For those running bikes out of warranty, are you still sticking to the valve adjustment schedule, or do you extend it?
I'd found that once my bikes have been dialed in, very few if any adjustments have been made after 12,000 miles.
Wondering if I can extend adjustment to every 8k or even 10k miles, I've heard some people actually double the time and goto 12k.
Thoughts? Experiences?
I wouldn't run a 4-valver 12k between valve adjustments.
While our
M900 hasn't actually required a valve adjustment in 12 thousand miles, I still check the valve clearances every 6 thousand miles. In fact, I'm more inclined to check the valves considering they've not needed adjustment in soo long.
The only thing I can liken ignoring the valvetrain on a Ducati to is Russian Roulet(sp?) as doing it isn't going to give yuou a warm IZ_ feeling when you are riding your bike, and at some point, you are going to kill your bike. And if that thing grenades while you are at full lean....
You need to either learn to check clearances yourself, send it to an honest mechanic who'll charge you according to what is done. (That still won't make valve checks free, but it'll reduce the price if all that is done is a cursery check and verification that all is in order) Or buy a Yamaha. The R1 has 25 thousand mile intervals. And while it's nowhere near as enjoyable or reactive as a Duc, it's much better suited to those ill equipped to take proper care of their machine. Also Buells have great intervals as they have hydraulic valves that adjust themselves.
Hope this doesn't come across as rude or mean, not my intent. Just sayin', not a good idea to shirk your responsibility to the machine responsible for keeping you off the pavers. You don't want it to shirk its responsibilities.
As far as 2Vs go, after 12K I don't think it would be irresponsible to check them in intervals that are several Ks greater than suggested in the manual. But to just do it every other time is a risk I am not willing to take unless the bike as a lot of miles on it and you know for a fact the half rings haven't been flipped.
Once z!na's 2000 M900ie hit 20k, we went to 10k intervals on belts, valve check/adjust, and chains. Still changed the oil once or twice in between. She sold it with 46k miles (so I did the "50k" early) and it looked and ran as good as the day she bought it new. I adjusted the valves to old world numbers at 1000 miles, 6000, 10,000, 15~16k.
If you have aftermarket stainless steel valves or the rider is all about using the rev limiter, you might consider going the other way... old world clearances and then checking the valves every 3000... or even every 1000 if the 3000 intervals still have adjusting.
:) Chris
With my ST2, I did the valves at 6k, 12k, 24k, and 36k. After the 12k, nothing ever made it out of factory tolerances unless I knew it was marginal at the previous check but I didn't adjust them. On all of my 2V Ducatis, I will probably skip to 12k intervals on the valves after they hit the 12k or 18k point. I will adjust the timing belt tension every 6k, though, as the first time I went 12k between belt tensioning on the ST2, the belts were so loose at the next check that when the engine was cold and I would chop the throttle, the belt would hit the belt cover on one spot and was wearing a groove on the non-toothed side of the belt. So, with my 2V engines after 12k, I will do belt tensioning at 6k and valves at 12k intervals.
Now, with my 748, I'm still running OEM rockers and will not go more than 6k without pulling the cams (I'm coming up on 18k in the next month or so). The next time I need to replace rockers, I'll replace all with Megacycle rockers (I'll probably buy them from Chris, actually). I would have to log at least 12k on Megacycle rockers to even think about extending the valve intervals, and I don't see myself logging 12k+ on that bike for another 3-4 years, so that won't be happening any time soon.
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'll stick with regular belt changes, and go 8k on the valves for now, more $$ for [bacon]