Valve check question on my K1200rs

[SweetT]

Ive got 46,000 on the bike and I'm checking the valves. The clearance for the intake is .006-.008" and I've got a valve that has a clearance of less than .006" Is that possible for it to be that tight? I mean, after all this time, and milage, and wear, shouldn't the clearance be within spec, or GREATER than .008"? How could it wear tighter?
I've got the cyl at or close to TDC (all valves are closed, and the piston is on the compression stroke). Is there some technique I'm missing? The only other thing I've checked valves on was my K75 an an antique car. perhaps I dont understand how the valves on the K1200 operate. Are they hydraulic? would that make a difference?

[andy45320]

Ive got 46,000 on the bike and I'm checking the valves. The clearance for the intake is .006-.008" and I've got a valve that has a clearance of less than .006" Is that possible for it to be that tight? I mean, after all this time, and milage, and wear, shouldn't the clearance be within spec, or GREATER than .008"? How could it wear tighter?
I've got the cyl at or close to TDC (all valves are closed, and the piston is on the compression stroke). Is there some technique I'm missing? The only other thing I've checked valves on was my K75 an an antique car. perhaps I dont understand how the valves on the K1200 operate. Are they hydraulic? would that make a difference?
I have the same question...how would a valve get tighter? Hopefully someone with more engine knowledge around here will know. As to the actually replacement, pick up the new clymers manual for the K-bikes, has the exact process with some very good pictures, and covers a lot of other good stuff. Also, gunsmoke site has the process, but with not as many pictures...you can get to it off of pirates how to list - http://piratesk12site.net/Howto.htm
Word to the wise...if you are replacing one, pull all of the valves (since you are going to have to pull the cam(s) anyway) and write down their current sizes. You might be able to swap them, especially if one is tight. Likewise, next time around, you will know what you need to order if they ever need replacement and hold off on pulling it untill you have the correct tappet in hand.

[jdiaz]

The valve clearance reduces because the valve is sinking into the cylinder head.

[andy45320]

The valve clearance reduces because the valve is sinking into the cylinder head.
I'll buy that, I meant if an irregular condition would be the culprit to cause a valve to wear further into the seat in the head, causing it to tighten...perhaps bad combustion, wrong octane level...that sort of stuff. Something beyond normal engine wear.

[SweetT]

Ok the valve wearing into the seat makes sense. But if it were due to wrong octane level, etc. wouldn't all the valves be doing this? On my bike, one intake valve is about .005 and the other valve on the same cyl is .007.

I do have a problem with high oil consumption (about 1qt every 800mi) on my bike, could it be caused by anything that would also cause this wear on the valve seats? Would a bad valve guide cause low valve clearance AND higher oil consumption?

Is this tight valve a huge problem, or can I just fix it by putting in thinner shims and buckets?

[jdiaz]

Is this tight valve a huge problem, or can I just fix it by putting in thinner shims and buckets?
Just put in a thinner bucket. Since this is the first one you are changing in 46K miles, it doesn't sound like a huge issue. You can just change the buckets out indefinitely, until you run out of parts at the dealer. And even then you can modify the thinnest bucket with some careful machine work.

[eric2]

What Jon said; it's normal for the valve clearances to get tighter instead of looser because of the seat regression, but I wonder if the valve itself may be getting damaged i.e. stretching\burnt. Last time I adjusted my k12rs valves one intake was so tight I couldn't get ANY feeler guage under it.

No matter, usually they need adjustment only once or twice during the bikes life anyway, they usually retain adjustment a long time, but you want to keep track of it so you can be proactive.

You can usually move shims around to get things right, and most dealers will swap shims for free (buckets actually.) New ones are about $15

The cams need to come out to change them, and make sure you document the size shims you use. That way in the future, if the valves need adjusting again you'll know what sizes you need before disassembly. Good how-to article on gunsmoke.com (http://www.gunsmoke.com/motorcycling/k1200rs/valves/index.html)
which I used when I did mine a coupe years ago (http://www.k-bikes.com/ubbthreads/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=technical&Number=29258&Search=true&Forum=All_Forums&Words=valve%20adjustment&Match=Entire%20Phrase&Searchpage=3&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=29258)

[SweetT]

Last time I adjusted my k12rs valves one intake was so tight I couldn't get ANY feeler guage under it.
[/url]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I have the same situation described above on two of my intake valves. Is this a Bad Situation that should be taken care of immediately, or can I continue to ride it for a couple more weeks until I have the time to tear into it and wait for parts to be delivered?

[manicmechanic]

The question is really how long have they been that way? It's a good idea to keep track, in case it continues cna point to maybe soft valves or seats. I suggest setting them a little loose, run a thousand miles, then check them again, more for peace of mind, but also to see if there is a problem developing. It could be nothing more than the last time they may have been in-spec, but on the tight side and finally closed up just a bit.

[Cycle_Gator]

So, I am searching for threads dealing with K1200 valve clearances to avoid duplication. I run across this older thread.

With the exception of #1 intake, everything is within spec. The bike has 12,700 miles and has had exceptional attention to maintenance.

#1 intake, both valves measure, .005" or 0.127 mm which is .001" or 0.023 mm tighter than spec.

I am torn about what to do. Leave it for another 6,000 miles and check again to see if it has changed, or tear out the cam and reset all the valves to max clearance. The others range from 0.15 to 0.20 mm.

What would you do if it were your bike? THis will be my first time taking a cam of this engine, but it does not appear to be all that intimidating. I am just trying to figure out how big of a deal this is; should I do it now or after the summer?

Advice, anyone?

Thanks,

Tim

aka cycle_gator;:bikes
2004 k1200RS -- Orient Blue

[brickrider]

This past winter I did the 50,000 mile maintenance on my 2000 K1200LTC, owned from new. My bike must be different from all the rest; all I have heard from dealers and everyone else is how stable the valve clearances are. My bike is just the opposite; it has experienced a LOT of movement in the valve clearance area from Day One, and I service it every 12,000 just like the book says. I keep a careful record of every change, how much, and when done for all service, but in particular, valve clearances. This time around, 3 Ex valves tightened by .001", and 4 In valves tightened by .001". One Intake and one Exhaust clearance fell below spec (i.e. to .005" on Intake and .009" on Exhaust). I got fed up with the idea of the engine running for who knows how many miles on a valve clearance out of spec, so this time I changed every single valve clearance which was at minimum, to maximum. That involved changing 10 of 16 buckets. I devised a "Round Robin" chart to move the buckets around to their new homes. First I carefully noted which size buckets were in each valve. Then I created a chart for movement. Last, I wrote line-by-line instructions on the orderly procedure of change. Ended up I only had to swap out 3 buckets to the dealer. Maybe after this things will settle down. If not, I'll keep after it, since avoiding the issue only makes it worse, and a burned valve is a guaranteed result. Since you already have the cover off, go ahead and finish the job and put the clearances back in order and be done with it. It is highly unlikely that the clearances on your bike will increase, so go ahead and change those minimums to maximums. You will only be saving yourself future work. My two cents' worth.