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!
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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
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.
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.
Sounds like the battery or tender or both are kaput.