Valve check results

I don't know if anyone is interested in this random bit of info, but I had the valves on my 2004 checked at 20,000 miles. The result? The clearances were perfect, right at spec. The shop mechanic said he coldn't have made them any closer than they were.

Kinda wish I hadn't spent $89.50 per hour to discover that I didn't need to have them adjusted . . .

I live in the Land of Ice and Snow, so consider that if you're wondering why I have only 20,000 miles on a 2004 VFR.

 

Nice results. Good for the peace of mind though. I need to get mine done as I don't know if or when they were done last. I have 56000 Km on my 2002. I just don't have a spare mortgage payment laying around do do it with.

 

Valves checked and in spec - now there's a surprise (sarcasm)!

I have yet to see a single person with a 6th gen post up on here to say that when they had that first vtec valve inspection done by Honda they actually found it was necessary to adjust any of the valves.

Think of it this way. Honda know YOU will be the one paying for these inspections. So inherently Honda have nothing to loose by specifying a very rigorous servicing regime designed to ensure their dealers can pick up insipient faults in good time to prevent significant damage occurring to even the most heavily used and abused track bikes.

The reality is that very few VFR owners are out there constantly thrashing their bikes day after day. Ok we all have our mad 5 minutes on the redline, but even so, very very few VFRs will be subject to the sort of wear likely to require any adjustment at the first recommended vtec valve inspection.

Indeed as many bikes are now reaching the point where their second or third scheduled check is due, the real question is whether those inspections showed that adjustments were needed?

Perhaps we should start a separate thread on the forum and invite people to post up mileage and results of their vtec valve inspections. It would be very interesting to see the results. As we have over 300 registered members of the 6th Gen Militia on this forum we should have a statistically valid sample size to draw conclusions from.

My 2007 is booked in for service on Friday at 70,000km and I have asked the dealer to carry out only its second ever valve inspection. Suffice to say the first showed everything was within spec. Whilst I doubt things have changed, I have several long rides planned this summer and as you say it will provide peace of mind.

Whilst changing the oil and filter regularly continues to be the most vital ingredient to ensuring long engine life, if you really want peace of mind, then go ahead and get the check done - its your money after all.

If you do have the check done, post up the results.


SkiMad

 

This is a good idea.





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Thanks for posting this. As skimad4x4 has said, I have never seen a 6th Gen that had their first valve check out of spec. For that reason, I'm waiting until the 32K mile mark and even then, I know many have also reported that they were in spec even at that mileage.

 

For info purposes, my valve check cost $447.50. That's a set of tires and a beer or three. My mind is at ease, but that's serious money.

 

Picked up a Hot Cams valve shim kit for my '03 on Ebay for $80 and sprung for a set of the slide pin stoppers for the VTEC valves for another $20 from Ron Ayers.

Did the valve clearance check myself with just shy of 18K miles on the bike. No adjustments were necessary.


(Sidenote - I also have a Hot Cams valve shim kit for my '04 RC51. Did the valve clearance check at around 24K miles. No adjustments were necessary on that bike either.)

 

lets start that thread, good Idea. Like I posted a while back---talked to a Honda trained mechanic and he said after doing a valve inspection on two dozen VFR's not one needed adjusting. I haver 13,000 on my 2002 so I think I'll just do my routine oil changes and go from there--- oh and stay away from that red line :0

 

I must admit that I haven't looked at the manual yet to see what is involved but is it that difficult to do the valve adjustment myself? I have rebuilt a few cars and bikes before.

 

Stosh, thank god you know your shit----saved a boat load of beer money

 

Not exactly difficult. Just a PITA. If you have the money, spend the money. If not, DIYS.

 

It can wait till the winter then.

 

maybe I will skip the 24k service and buy some helibars and seargent seat from the money I saved!

 

Sounds like a good approach.

 

I am new to the VFR Vtec but not new to valve adjustments and maintenance on bikes. All I have ever owned is Hondas. Some of them the older ones had the tappet screw and lock nut. They got checked every oil change. Why because it was easy. I have had the DOHCs with shim over bucket. Easy to check and easy to reset. Every 10k. ST1100s I have two at the moment they are bucket over shim. Like the VFR the recommended check is at 16k. Does everyone do this No. But they should? The most critical valve check is the first one. This is where the majority of wear takes place. Whether they are in or out of spec is irrelevant, as an owner you have spent good money on the bike why risk it. Tight valves cost a lot of money if they are not tended to.

My 1991 ST1100 I bought with 16k on it and without history and very unfamiliar with these bikes. Everyone on the forum has said the same as here why do the 16k check when every time they are in spec. Well I will tell you why. One day the bike will just stop running. It won't start or will be very difficult to start. Yes it will run if you get it started but it will not run right. This happened to me.

I spent 6 weeks chasing this issue on my ST that everyone said you don't need an adjustment on the valves. All valves were out of spec. All were tight. I could not put a 0.001" feeler gauge between the cam and bucket. I ended up doing the adjustments twice. Once was a guess because there was nothing to establish a calculation from and the second was to get it right. Was it a pain yep but when I hit the key it started and ran better than ever.

I was fortunate that I did not fry any valves, that is where the cost comes in. A head rebuild is expensive.

Now with all this said I don't want to say that forums are bad and that there is not good information on them, but we all must evaluate what is said and what experts say and then make a decision. As in my case I followed the forum and chased everything down because everyone said it was not the valves and this was never brought up in a discussion until I mentioned that I talked with a Honda mechanic and he said the valves were tight. The folks on the forum thought he was full of it.

At the end of the day it is your choice as to what to do. My 2008 VRF has just turned 16k and I will spend the $500 to get the valve check done. I would normally do this myself but I need to feel a little more comfortable with the Vtec and how to do it myself before I tackle it. Plus winter is coming and I hate doing MC stuff when it is cold. Plastic breaks, rubber gets stiff and is hard to take on and off and when you bang knuckles when its cold it really hurts. Plus I take days to do things not hours, I need more room when things a pulled apart.

 

I am not sure you are comparing like with like. There are forums and there is the VFRWorld forum where BS will be very quickly rebutted!

You said it yourself - you have no idea what the ST's history was, and sensibly invested in getting the valves checked. Good on you for ignoring the ST forum comments and checking and as necessary adjusting the valves.

BUT and this is the big BUT you are talking about a 25+ year old motorbike with an engine probably designed nearly 30+ years back when quality oil was nowhere close to what is available today. Even the oldest vtec bikes are less than half that age, and over the ensuing years things have moved on especially in terms of engine design, automated precision manufacturing and quality oils. Hence we now enjoy impressively reliable machines which as many on here have demonstrated can easily cover 100,000 miles.

Never let anyone persuade you not to do a valve check on your vtec! Once you get the check done, please come back and let us know whether any of the valves needed adjustment, we are genuinely interested in knowing the result as it will improve our understanding of the value of these very costly checks. So far there has not been a single report by anyone who has paid to have that initial 16k check done actually finding the valves were out of spec, but there is always a first and it may be you.

Thanks




SkiMad

 

SkiMad Thanks for the comments. But I will say that even though the ST is nearly 25 years old there are many and I mean many documented STs the have clocked the 200k and 300k miles and continue to run strong without rebuilds. Maintenance is key to longevity.

Now I will say that since I did have the issues with valve clearance on the ST I did check then again at another 16k miles and they were fine.

 

Yes, the manual tells you that you should do checks at specific intervals, but what a forum like this one is great for is to see actual percentages of bikes that were in or out of spec. This ultimately helps you decide whether to do it or not. If you were flying blind or had a high percentage of forum members posting that valves were out of spec, then that would likely force you to do the valve check. But when reports of nearly all 16K mile checks are in spec, then that is going to sway your opinion as well. In a perfect world, I would follow all recommendations made by the manufacturer, but with the known history and reliability of the VFR, it will only make me wonder whether it is time or money well spent.

 

One of the reasons I bought this bike is the valve intervals. It's a 2002 I bought with 22,000 km in June knowing damn well the PO was dumping that cost on me. In Canada the valve check costs over a grand at the dealership. I'm now at 28,000 km and it runs great, and as they say in poker, I'm gonna call. I'll get the valves checked this time next year at or around 40,000 km...unless I procrastinate it another year. I'll Ohlins it, pipe it, pc it and ride the shit out of it before I valve check it.

I love this forum.

 

So, if one rides his bike hard, as I have been recently, redline, canyons, etc, should it be done? I don't stay in the red, but I definitely bang off the rev limiter through 1-3 or so.