valve clearances

[Guest standish honda]

looking on the service schedule supplied by Eddy i have noted the valve clearances should be checked at 18K. I didnt own my bike then and it didn't come with much in the way of history. I spoke to a dealer called Colin Moore regarding a bike he was selling at the time and he claimed a lot didnt get this service done due to the cost of the strip down by a Honda dealer (i didnt buy his bike). My question is should i have them checked with my clock now showing 25K and is it as big a job as he made out. i have a good independant spanner man that can do it for me but how crutial is it?? Also while he is groping around in there should he have a butchers at teh cam chain??

[fast_eddy 712]

16k intervals, just check 'em yourself... a good time to do the plugs whilst you're at it. It's only a big job if they need shims replacing then its cams out time.

They can tighten up so it's well worth it for the piece of mind...

[x11r 386]

Never a good thing to advise on an issue like this , If your in doubt and are wondering if it should be done , Then get them done just for peace of mind , if you have the ability to do it yourself then you will probably save a lot of dosh however get a quote first and if the dealer isn't sure of cost because he's never done one then give him a wide birth.

[Guest standish honda]

not a job i have done previously and the guy i will use is independant and has 20 years experience, generally good honest value for money (that is probably why he is always busy) i wouldnt take it to my local Honda dealer in any case. It has been nagging me for a bit because i know it hasnt been done and am staring to wonder if iam missing out on something.

[x11r 386]

Well like Eddy says they will tighten up eventually and if they get too tight will burn a valve or seat out so if your unsure get them done , I too have done 19k on mine and they've not been done so I will be thinking about it in the near future even if no shims need replacing it will be worth it for peace of mind.

[Guest raeman]

Pete, their is no Honda bike dealer's in wigan now. Lamoto is your best bet. (but you probably knew that:doh:);D

[fast_eddy 712]

It's not a massive job to just check the clearances, well, it is a cow to get at the things I suppose. Then if you find they need attention, you'll have to bolt it all back up again just for your spannerman to strip it again!

Nevertheless, I did it on my other x11... knowing full well what the tossers in the bike shop were like, just so's I knew for sure the state they were in! I did mine at about 17k if I remember? Just one inlet valve was on the tight side of the specs... all the rest were on the button!

So I thought sod it, leave it alone... not long after that I wrecked it anyway :doh:

Just make sure the plunger works on the cct and maybe give it a clean. You could make yourself a stopper tool and give it a bit of a workout with that, it's in the shop manual somewhere, you only need a bit of 1mm flat steel.

[Guest fe5ta]

I was in the same boat as you last year, got mine checked and all was well within spec, cost me

[plastic_orange 214]

I did my Blades ones at 16k, and as most people have found - they were all within spec. 1k later I got headwork done and new cams (wasted my time checking clearances I suppose). I don't think I'll bother with the X11 when it reaches 16k. A good excuse for headwork if it suffers from tight clearances .

Pete

[plastic_orange 214]

Just done a search on this topic on the BB site, and a guy who has checked over 100 birds has only had to adjust one - at 64k. Kinda reasuring I'd say especially as this seems the concensus over there.

Pete

[x11r 386]

Just make sure the plunger works on the cct and maybe give it a clean. You could make yourself a stopper tool and give it a bit of a workout with that, it's in the shop manual somewhere, you only need a bit of 1mm flat steel.

Big CC do a billet cct for

[Guest standish honda]

I replaced my CCT about 2000 miles ago with the one Jaws does. Needs a coat of paint if your going to be fussy when it arrives but it does have new fixings and gasket,in all honesty when i pulled the old one out i couldnt spot any significant difference or wear. The tool provided is ok but i found a small flat bladed screwdriver does the trick every so often (wind it back and let it go).

What sort of a lifespan should a cam chain have? only being used to the cheap elastic bands that car manufacturers fit with a life of 50-60K dependant on make (oh and if it snaps before the replacment due date you are in for a fight with a dealer), iam asuming a cam chain should have a better lifespan than that.

[x11r 386]

The cam chain being a hyvo chain should last miles , just dont over tighten it with that billet cct , I replaced the hyvo drive chain (primary) on my GL1100 at 76k as I felt it was a bit noisy but it had miles left in it , although diferent in widths size etc I would say the Hyvo chain is made to last.

[Guest raeman]

I would think cam chains for x11's will last years as the bike never needs flogging to go fast. I had a new CCT fitted on my old cbr1000f at 40k, chain was still fine as were all valves despite me getting a little paranoid about them never being touched (well as far as i knew they were never done).

On those models the CCT was and still is notorious for rattling and most owners just put up with it as it never seems to go any worse,well mine didn't but i had it changed for piece of mind.

I know a guy with a cbr600 and it's got over 100k on the clock, he's had it for 12yrs and gone through 3CCT's but it's still on it's original chain. If a cbr600 can do it, then surely an x11 can.

[Guest standish honda]

CCT the achilleas heel of Honda? seems there of lots of models that have niggles.

[x11r 386]

the cct on 80's/90's Honda's was a sprung loaded plate with a hole in it which gripped the tensioner rod at an angle and made it a one way ratchet but once the sharp corner on the edge of the hole got worn the rod could slide back , the mechanism resembles that of the one way ratchet on a mastic gun , the poorest piece of engineering for a Superior company really.

[dwr 5]

Honda have always made overcomplicated/crap camchain tensioners, god knows why. As x11r mentions, depending on friction for crissake, and indeed the x11 one does too, in a way.

I changed mine for a new type BB one also, got rid of all rattles, however I have to say that a few thousand miles later, they started to creep back...

-D

[Guest raeman]

I never knew there was any CCT issues with the x11.:confused:

Never had any rattling from mine, even starting after being laid up for 2-3weeks.