Valve clearance

[Dunnster 1,650]

How many people don't change oil, filters, spark plugs, brake fluid..., etc just because the machine works. Honda and other manufacturers specify a maintenance schedule, I doubt they do it for the sake of it. 

[commuter 262]

18 minutes ago, Dunnster said:

How many people don't change oil, filters, spark plugs, brake fluid..., etc just because the machine works. Honda and other manufacturers specify a maintenance schedule, I doubt they do it for the sake of it. 

It could be argued that they do that for the sake of giving their dealers an opportuntiy to make a better/ more comfortable living. Car servicing decreased and mileage between servicing increased when the fleet buyers pressurised the manufacturers. There arent so many fleet buyers of motorcycles....... hmmm.

[klrman 560]

6 minutes ago, commuter said:

It could be argued that they do that for the sake of giving their dealers an opportuntiy to make a better/ more comfortable living. Car servicing decreased and mileage between servicing increased when the fleet buyers pressurised the manufacturers. There arent so many fleet buyers of motorcycles....... hmmm.

Fair point. The trick is knowing which bits are important and what are not. Bike experience together with a healthy life history of s*** behind the fingernails generally means you can do it you self at a time and mileage that suits you. Without these attributes it's generally advisable to follow the manual and use a reputable dealer. I make sure I change all fluids and filters at sensible intervals, other things when they wear out. However, the one I don't understand in this day and age of fuel injected bikes is spark plug replacement. I'll probably provoke some disagreement on this but in my opinion if a bike will pull hard at 3/4 revs and more without misfiring, then leave well alone. Cars and bikes alike. 

[temp 359]

37 minutes ago, Dunnster said:

How many people don't change oil, filters, spark plugs, brake fluid..., etc just because the machine works. Honda and other manufacturers specify a maintenance schedule, I doubt they do it for the sake of it. 

They are all consumables not made by Honda, so should be checked/changed

[Rocker66 34,436]

I have my Crossrunner booked in for a 4K mile service on Tuesday which will be just an oil and filter change and general check over. These days the service period is 8K miles but I prefer to play safe. 

Im sure that I will get negative comments for the above but it’s for my peace of mind and at the end of the day it’s my money and my choice.

[temp 359]

Frequent oil and filter changes are the best to do for longeviety.

Well done!

[klrman 560]

1 minute ago, Rocker66 said:

I have my Crossrunner booked in for a 4K mile service on Tuesday which will be just an oil and filter change and general check over. These days the service period is 8K miles but I prefer to play safe. 

Im sure that I will get negative comments for the above but it’s for my peace of mind and at the end of the day it’s my money and my choice.

I used to do the same with high performance bikes when I used to thrash the knackers off 'em. Nowadays, I'm not so precise. I usually work on about 5000 for oil and filter. Air filter at 20000. I find 500

 

[klrman 560]

I find multiples of 5000 easier to remember than 4000

[Rocker66 34,436]

3 minutes ago, klrman said:

I find multiples of 5000 easier to remember than 4000

I just remember my 4 times table from primary school😀😀

[Guest machinman]

8 hours ago, DaveM59 said:

Considering the amount of complaints owners have (generally, not only on here) about dealers who say they have done work but on checking clearly haven't, is there any certainty just because a piece of paper says they were done, that they really were. I know you trust your dealer, but if they weren't as honest as you think they are, you wouldn't be in any different a position as anyone buying second hand, thinking everything was getting the attention it should, but in fact it isn't.

 

I always document every little job I do on my bikes, right down to consumables like bulbs, brake pads etc with dates and mileage and mark every part invoice with the date and mileage it was fitted. This goes with the bike when I sell, but when trading in dealers refuse to take it. They will not have any documentation that leads to the last owner and if you insist they shred it.

All you get from a main dealer when buying a used bike is the service book and handbook and possibly any reference to recalls that may have been actioned, and that's all. So a dealer actually hides the detail from a new buyer.

When you sell privately, new owners relish this information and having been in the position of buying privately, every nugget of history is useful and often seals the deal. Dealers seem to prefer to keep you in the dark when buying a used bike from them.

 

To me, service history means the books been stamped. It proves nothing else.

[Rocker66 34,436]

12 minutes ago, machinman said:

To me, service history means the books been stamped. It proves nothing else.

The point is people are far more likely to post about dealers than they are about good ones.

[trisaki 2,029]

1 hour ago, Rocker66 said:

I have my Crossrunner booked in for a 4K mile service on Tuesday which will be just an oil and filter change and general check over. These days the service period is 8K miles but I prefer to play safe. 

Im sure that I will get negative comments for the above but it’s for my peace of mind and at the end of the day it’s my money and my choice.

8000 miles  or annually which ever comes first is the Nc wording probably same as yours 

[Rocker66 34,436]

4 minutes ago, trisaki said:

8000 miles  or annually which ever comes first is the Nc wording probably same as yours 

Yes I know but I still like to change oil and filter every 4000 miles which is less than the recommended mileage and certainly less than 12 months.

[Dunnster 1,650]

2 hours ago, temp said:

They are all consumables not made by Honda, so should be checked/changed

Very true, but point I was making still stands. 

[Dunnster 1,650]

2 hours ago, commuter said:

It could be argued that they do that for the sake of giving their dealers an opportuntiy to make a better/ more comfortable living. Car servicing decreased and mileage between servicing increased when the fleet buyers pressurised the manufacturers. There arent so many fleet buyers of motorcycles....... hmmm.

Not really, it's a maintenance schedule that states what is required doing at a set mileage or time  Doesn't matter who carries out the work. 

[coopers12345 99]

2 hours ago, Dunnster said:

Not really, it's a maintenance schedule that states what is required doing at a set mileage or time  Doesn't matter who carries out the work. 

 

The point being made was that the reason for increased car service intervals compared to bikes is possibly because there are large companies running  fleets that pressure the manufacturers to work on extending the service intervals on their vehicles. If one manufacturer doesn't then another one will and they'll get more business from fleet companies due to decreased running costs. There aren't many companies running thousands of bikes to put pressure on manufacturers to increase the service intervals so they are less likely to bother. Individual riders are less likely to care if their one and only bike requires a service at 4k or 6k, but if you had 10,000 vehicles that difference would be significant.

[DaveM59 1,605]

22 hours ago, gonzo said:

I bought a van from a south wales big dealership a while back, on looking at the service history in the showroom i noticed it had to be serviced at 12000 miles. And this van had 14000 miles on the clock. i said i would want it serviced before i collected it,  "No problem sir" he said it will be £160 on top of the sale price, I told him if its not included in the price i would walk away. He went to talk to his manager, came back and said not a problem we will do it in the price,. I picked the van up a week later and took it to my garage as i did not trust the dealership, i told my garage to do an oil and filter change a week later,  On collecting the van i said to the mechanic who did the job, did it look like it had been done last week,? He told me it had never been touched since it was made 2 years ago,!! How did he know . He had trouble getting to the filter as the engine bash plate was difficult to remove with rusted bolts . I rest my case . !!!

I changed the oil on my Diesel Fiesta a few weeks ago and also got the impression from the difficulty I had removing the oil filter, plus the cruddy gunged up state it was in that it had never been touched for a long time maybe even the whole 40,000 miles. It was supposed to have been serviced when I bought it from a main dealer last year and although when I dipped the oil it look clean-ish, they definitely didn't change the filter.

Not sure whether to take the Forza back at 600 miles for the first service or just do it myself as it may possibly be next spring before I put that many miles on it. If it's free I might - didn't ask! After that it will be DIY I think.

[neojynx 722]

So if the NC engine is basically half a Honda Jazz engine, why don't the valve clearances reflect the Honda Jazz mileage for doing them.. I have just been looking at the Jazz forum and I believe that Honda recommend every 25k, although some have been running 100k plus without doing them.

 

I remember doing the 'tappets' when I was younger 'in the old days', but cant say I have ever done them on a modern car nor has the garage ever done them.

 

Just wundrin

[Rocker66 34,436]

2 minutes ago, neojynx said:

So if the NC engine is basically half a Honda Jazz engine, why don't the valve clearances reflect the Honda Jazz mileage for doing them.. I have just been looking at the Jazz forum and I believe that Honda recommend every 25k, although some have been running 100k plus without doing them.

 

I remember doing the 'tappets' when I was younger 'in the old days', but cant say I have ever done them on a modern car nor has the garage ever done them.

 

Just wundrin

Because the NC engine isn’t basically half a Jazz engine although it does have some Jazz technology. This popular misconception came from something a Japanese Honda staff member said being mistranslated.

[ChrisCB 6,671]

Until recently I was in the motor trade and the last time I adjusted valve clearances was in the late 90's on TVR sports cars, Ford V6 engines mainly but also the odd Rover V8 that we converted to solid valve lifters for performance (more revs). 

 

All the engines in VW group cars are hydraulic actuation so from 98 my feeler gauges started going a bit rusty!

 

I have done a few VFR's (time consuming) and four NC's, out of those four, one bike had a tight exhaust valve and two had loose inlets, personally I'd do them at the suggested interval, its wear and tear with variable's such as, type of fuel being used and how the rider uses the bike.

 

Remember the 2013 CB500's had a valve check at 600 miles and because of negative feedback changed the valve gear design on the later models with valve check at 16k and increased the price of the bike by £150.

[Graham NZ 1,186]

I advise having the valve clearances checked as soon as possible if the bike is new and if you've just bought a used one.  Once you know for certain that they are correct repeat the procedure every three years when it's time to change the coolant anyway because the radiator needs to be removed to access the tappets.

[makman 975]

I bought my bike with 16K on the clocks and although the service book was stamped I was not sure if they had checked the clearances. So at 19K I had them checked and two were definitely out.  Heading to the 24K service soon and it will be checked as it is prudent to keep to the service schedule on these. My 2002 Sprint RS never needed shims over 33k of ownership.  FJ1200 did need shims at 85k service, but that was to be expected.  I'd always err on the side of safety.

[Guest DelBoy]

Mine is coming up for its 32k and although I am perfectly capable of doing it myself it means giving up a Saturday.

So I am taking it to a Honda dealer very near work, I can drop it off first thing and pick up after work.

Much more convenient.

Although  I will do the brake pads (if needed) myself, as I doubt that they would fit Non-OEM pads.

 

[Trev 18,622]

On 9/9/2018 at 20:43, Rocker66 said:

Yes I know but I still like to change oil and filter every 4000 miles which is less than the recommended mileage and certainly less than 12 months.

 

Rocker, you buy one of the most reliable brands, punt them on before they're out of waranty and don't depend on the bike for commuting so why are you spending extra?

 

[Graham NZ 1,186]

At least the NC screw and locknut tappets can be serviced by owners if they want to.  With shimmed systems a whole set of shims is required unless a lot of mucking about is undertaken - measure the clearances, remove the shims if adjustment is needed, acquire new shims of the appropriate thickness, refit and remeasure everything and hope you got it all correct.