26,000 mile valve adjustment

bunky

Well-Known Member
Just reading about the manuals recommendation that a valve adjustment is recommended/required at 26,000 miles.
I have searched and read many forum posts, but really am at a loss as to wether this is really required for the everyday easy going rider.
Yamaha makes an amazing product and the engineering that goes into a machine to be above reproach.
What indicators are there that this needs to be done? From what I see, the ones who have done it only have slight issues with maybe a few shims.
I know when I owned my KLR, there was a huge requirement, from owners to do the do-hickey mod.
IN reality, I never did and my bike ran awesome.
I just am not convinced to spend that kind of money if I don't really have to.
Please don't get me wrong, I will if it needs it, just trying to understand recommend vs requires.
 
I believe the manual states 'inspect clearances and adjust if necessary'. The consensus on this forum is that they almost never need adjusting so early on.
 
While it is rare that an FZ1 need adjustment at the 26K mark, it happens and it's cheaper than a new top end. I have 27K on my bike right now. I plan to do a valve clearance check this summer. Hopefully just a check!
 
sorry to somewhat high jack this thread but im checking mine as we speak. all of my exhaust valves are slightly tight. they are supposed to be .21mm-.25mm. and a .19mm is what fits with slight drag. all but two intakes are good. the two intake valves are loose. they are supposed to be between .11mm and .20mm. in the intakes a .20mm fits with a lot of drag and a .21mm will not fit. btw this is a gen 2 with 33k miles on it. does this sound out of the ordinary? i am surprised all of the exhaust valves are tight but it isnt by much. just kinda want some reassurance so i know i didnt do something terribly wrong even tho i followed the manual and checked all of them twice
 
sorry to somewhat high jack this thread but im checking mine as we speak. all of my exhaust valves are slightly tight. they are supposed to be .21mm-.25mm. and a .19mm is what fits with slight drag. all but two intakes are good. the two intake valves are loose. they are supposed to be between .11mm and .20mm. in the intakes a .20mm fits with a lot of drag and a .21mm will not fit. btw this is a gen 2 with 33k miles on it. does this sound out of the ordinary? i am surprised all of the exhaust valves are tight but it isnt by much. just kinda want some reassurance so i know i didnt do something terribly wrong even tho i followed the manual and checked all of them twice

I can not speak to the FZ1 specifically because I have not had to do my valves yet, but it does not sound strange when compared to other overhead cam motorcycle engines with bucket and shim valve adjustment that I have worked on. Normally the valves get tighter as time goes bye. With millions of cycles of the valve re-engaging with the seat it wears into the seat a little deeper moving the entire valve a little closer to the cam. Exhaust valves and seats run hotter than intake valves so it does make sense that they would wear in a little more that the intakes. Again, this is just a general discussion of overhead cams/valves with bucket and shim adjustment, not necessarilly what people have historically seen on FZ1s.
 
sorry to somewhat high jack this thread but im checking mine as we speak. all of my exhaust valves are slightly tight. they are supposed to be .21mm-.25mm. and a .19mm is what fits with slight drag. all but two intakes are good. the two intake valves are loose. they are supposed to be between .11mm and .20mm. in the intakes a .20mm fits with a lot of drag and a .21mm will not fit. btw this is a gen 2 with 33k miles on it. does this sound out of the ordinary? i am surprised all of the exhaust valves are tight but it isnt by much. just kinda want some reassurance so i know i didnt do something terribly wrong even tho i followed the manual and checked all of them twice
This is only my opinion, after been shown how to check valves by a top mechanic,the drag need`s to be firm to tight if the feeler will fit between then thats the reading I would be going on,I know I`ll be howled down but if it was my bike and only out by .01mm[0.39thou] to .02mm [0.79thou] I would not be concerned about adjusting them,I would maybe check them again in 25,000klms,It`s a thing thats up to you and if you are going to worry about it to much then adjust them
 
the .21mm gauge would not fit between any of them on the exhaust size. i tried with what i would say is a pretty decent amount of force. since thats the lower end of the spectrum and i already have it apart should i not replace them? being able to swap a few around i will only need to buy 5 so its pretty cheap at $3 a piece off ebay. im not being real picky trying to get it closer to one end of the spectrum or the other. as long as its within the specs its good enough for me. thanks for you input and advice tho this is the first time ive adjusted the valves so im learning as i go
 
the .21mm gauge would not fit between any of them on the exhaust size. i tried with what i would say is a pretty decent amount of force. since thats the lower end of the spectrum and i already have it apart should i not replace them? being able to swap a few around i will only need to buy 5 so its pretty cheap at $3 a piece off ebay. im not being real picky trying to get it closer to one end of the spectrum or the other. as long as its within the specs its good enough for me. thanks for you input and advice tho this is the first time ive adjusted the valves so im learning as i go
For peace of mind I understand if you adjust them,I guess I am not as concerned as most about clearances being points of a thou out of spec
 
the .21mm gauge would not fit between any of them on the exhaust size. i tried with what i would say is a pretty decent amount of force. since thats the lower end of the spectrum and i already have it apart should i not replace them? being able to swap a few around i will only need to buy 5 so its pretty cheap at $3 a piece off ebay. im not being real picky trying to get it closer to one end of the spectrum or the other. as long as its within the specs its good enough for me. thanks for you input and advice tho this is the first time ive adjusted the valves so im learning as i go

You are only one out, but if it was me that would worry me to death since it is on the end of the range where it isn't going to get better as it wears more. As you said, shims are cheap and you are already in there. I'd adjust it but I'd understand if you decided not too.
 
For peace of mind I understand if you adjust them,I guess I am not as concerned as most about clearances being points of a thou out of spec

You are only one out, but if it was me that would worry me to death since it is on the end of the range where it isn't going to get better as it wears more. As you said, shims are cheap and you are already in there. I'd adjust it but I'd understand if you decided not too.

the whole check is kinda for peace of mind lol. i agree im not too concerned about them being out by a thousanth or two. but while i have it all torn apart i might as well replace them and have peace of mind for the next 26,600 miles knowing that the valves are correct.

thanks again
 
It does`nt always mean it`s going to keep getting tighter, they wear other parts besides on valve seats [which can make them looser]but valves are usually the first to seat in,when motor was assembled they may have been just with in tolerance`s so they may have only changed by .01mm/.02mm [a fraction of a thou] in 40,000klms/24,700mls
 
I would suspect 80% of bikes never have their valve clearances checked because of the cost and the hassle, yet I've never heard of an engine having issues because of this. As long as you are in there you should adjust as you wish, but I don't think it is something likely to cause problems for most bikes.
 
The tolerances could have been like this since new,having worked on assembly lines[cars] in my younger days,I know from experience it would not be very likely anybody would pull the cams back out and adjust valve clearance`s when they are only out by a fraction of a thou
 
Well it looks like I have my answer.
I have ridin this new to me bike for a year now and put on over 6,ooo miles on it with nary a problem.
But I do understand that with age comes issues. I'm just doubtful this issue, with its big mechanic expense, is worth it if there are no indicators.
With that said, I will be getting new spark plugs and a carb calibration done.
I have already done a rad flush and cleaned the area around the front sprocket which took 4 hours to get spot less. 10 years of chain lube does collect there. And yes, both sprockets looked great. So no worry there.

I thank everyone for their thoughts and words of wisdom. Trust me....I will be asking more questions as I get ready for ridin season.

Cheers
 
Valve adjustment

I'm doing my valves right now. I have a 2007 with about 23000 miles. I figured I should do the valve adjustment over the winter instead of in the middle of this coming riding season. I haven't been riding the bike since Thanksgiving but have been putting it off (it's called procrastination) until this week. It's definately a tussle getting to them but 7 of the exhaust valves were slightly tighter than .20mm minimum. Only 1 intake was off and that was right at the .20 loose limit. I'm waiting for some 1/2 step shims from the local Honda dealer to loosen up the exhausts closer to the .25mm side of the equation. I'm glad I finally looked at them and got them crossed of the list until 53,000 miles or so. I could see how putting another 15-20K on the bike without doing the valves could cause poorer performance and possilble valve damage. Just bite the bullet and check them when Yamaha says you should.:deadhorse:
 
I wish I could say this in a manner that would shake a few up here, but some will insist they know better reguardless of the situation. Anyone who says a shim under bucket cam system "probably" won't need checking after 26,000 miles of the valves smashing into the seats, doesn't have a clue. I have both a current (08) FZ1 and have had several other OHC machines and the FZ1 is the only one that even comes close to 26,000 mile intervals for valve clearance checks. I aslo refurb older (primarily 80's) OHC motorcycles and one of the most neglected aspects of engine maintenance is the valve train and that's probably because most owners don't understand how they work or how involved it is to do the job right so they ignore it until a problem occurs or more than likely it gets passed on to some unsuspecting sucker who must have a dealer do it. Valve clearance in these motors diminishes with age and I've never seen a situation where the clearance inceased. One last thing I should mention is, becasue I've never heard one of the so-called experts bring this up, and they would I think if they had checked their valve clearance, a standard feeler guage will not fit between the intake journals to get a measurement so they have to be cut down. How do I know? Because I have done it and when I got stuck because my feeler guages were too wide, I went to the Yamaha dealer to get advice and that's when I learned it was "get a very good pair of snips, cut the gauges down so they'd fit. Or pay a tad over $200 for a set that were nattow enough to fit." Do the job right and don't wait for the next poor sucker t pay the price.
 
checking them is really a lot easier than i thought it would be. i actually made it harder on my self by taking more stuff than i needed to off. now taking the cams out to change the shims is a little scary but as long as you mark and put cams back in the same spot you dont have anything to worry about.

fyi, i ordered these and they make it so easy. they fit perfectly and for 16 bucks easier than cutting fat ones. Feeler Gauge Valve Shim Adjustment 32 Taper Blade CRF450 KX450F YZ450F RMZ450 | eBay
 
I was talking about the FZ1 and modern jap bike motors ,I totally agree with you about other bikes especially bikes built back in the 80`s,yes mate I know you need narrow feelers to fit.I never told anybody not to check them,I have talked to many bike mechanic`s on this subject and neally 100% say if it start`s easy and idle`s well,they would`nt worry about it,I checked my hornet 919 clearances at 64,000klms as it started to get to my head,the mechanic said it would be fine and he was right all still within tolerances [just] he said they were most likely been like that since new,like I said in a earlier post I would be howled down for my opinion
 
Last edited:
. :dontknow:Valve clearance in these motors diminishes with age and I've never seen a situation where the clearance inceased.

If you are correct all valve clearances diminish with age,please explain too me how some of the bike`s inlet valve clearances are on the max tolerances or loose so if you are correct these bikes were assembled with incorrect tolerances or they have not worn at all:confused:
 
Last edited:
Has anyone done a walk-though video or DIY guide with pics on how to check these at home?

My 2002 is at 28k right now and I bought her with 16k a year n a half ago.

She runs great, idles well and gets on average 42-44mpg. I mostly use her for commuting on the freeway to and from work so the motor rarely sees revs above 7k.
 
Back
Top