Valve Adjustment- Who has-Who has not?

Discussion in '8th Generation 2014-Present' started by bravastar1, Mar 24, 2019.

  1. bravastar1

    bravastar1 New Member

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    My 2014 VFR800 has almost 30,000 miles on it and I have NOT had the valves check or adjusted. I am curious as to who has had theirs checked and if any adjustment was needed. My bike runs so well and makes NO valve noise of any kind. Am I asking for trouble it I just keep riding?
     
  2. FJ12rydertoo

    FJ12rydertoo Member

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    Many VFR's seem to be able to go long distances between valve clearance adjustments. Will yours?
    Absolutely no way to tell. My '99 needed a couple valves adjusted at 16,000 miles.

    FWIW, because of the design of modern valve trains, you generally won't hear any valve noise because
    the valve clearances will lessen, rather than increase. Old designs with tappets, rocker arms, and such
    would wear at the contact points and a noisy valvetrain would be the result. New designs, not so much.
     
  3. The Red

    The Red New Member

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    I'm wondering the same. Coming up on 25k and she is running like a top. But I commute 75 miles daily and just have this nagging thought that I am on borrowed time. Got a $1000 estimate from my dealer to do the adjustment. More if parts are needed. What to do...

    Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
     
  4. Thumbs

    Thumbs Member

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    My 2015 had a dealer service and valve check at 16,000 there were 2 exhaust valves that had closed up

    Cost was £740 including hydraulic fluid change all round, air filter and full set of OEM brake pads - also 20% tax

    The dealer price of $1000 sounds about right
     
  5. SlideRule

    SlideRule New Member

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    I checked mine at 43k miles: All four exhaust valves were tight, particularly the rear two cylinders. The VTEC lifter in #1 exhaust was right at the limit as well. All Intake valves were well within spec. Reset all the valves to spec and haven't checked them since. I've been meaning to set aside some time to check them again; it has been a busy couple months.
    -SlideRule
     
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  6. bk94si

    bk94si Member

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    I bought mine used with 31k miles on it and I am thinking I need to adjust mine. Running fine but who know if and when this was ever done? Are the shims on a VFR under or on top of the buckets?
     
  7. FJ12rydertoo

    FJ12rydertoo Member

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    Under the buckets. So yes, you do have to remove the cams to set clearances. But it also is
    one of the reasons they can go so long between adjustments.
     
  8. bk94si

    bk94si Member

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    Thanks. I was afraid of that. Sounds like a big job. Maybe I will get lucky and all the valves will be within specs.
     
  9. Viffer J

    Viffer J New Member

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    I'm interested in this topic too... :Pop2:
     
  10. FJ12rydertoo

    FJ12rydertoo Member

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    Yeah, the V-tech system adds a pretty fair amount of complexity to the whole thing.

    Keep your fingers crossed. :)
     
  11. 2027Matt

    2027Matt New Member

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    You have to remove the cams just to check clearance - V-tech system.
     
  12. SlideRule

    SlideRule New Member

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    I know it isn't necessarily recommended in the manual, but I normally pull the valve covers off and do a quick check the normal valves first. If all eight of them are within spec, I normally don't bother checking the VTEC lifters; button everything back up and keep riding. Out of the three times I've checked the valves on various VFR's, only once were the normal valves out of spec - resulting in pulling the cams and doing the full job.
     
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  13. 2027Matt

    2027Matt New Member

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    Makes sense because the VTEC valves are used a lot less. They should have less wear.
     
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  14. John O

    John O New Member

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    I just got my VFR's valves checked for the first time at 22,600 miles. All were right on their nominal values, no changes necessary.

    As for price? My dealer quoted 4.5 hours labor and the tech needed 8.5 to complete the job. Including gaskets and all, that rang up to $765. I'm happy he stood by his quote and can understand that I won't get that deal a second time. The $1000 quote noted in one of the earlier posts is probably more typical.

    The dealer will get a second shot at me when I buy new tires next week, so I don't feel too bad for him.
     
  15. James Bond

    James Bond Member

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    Having owned three VFR's, a 5th, 6th, and now an 8th gen. I've never done a valve check and all have been ridden hard, in mountain twisties recreationally. I never will have a valve check done. There are many VFR's with over 100K miles on them without a valve check. I've never heard of a VFR being "damaged" by out of spec. valves. Why waste the money? Look at what the bike is worth then look at how much money (or time, same thing) one puts back into a bike not worth much.

    The math and experience of too many people doesn't justify a valve check.
     
  16. FJ12rydertoo

    FJ12rydertoo Member

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    Well, the ol' butt dyno is notorious inaccurate.

    If you really want to know if your valves are getting too tight, do a leakdown test.
    Any loss of power due to loss of compression is going to be very gradual, and
    basically impossible to tell without actually doing comparative dyno runs over thousand
    of miles. And it may be that substantial power loss may only occur after 40,000 or 50,000 miles.

    I'm a firm believer in preventive maintenance, and valve checks fall into that category.
    That being said, considering what a valve check costs for a V-Tec, I might be tempted
    to be lax in that respect. Stupid cost for un-necessary complexity.
     
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  17. 2027Matt

    2027Matt New Member

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    You can check the clearance on the normal valves without removing the cams. This is pretty easy. If normal valves are okay then I would assume the V-tech are good. This is what I will do.
     
  18. bravastar1

    bravastar1 New Member

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    I am at 37k now and still have not checked the valves. Bike runs great with NO valve noise. Has anyone checked and needed to have any valves adjusted that would have caused a problem if not addressed?
     
  19. FJ12rydertoo

    FJ12rydertoo Member

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    You most likely are not going to hear any valve noise if your valves are out of adjustment. Due
    to the common design of cam over bucket, the clearances usually decrease, rather than increase
    as is common with a cam and tappet design.
     
  20. VFR4David

    VFR4David New Member

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    No noise on my '14 with only 3,700 miles on it.

    Nice meeting you a while back, sorry I interrupted your ice cream break.
     
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