why am I doing this .... ??? valves again ....

[Landsurfer74]

I've booked my 2016 650 with 18800 miles on the clock to have the valves done in 2 days time ...
Why ? Because that what it says in the manual..
My engine is smooth, quiet, only noise is the "whoosh" of the cam chains.
No knocks, ticks, tocks, rattles, pops ..... just whoosh .....
So ... why am I about to spend £500 to have them checked ??
With tappets you know when to adjust them as they go quiet / really noisy ....  what about bucket and shim ???
Should I leave the check until a higher mileage.  ??

[TLPower]

You are having the valves checked because modern OHC engines generally have gaps that close up rather than increase. I believe this is due to the valves wearing into the seats at a faster rate than the cam and followers wear.

Five hundred quids sounds a bit salty for a valve check.

[Joe Rocket]

Leaving them to a later date is up to you. There have been a number of accounts on here where checking them has been at much later intervals suggesting you can without too much worry. I've just checked my own valve clearances at 28,000 miles and they were in spec. (as I am confident enough to do most maintenance work to avoid big bills like you mention).

Of course, they could be heading for a shim change somewhere in the less distant future as I chose to check them later than 'scheduled' so I will check them again around 12,000 miles time or when I have reason to move the radiator again, which ever comes first.

[mr_diver]

I checked my K6 my at 15k - in the middle of spec so skipped the 30k check and checked again around 50k, still within spec.

She had a hard life and the valves closing up was the least of my worries when 4th gear disintegrated at 60k 

[kwackboy]

That price sounds a bit steep for a valve check.

I recently did a valve check on a 2019 650 , it was at 34k miles and all valves needed adjustment so I adjusted them all to the max tolerance.
The bill was £340 which included all shims and 3 hours labour however, the owner requested I re-use his cam cover gaskets, which were fine but if they were replaced the price would have risen somewhat.

It's highly likely at 18k your valve clearances will be fine unless you rag it everywhere.

[endintears]

Seems to me there are three specific questions to answer.
So here goes (IMHO)

 1   Yes they do need checking. Even though it might not be apparent at first the valve seats might be being damaged if they're out of spec.

 2   The period stated [manual] for checking is based on average usage and using mileage to estimate how many revolutions the engine has completed. If you know your usage is atypical then it would be possible to make an informed decision to shorten or extend aforesaid period.

3   Don't think you should be paying £500.
If that is just to do the valves then as kwackboy says sounds a lot.

 

[Mudster]

I checked mine 5 years ago at 16,000 miles and they were all too tight. Engine was running sweetly and no noise from the valves. Of course when I set them correctly the valve gear tapping was noticeably increased.

Would rather have that than valves too tight, and despite checks since, they haven't needed further adjustment.

[Barbel Mick]

Get them checked is my answer, far cheaper than the cost of the engine rebuild if you continue to run it & they are out of spec.
I am getting mine done soon & after asking around £300 for the check, that will include a service, if the shims need changing then another couple of hundred could be added seems the normal.
With regard to kwackboys mention of gaskets the OEM are around £35 each! The prices I quoted above includes those. I will change mine as it's the third time they've been off & I know they weren't changed last time.
My local man will do mine as I know they'll be done correctly & charge me the correct rate,  I will supply the gaskets & the plugs (may as well change them as he's in there) plus I'll ask him to clean & lubricate the throttle linkages while he's got it apart and refresh the dielectric grease in the electrical connections under the airbox. 

[Mojo-Jojo]

Did mine myself over winter, not too difficult and the cost of parts wasn't that expensive, 8x new shims £38, new coolant £26, new oil £38. So that makes £400 labour costs, what is the going rate per hour now and how long would it take a mechanic who is used to doing the job?

[kwackboy]

2 hours without shims and 3 hours if they need changing .

Labour rates can differ,  independent garages tend to be cheaper than dealerships.

[Joe Rocket]

Mojo-Jojo, why oil and cost is your choice...no? 

Just asking. 

[Gert]

Have you considered doing the valve check yourself?  Don't know how?

My two go to guides are: https://circlenz.co.nz/Suzuki-v-strom-DL650-valve-check-and-adjustment/ and https://blacklabadventures.com/2012/02/18/2007-dl-650-valve-check-and-adjustment.  The latter link is for the 1st gen Wee, but has good information with pix that can be adapted for your model.

[Landsurfer74]

Why am I not doing it myself ?
I have the skills, I have the tools and premises ... but after 45 years of working "on the spanners" ......
I can't be assed .... 😃

[Pete O Tube]

@kwackboy - Having re-shimmed a few bikes, I'm amazed that for only an additional hour you can have all four cams out (unbolt 4 x cam caps), pull all the buckets (followers) and shims, measure them, keep everything laid out in the right order, ferret around for eight new shims (measure them just to be sure), replace all the above torquing down the cam caps, check the cam positions/timing (I'd do that twice just to be sure) and cam box covers on.

Are you sure that'd only take an hour?

[Landsurfer74]

Access to the rear cylinder head is a nightmare .... tank off, rad off, this bit and that bit off, coolant drain .... in my case belly pan off and fec' knows what else needs to be removed  .....

[kwackboy]

@ pete

Mostly yes... 

You can't charge for ferreting and the inability to do get it right the first time, I also have tools that can remove a bolt and do them up in seconds. I torque them after.

[Oldleathers]

Good to have an insider like kwackboy on the forum, cheers mate.
Oldleathers

[Cartejo5]

Quote removed

It's the difference between people who really know what their doing and those of us that only think we know what we're doing.

[jolidesign]

Valve clearence should be adjusted not according to your mileage but to the way you use your engine. If you rev constantly the valves open and close more often, thus more wear. If you are gentle on the throttle you can check at a much later mileage.

[Joe Rocket]

Maintenance items are like speed limits given to average out excess, conditions and safety. It is a reasonable timetable to ensure nothing gets too worn, damaged or abused.