You need to remove 32 bolts for the tupperware and tank, 4 nuts for the coils, 4 spark plugs, 6 valve cover bolts and the TDC access port. Fingers can get blistered even before you get to the valve adjusters.

More seriously, after 4 years and 20000 km, only one exhaust valve was 0.001" too tight. And many thanks to your favourite deity, the '86 cams are not pitting.

how many miles do you have on your bike? And why aren't your cams pitting?

how many miles do you have on your bike? And why aren't your cams pitting?

The is a 2001 C10 with about 91000 km. At around 60000 km, the stock 2001 cams were so pitted I replaced them with a used set from an '86. 30000 km later, no pitting on the replacements.

My theory is that Ma Kawasaki thought she could save a few pennies on heat treating the cams in the later years of the manufacturing run. After all, she was going to discontinue the C10 in 2006 anyway, who needs cams that last a long time?

I was shocked to see that my 2001 had pitting at only 12k miles. Pissed me off to no end.

You need to remove 32 bolts for the tupperware and tank, 4 nuts for the coils, 4 spark plugs, 6 valve cover bolts and the TDC access port. Fingers can get blistered even before you get to the valve adjusters.

More seriously, after 4 years and 20000 km, only one exhaust valve was 0.001" too tight. And many thanks to your favourite deity, the '86 cams are not pitting.

Well, now that you have 91,000 km on it, I would hope the valves settled in and stabalized....
20,000 km is the normal service interval in the book for new bikes, after you get 50 k miles on them... you can start stretching that interval based on wear patterns....  the last couple years of ownership on my '86 I checked mine at 25k mile intervals, and never found them worse than .001 " out... it had 138k+ miles on it, and ran smooooooth...

. . . 20,000 km is the normal service interval in the book for new bikes . . .

Hmmm, my manual says to check them every 10000 km, pg 1-8.

Oops.. my bad, mine does also..... never mind.... carry on....

So after 50K miles you don't need to check them every 6K miles anymore? I just don't want to check every 6K miles. As George says too many bolts and hand bruising.

Its up to you, based on recording what has taken place over time, and what adjustments you recorded...
When you stop seeing deviations at that interval, start stretching it... within reason of course....