What did you do to your Concours today?

[maxtog]

Picked it up from a dealer after a valve adjust.

You are supposed to share how it went..... how many miles, when last it was checked, how much out of adjustment, etc!

[B.D.F.]

And then we are supposed to respond that whatever he said was done was really NOT done, and in fact could not possibly  be so. Further, we will tell him things such as 'if you did not get a shim map, they did not really do that task' and so forth. He would then respond that he believes the dealer (or whomever did the lash check / adjust) is honest and competent in his experience and opinion. A couple more of these back- and- forths and the discussion peters out..... maybe he just decided to skip the middle part and get all the way to the end?

 

Brian

You are supposed to share how it went..... how many miles, when last it was checked, how much out of adjustment, etc!

[maxtog]

And then we are supposed to respond that whatever he said was done was really NOT done, and in fact could not possibly  be so. Further, we will tell him things such as 'if you did not get a shim map, they did not really do that task' and so forth. He would then respond that he believes the dealer (or whomever did the lash check / adjust) is honest and competent in his experience and opinion. A couple more of these back- and- forths and the discussion peters out..... maybe he just decided to skip the middle part and get all the way to the end?

Inotherwords:

Valve thread!!!

[Rhino]

And then we are supposed to respond that whatever he said was done was really NOT done, and in fact could not possibly  be so. Further, we will tell him things such as 'if you did not get a shim map, they did not really do that task' and so forth. He would then respond that he believes the dealer (or whomever did the lash check / adjust) is honest and competent in his experience and opinion. A couple more of these back- and- forths and the discussion peters out..... maybe he just decided to skip the middle part and get all the way to the end?

 

Brian

Exactly! But that said, I did get a map. And there were 4 exhaust valves out of spec and adjusted. Unfortunately there were others that were on the extreme tight edge but "in spec" that I wish he would have centered. But oh well, they are all now in spec. The valves were checked at about 30,000 miles but all were good. So this is the first time shims were actually replaced.

[B.D.F.]

Well, I guess on the other side of things, if we skipped all  the Internet Nonsense, it would be pretty hollow out there. So nonsense away Boys!

As I have mentioned in the past, I really do not agree with the thought that at some particular place withing such an extremely tight tolerance is better than anywhere else that is also w/in spec. My own opinion, as a mechanical designer who is a bit long in the tooth, is that Kawasaki chose a tolerance window that is actually so narrow it is a bit overkill and could be at least doubled without any problem whatsoever. So 'on the edge' of tolerance is..... well, w/in tolerance.

I think tolerance is often confused with clearance but they are really quite different. Clearance is what must be maintained for a device to assemble and operate correctly and can never be changed without careful review and a full understanding of what one is tinkering with. Tolerance is the band or range of acceptable variance in specification(s) that allow parts and sub- assemblies to be manufacturer within acceptable parameters (read: affordable). At the extreme edges of the tolerances of any two parts, proper clearance will always be maintained, and that is no doubt why Kawasaki chose such a narrow tolerance band on the valve lash.

And finally, it is really tough to get into the 'middle' anyway; the tolerance is 0.002" and given the differential expansion rates of aluminum and steel (0.013" per inch per degree F vs. 0.0065" per inch per degree F), a clearance that is right on the edge at an ambient (garage) temperature of, say, 50F will be considerably different than the identical valve assembly checked at, again say, 90F.

Brian

Exactly! But that said, I did get a map. And there were 4 exhaust valves out of spec and adjusted. Unfortunately there were others that were on the extreme tight edge but "in spec" that I wish he would have centered. But oh well, they are all now in spec. The valves were checked at about 30,000 miles but all were good. So this is the first time shims were actually replaced.

[maxtog]

Exactly! But that said, I did get a map. And there were 4 exhaust valves out of spec and adjusted. Unfortunately there were others that were on the extreme tight edge but "in spec" that I wish he would have centered. But oh well, they are all now in spec. The valves were checked at about 30,000 miles but all were good. So this is the first time shims were actually replaced.

Good info, thanks!  It goes to show that sometimes there just isn't any good rule of thumb.  You were perfect even after 30,000 miles and now they need adjustment.  Some needed adjustment around your first check and didn't on their next.  You only left off one important data point- how many miles were on the bike at this check/adjustment?

[SVonhof]

I tried to ride to work today, but the bike had other plans.

I rode in to work one day last week with no issues other than the front TPS battery being low.
Yesterday my wife and I rode to brunch and home with no problems.

This morning, pulled the bike out of the garage and onto the driveway, got all geared up, hit the dash button to fire up the Kipass and the dash lit up as normal, kicked up the side-stand, put the bike in neutral and as soon as I hit the starter button, everything turned off and would not start up again.

I am guessing possible ground connections?

I quickly de-geared and got the bike back in the garage and drove the car in to work.

I just checked and the connections on the battery are fine, as is the charge of the battery (13+ volts). Now I need to find the different ground locations. Off I go to read the service manual.

[maxtog]

This morning, pulled the bike out of the garage and onto the driveway, got all geared up, hit the dash button to fire up the Kipass and the dash lit up as normal, kicked up the side-stand, put the bike in neutral and as soon as I hit the starter button, everything turned off and would not start up again.

Check your kickstand safety switch.   If it was stuck activated, it will kill the ignition.  Check the engine kill switch on the handlebar too

[SVonhof]

The ground connections around the battery seemed fine and solid. So, the easiest thing to do first is to put the battery on the tender and see what happens.

I pulled the battery out and used the multi-meter and it was saying 10.5 volts. When I checked it in the bike, it was 13.5 or so.

We will see what happens.

[maxtog]

The ground connections around the battery seemed fine and solid. So, the easiest thing to do first is to put the battery on the tender and see what happens.

I pulled the battery out and used the multi-meter and it was saying 10.5 volts. When I checked it in the bike, it was 13.5 or so.

We will see what happens.

Yeah, poor voltage or connections on the C14 causes all kinds of trouble.

[Rhino]

Good info, thanks!  It goes to show that sometimes there just isn't any good rule of thumb.  You were perfect even after 30,000 miles and now they need adjustment.  Some needed adjustment around your first check and didn't on their next.  You only left off one important data point- how many miles were on the bike at this check/adjustment?

73,400 miles

[Rhino]

Well, I guess on the other side of things, if we skipped all  the Internet Nonsense, it would be pretty hollow out there. So nonsense away Boys!

As I have mentioned in the past, I really do not agree with the thought that at some particular place withing such an extremely tight tolerance is better than anywhere else that is also w/in spec. My own opinion, as a mechanical designer who is a bit long in the tooth, is that Kawasaki chose a tolerance window that is actually so narrow it is a bit overkill and could be at least doubled without any problem whatsoever. So 'on the edge' of tolerance is..... well, w/in tolerance.

I think tolerance is often confused with clearance but they are really quite different. Clearance is what must be maintained for a device to assemble and operate correctly and can never be changed without careful review and a full understanding of what one is tinkering with. Tolerance is the band or range of acceptable variance in specification(s) that allow parts and sub- assemblies to be manufacturer within acceptable parameters (read: affordable). At the extreme edges of the tolerances of any two parts, proper clearance will always be maintained, and that is no doubt why Kawasaki chose such a narrow tolerance band on the valve lash.

And finally, it is really tough to get into the 'middle' anyway; the tolerance is 0.002" and given the differential expansion rates of aluminum and steel (0.013" per inch per degree F vs. 0.0065" per inch per degree F), a clearance that is right on the edge at an ambient (garage) temperature of, say, 50F will be considerably different than the identical valve assembly checked at, again say, 90F.

Brian

I like the way you think. I'm either going to sell this bike (looking unlikely at this point) or ride the crap out of it for another 40,000 miles and not worry about it.

[SVonhof]

Yeah, poor voltage or connections on the C14 causes all kinds of trouble.

I didn't have it on the tender all winter, but most of it since we have had so much rain in California. But, around 10 days ago, I was doing yardwork and unplugged the tender from the wall and didn't disconnect the bike from it for another few days. Maybe that had something to do with it? This morning, my tender was still flashing the green light, which means it is still charging. If I have a green light tonight, I will re-install and see how it goes.

[lather]

I didn't have it on the tender all winter, but most of it since we have had so much rain in California. But, around 10 days ago, I was doing yardwork and unplugged the tender from the wall and didn't disconnect the bike from it for another few days. Maybe that had something to do with it? This morning, my tender was still flashing the green light, which means it is still charging. If I have a green light tonight, I will re-install and see how it goes.

Some   "tenders" will actually drain the battery if left connected but not plugged in to AC.

[kzz1king]

Finally got a chance to put a few miles on. Still cold here, rode in 40 to 50 degrees. It was a relief to see it still runs after my valve adjustment and no leaks thus far! Got the Evo flash in. It seems a lot smoother, shifts nicer. Easier to ride at very low throttle openings. I think it is faster to but this bike is so stinking fast it is hard to say. Very happy with it and looking forward to summer.
Wayne

[srech77]

Finally got a chance to reinstall the ECU after getting it back from SISF ... I had him install the "Evolution" flash. Worth. The. Money. I will try to find the SISF thread so I can leave a review for it on there, I definitely underestimated what a GOOD flash can do for these bikes... so smooth!!!

[SVonhof]

Wow, my battery is still on the tender and the green light is still flashing, so it's still charging. That is 3 full days. I guess I almost killed it.
Heck, maybe I did kill it. Time will tell.

I will never unplug the plug, but leave the bike hooked up to the tender again.

[lather]

Sounds like the battery or tender or both are kaput.

[maxtog]

Sounds like the battery or tender or both are kaput.

Yep.  I have had both situations, unfortunately.

[Sun_King]

Not all today but in the past week I've installed my phone mount, Phil's rails, Calsci large/wide windshield, drilled my AST backrest mount to move the backrest lower so I can finally open the top case the whole way, and had the first service done.