanic sounds like a good guy, and if that is truly the results he found in your engine, then you need to buy a lottery ticket. Those are the kind of numbers you find in a Honda or Yamaha engine, but not a Kawasaki. Those are two bike brands I've never had to adjust valves/shims in.

[PH14]

And this is why I hesitated to post this. I know the mechanic well. I know he did the job, and he honestly wrote down the results. I'm sorry you all have not found someone you can trust, there are so many bad ones out there, I know. That is why I normally do all my own work. Unfortunately this time I couldn't due to time constraints. I've known Ken for 20 years. He is not at a Kawasaki dealership, but I go to him because he is good at what he does, and he does it right, or he would't touch my bike.

That's all I have to say about this.

[jimmymac]

It is perfectly fine to ride while hammering the bike, but don't ride the bike hammered. 

Or even buzzed.


WERD.

[VirginiaJim]

I rather enjoy buzzed.  Buzzed now.  Saki did it to me....

[Riverszzr]

 I have done a dozen valve adjustments on C14's this year already and never once have I found any bike to not need the majority of the valves adjusted.
 I will call bullshit on this, no matter if you knew this guy 20 years or not. No matter if you "trust" him or not. It simply is not my experience with dozens of C14's or thousands of any bike for that matter with shim under bucket.

Only the uneducated, misguided who want to believe in rainbows and unicorns would believe those numbers at 25k without ever being done before. The very first service is when they move the most...another data point, really............another falsehood misinformation of data is all this is