Valve clearance questions

Bike is a fuel injected Blackbird. Checking the clearances is a pain but
having to change the shims involves cams out. If I neglected the check would
the clearances tighten or loosen over time? What are the likely scenarios in
not checking at the 16k interval? Bike has just reached 32k.

Mark

 

They'll tighten up. The bike is unlikely to get any noisier. But
eventually you'll burn out the valve seats.

Actually, you don't have to physically take the cams out of the engine.
Zip-tie the cams to the camchain, and then you can work on one side at a
time, just moving the cam to one side. Because it's locked to the chain,
you'll never get the timing out.

An alternative is to put little paint blobs on the camchain pins and
corresponding ones on the sprockets. Makes life much easier and speeds
the job up.

But yes, you ought to check them at the recommended interval. If you're
lucky they might not need changing anyway.

 

In communiqué
<1hp9rir.1f6vd881odiwd1N%>, The
Older Gentleman <> cast forth these
pearls of wisdom

Another of the arguments in support of the dear old single. I have to
check just four valve clearances tomorrow. Not even adjusted with shims
- just simple screws and lock nuts on the followers. One in particular
is a swine to get at (vies for awkwardness with the 4th glow plug on an
XUD). My back is aching already in anticipation, despite the fact that I
will probably find they are all OK. I must admit to setting them a tad
wide when I did the big bore conversion (much easier with the engine
out).

On Morinis, Benjy Straw used to recommend running the 2+2 or L5 cams at
a gnats cock bigger than standard clearance.
--

+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR Moto Morini 2C/375 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Benjy Straw? Now there's a name from the dim and distant past. Is he still
going?

Used to get all my bits for my 3 1/2 Strada from Benjy, including a
replacement seat that was so hard it was like an old bag of cement covered
in vinyl.

http://website.lineone.net/~dave.emerson/bikes.htm#_Strada

 

Currently a technical advisor for Piaggio I believe.

http://website.lineone.net/~dave.emerson/bikes.htm#_Strada

Lovely - brings back happy memories of my first 75 Strada (acquired in
75).

--

+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR Moto Morini 2C/375 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Pete Fisher

Four? FOUR? Inexcusable profligacy.

Followers? Not following you, old bean. Pushrods. That's the future.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Podium Placed Ducati Race Engineer as featured in
Performance Bikes and Fast Bikes

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha Vmax Honda ST1100 wiv trailer

 

Heretic. You'll be suggesting they can be overhead next.

--

+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR Moto Morini 2C/375 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Yep. He's a suit for Gilera UK these days.