Valve clearance

[Z71]

At 25,000 almost all of mine needed changed. One was four or five steps from being correct. But if you have a typical dealer tech check them, chances are, they will all be fine.

What you mean by "four or five steps of being correct"?
Were the valve clearances all out of the acceptable RANGE?  Or they were just not in the middle of the range?

[Z71]

Because Kawasaki quotes two different mileage intervals depending on where the bike was sold. If sold in the US or Canada, a valve lash check is required at 15K miles. If sold anywhere else in the world the intervals are 26,000 miles. The valve trains are identical between all C-14s so there is no mechanical reason for this difference. The only reason any of us could ever think of was emissions- it is probably a US regulation and Canada just got lumped in so all the bikes sold in both countries have the same maintenance schedule.

At any rate, it is pretty odd and has confused a lot of people since the bike was first introduced.

Brian

This reminds me of recommended timing belt change interval for my Mazda 626.  It is officially 60k miles, but for some states it is 105k miles.  When I inquired if Mazda sells 60k and 105k miles belts, they do not.  They only sell one timing belt, and it is the 105k miles belt.  So I have been changing the timing belt every 100k miles, with no problems to date.   I am on my fourth belt now.

[MAN OF BLUES]

What you mean by "four or five steps of being correct"?
Were the valve clearances all out of the acceptable RANGE?  Or they were just not in the middle of the range?

I would have to assume from his explanation that he had to go 4 shim size difference to bring it to range, which seems a bit high, but it isn't un imaginable.
My personal experience was similar, but not as excessive, and must needed a shim 2 sizes from where they were to bring them in mid range/high mid range; which is where I suggest folks aim to when they do this. With careful measuring, and creative swapping of the barrels along with the shims, you can set them all at the top limit, prolonging the service interval safely, knowing you aren't at the bottom limit when you button it up.....kinda like saying because the oil on your dipstick is sitting 1/32nd of an inch from the "add oil" line.

[Spanky]

I had mine done at 15k and was told they were all in spec. Again at 30k and 8 needed adjustment. Between the valve check, throttle sync, and all the other service items, the bike ran noticeably better after the 30k service. I would bet that yours is due, but would be fine after another 5k. If you can get it done before the trip, you may be happy to have the bike run a little better for you.

[MGvalerio]

Se viene usato olio tutto sintetico al 100% ad ogni cambio olio e filtro come ripotato dal libretto USO E MANUTENZIONE( EUROPEO)....,il gioco valvole prima delle 40.000 Miglia la mia GTR 1400 my 2007 non farà detta regolazione,...vedremo???,non è detto che a dette Miglia si debba fare.


If you use all 100% synthetic oil at every oil change and filter by product are shown as a book, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE (EUROPEAN) ...., the first valve clearance of my GTR 1400 40,000 miles my 2007 does not make this adjustment, .. . see??, does not mean that we should do with those miles



MGvalerio

[lt1]

I would have to assume from his explanation that he had to go 4 shim size difference to bring it to range, which seems a bit high, but it isn't un imaginable.
My personal experience was similar, but not as excessive, and must needed a shim 2 sizes from where they were to bring them in mid range/high mid range; which is where I suggest folks aim to when they do this. With careful measuring, and creative swapping of the barrels along with the shims, you can set them all at the top limit, prolonging the service interval safely, knowing you aren't at the bottom limit when you button it up.....kinda like saying because the oil on your dipstick is sitting 1/32nd of an inch from the "add oil" line.

That reminds me:  It is my understanding that the valve clearance on these bikes will always decrease (or remain constant) with wear.  Is that correct, or can the clearance increase with usage?

[B.D.F.]

Valve lash can increase or decrease although the general tendency is to decrease.

It depends on where the wear occurs in the valve train; the valve seats tend to wear more than any other part, and that will decrease the valve lash. The cam follower (the bucket in 'shim under bucket') and the cam lobes themselves also wear and that will increase valve lash.

Also as a general rule, cam lobes and followers tend to wear when new and 'seating' and then hold dimension for a long time. Also, with modern finishing techniques and metallurgy, cam lobes and followers wear much less than they did in the good old days.

So everything taken together, valve lash in the systems of C-14 and similar valve arrangements tend to decrease but it is not a rule or the only way they can move.

Brian

That reminds me:  It is my understanding that the valve clearance on these bikes will always decrease (or remain constant) with wear.  Is that correct, or can the clearance increase with usage?

[vwtom]

That is my exactly my point, same bike but across the pond manual states 24K for valve clearance !

But wouldn't that be in Kilometers?  Which is 15,000 miles?

[jjsC6]

Just got my Concours back from the shop today.  Needed no new shims, and yes he wrote down the measurements for me.  My bike has just a hair under 30,000 miles on it.  He told me when I picked it up that he was not surprised it didn't need any.  He said it's unusual for them to need any.  BTW, the service manager worked on the bike himself and his personal bike is an 08 Concours, and the parts manager has a ZX14 that he also said has never needed any shims changed out.

[PH14]

But wouldn't that be in Kilometers?  Which is 15,000 miles?

No, the service manual specifies, "Other than US CA Model every 42,000 KM (26,000 miles)"

[Rhino]

How in the hell does longitude have anything at all to do with any questions or answers in this thread?

The "Longitude" remark was a joke   But seriously my understanding is that in Europe the manual says something like 40,000 km or 24,800 miles, not 15,000 miles like the US.

[BudCallaghan]

This thread has a lot of people wondering.  I just looked in both the owner's manual and the Service manual and found that they agree that in the USA the valve service should be performed every 15,000 miles or 24,000 kilometers.  All other parts of the world are listed as every 26,000 miles or 42,000 kilometers.  How can it be that valve clearances are geographically dependent?  Someone who is more curious than I ought to either phone or write to Kawasaki and seek an answer to this conundrum.     

[lt1]

This thread has a lot of people wondering.  <snip>

Only the new guys.  We've hashed this repeatedly and mostly concluded it's a function of emission warranties/legalities.  Possibly also related to the lack of the O2 sensor.