Okay guys-I've never checked or adjusted valves before.I think I could do this.But I don't know how the thing works.I can see how to do the check,physically(in the manual).But I've no idea how to figure out which piston is at TDC.And which valves to check at which point.(the corresponding valves with the correct piston).I'm not stupid-just unexperienced in this.I know it's not that complicated if you understand what's happening.I mean,I know which set of valves go with a particular cylinder,I can see that,-but I don't know how to get the correct settings(TDC) for whichever cylinder I am going to check-Is there a sequence with this?And how do I know which cylinder I'm on?.Anyone feel like instructing me here?I've got a MUZZY timing advancer on there set to 4 degrees advance-is that going to change the TDC and valve action at all?Can I do this job with it set 4 degrees advanced?Thanks all!Ride safe!.........If anyone has done this,and thinks my questions reveal a strong possibility that I could mess this up-PLEASE SAY SO.Thanks all!

* Last updated by: blue07 on 7/1/2009 @ 3:08 AM *

It's not that bad to find top dead center of a piston, just take that crankshaft sensor cover and that little timing wheel will have a line on it and just line that up with the line you get from the 2 halves of the case come together, make sure u have the head cover off and turn the engine until either cyl 1 or 4 valves are fully closed and that mark lines up with the line from the case halves, then just follow the chart in the book for the clearances for which valves depending on which piston is at TDC...another method to put a cylinder at TDC is to pull of the plug from whichever cylinder you want to put the piston in TDC and stick a longer wooden dowl or pencil eraser end until it rests on top of the piston...then rotate the engine BY HAND!!!!! NOT WITH THE STARTERuntil you see the pencil go as far up as it can before going back down with both valves in the closed position...if it starts to go back down then you have to turn the engine back and start find it again because there is a very small gap where the crankshaft is turning but the piston doesn't move up or down, thats TDC, and you have to perfectly within that gap to get a good reading...

Blue, I am so confident with your ability, I would trust you more than that OEM boy fresh out of wherever that slow shop is not rotating some cam shim bikes now, are they? So, either you tag team with the guy and get clearance with the dealer principal you two train his employee.

You have, rc showing you the way. I prefer a bamboo chopstick being; it has no lead tip to break off; it has no metal band or rubber to crush that will not give if the valve and piston come too close on the static cycling.

If you do not get the cycle correct, you can be 180° out of phase and if you check clearance you can get thrown off if you think you checked it by the book in that 4 set/inspect are 2 in's and 2 ex. Then you rotate 360° and set the other 4 sets of 2-valves.

So, rather than confuse the issue running flat rate style, lets treat each cylinder as 1. That means the long way, where you will turn the crank 4 times rather than 2 turns > Flat-rate style.

Look at the 4-strokes this way as you study the cam lobes. You are going to see the toe of the cam, push open a valve. So right there, you will know which stroke that cylinder is on. Because if you think about it, she is moving at 4 strokes. So one cylinder is going to be on compression, while the other 3 are doing their strokes.

Strokes Move 4 Ways:

1. Intake Stroke - This is where I watch the intake go down and come back up.
2. Compression Stroke - Once I see the intake come up, I know that is the one cylinder that is on the way up to compress the fuel/air ratio.
3. Power stroke - I am going turn the crank and watch that one cylinder perform the next stroke is the piston is on the way down and that exhaust is about to open soon where the forth stroke is going to appear as the...
4. Exhaust Stroke - So, there you have it. You are going to see that exhaust stroke open fully and there is the intake about to open and there is this term called, "Overlap" where you see both valves open, and now that hot air is pulling the spent and fresh air out to the exhaust header, where you now have a clean cylinder with minimal loss of the fresh being so much "efficient" is the Normally Aspirated.

We forever watch that INTAKE OPEN THEN CLOSE = Note the COMPRESSION STROKE is next. Slide my feeler gauge in between the gap of the cam lobe and the shim bucket. And, blueskis, if you flex, bend, or force that feeler gauge in between that gap is think about it. She is not that clearance of the gap. It has to slide in without forcing the blade.

You want to remove the blade from the initial pack. You want to sacrifice the clearances of a, Go-No-Go system.
So buy a feeler with metric labeling on the blade. You have that angle of the flat blade sticking out on the head and throwing off your feel. So, this is where you bend the blade at say a 45° angle to clear the head. Say the ex uses 0.22 mm as the minimum. Then this should fit or slide in as loose as a goose. The ex then uses the fatter 0.27 mm feeler as the max you want that gap to be. So the 0.27 mm feeler should not slide in. Remember, this go-no-go system calls for no bending of the blade!!!!

That is the key trick to proper feel. If that blade is being forced, that is not how you jam the feeler in there is it opens the valve or it sure loads the spring right before it opens. So watch your peas and Q's. on the intake is 0.15 mm is the slides in like butter or she is starting to tighten up or the valve is being hammered into the seat and they sort of flatten each other more on the softer seat where 0.20 mm should not slide in is a bent valve say is how that gap is so wide, the 0.20 fell in!

YO*u get stumped with the language or procedure on the first try, send in the questions. There are plenty here that have done this many times. And now, if you have to replace a shim, you need to get that cam timing correct on the first try is only one shot at it. We can walk you through that too. Just for now, see if your clearance are within spec. Who cares what is in between the gap of your high and low feelers. They are within spec or someplace in the middle of those two feelers is all you need to worry about for now if you attempt this, that is.

Got a web-cam? Look over your shoulder is that ability?

* Last updated by: Hub on 7/1/2009 @ 9:53 AM *

Should I pull all the plugs to begin with?To relieve the compression?And to turn the engine over,(by hand),how do I do that-by moving the bike in gear?Can I do two sets of pistons at the same time?If I'm looking down at the opened valve cover,what am I looking at to tell me the valve is open or closed?I will see the cam lobes,right,and the "buckets"(with the springs on there?yes?.)Then what am I looking at(or for).Will only two valves(say,the intakes)be open or closed together at a time?)and that line lines up with the mark on the cover,yes?.When the piston is fully TDC,lined up with the mark,then the valves will either be open or closed(two at a time)....and I check with the feeler gauge the two which are-?(will the lobe be in the position as it is in the manual picture ALWAYS?)After checking those two(?)I turn the engine(that piston cycle) 180 degrees?(or 360?),line up the mark again(it should automatically be at TDC then?)and then check the other two valves(say,the exhaust).Am I getting this correct?Using the two feelers,minimum and maximum?Or do I check ALL the intakes at one go,and then ALL the exhausts,like that?Or one single piston at a time?Intake and exhaust both?So to get the TDC-I insert a straw or something similar into the plug hole,turn the engine till it comes all the way up,then that line on the ignition wheel should be at the mark at that point,yes?Let me get this correct here.The piston is moving up and down four complete times(from TDC)That is one cycle-that includes four compression strokes(up)and four "exhaust" strokes(down)Every up stroke to TDC opens or closes a set of valves,yes?The one "cycle"is only ONE 360 degree turn on the ignition wheel?I feel really dumb about asking how a FOUR STROKE works-let me tell ya!Okay HUB-I'm reading your post again.It's starting to make sense now( it takes me a bit to "get the picture"-your instructions are VERY CLEAR-I can see that)-Thanks VERY MUCH.I'm gonna do like you guys said-I'm gonna do this myself-but I WILL be posting here with questions I'm pretty sure.So I should just concentrate on ONE piston at a time,or can I do two at a time?And the intakes are at the rear of the piston,right?

* Last updated by: blue07 on 7/1/2009 @ 11:36 AM *

Pulling the plugs are an option. If you never changed the plugs, I suggest you kill 2 birds now. So, no, you can keep the plugs in and move the crank slowly. If you back off or spin the crank backward, you might loosen the advancer bolt if not tight installing the advancer.

Compression stroke means both valves have to be closed. Yes, you will see the lobes look horizontal looking down or sideways. No, you will see only the shim bucket. Once you remove the cam to gain access to the shim, only then will you see the spring and how that shim is placed on the spring's retainer. Pulling the bucket off is how that shim keeps from popping out. The old way was the shim was on top of the bucket, but they would spit out on high revs. Since they are placed in between the spring and bucket, there is less change of this. Only pain is to remove the cams.

So, we are measuring the #1 cylinder at the intake and exhaust. That means, if you find TDC, you automatically have both the intake and exhaust closed. Therefore you now can proceed to place your proper sizes in between the cam's "Heel."

Remember, we watched our "Toe" of the cam open the valve. The ramp or that moving of the valve to close is it follows the "Ramp" or the middle of the cam lobe. So, if you like, you can use #1 cylinder as your base compression TDC. Now you measure the #1 cylinder's intake and exhaust side. Say, you remove the cam cover and low and behold you move a few more degrees and you now have the #4 cylinder at TDC. There is no reason you could not start to measure at the #4 cylinder first. Either way, you are going to have to turn the crank another 360° so start at either end are no rules who is adjusted first.

Here is where you are looking in the book and it shows you on page 2-23, that #1 can be checked - #2's Intakes can be measured - #3 Exhaust can be measured. Now you turn the crank 360° and note how you now check the opposites turning to TDC on #4 cylinder.

If you can work the flat rate as per book, by all means, that is one way of 3 ways of checking the clearances. Once you familiarize yourself with the adjusting and you feel like you have this down, you can run a more advanced check. But for now, learn the basics before you head to the finer type of tune or say to achieve a more refined tune.

So to recap: If you have the rear wheel off the ground to spin the tire, then that is a lot easier on the advancer bolt. Therefore, plugs out for this one, or plugs can stay in with the crank bolt. But one thing to remember is to start the bike up first to get out of the safety lockout of second gear. You can either shift up to 3rd and shut it down. By the time you are ready to check the valves, your engine will be way cold because you did not have the engine running that long at all.

The other way is the day you do the adjustment, you rolled in the garage with the bike in 3rd gear or say before you turn it off, be in 3rd or higher so you can hit top gear. 6th gear makes the crank easier to spin.

You are going to ignore your 4° mark and watch that stick in the hole pencil or bamboo, is see how much the 4 degrees are off from TDC = Pencil/bamboo stick wise.

Note: On page 2-22 how the cam lobe is horizontal in the photo. But not how the intakes or exhausts will line up that are to be measured but are not in a horizontal position, but the heel is being measured still at that point before the 'ramp' begins to take over. So, #1 and #4 cam lobes will be at that horizontal position of both the in and ex. And the other valves to adjust should have that 'heel' matched to that drawing below the photo on said FSM page.

Keep clearing the mind before the attempt. We on the same page yet>?

Yes-I'm seeing it now-The ramp is the longish flat spot on the lobe.The heel is the round part.The TDC is where the "pencil/bamboo"no longer goes up or down(yeah,I know that).Forget the 4 degree mark-that will be "off"somewhat from the "original" advancer wheel.But it should be,well,4 degrees away from the original(and this will be "close"to the mark on the inside of the case there).In 6th,I can turn the crank with my hand on the advancer?Or do I use the rear wheel to turn the engine over?I need to pull the plugs don't I to see TDC with the stick,yes?(obviously).but can I get TDC without doing that-I mean,can I rely on the advancer wheel and the position of the lobes with confidence?If I slide the gauge in there,and it is tight-do I move the advancer a tad either way to see if the friction changes on the gauge?........And NO HUB-I aint "tag teamin"with those guys over there!!!I KNOW you guys here know what's going on with our bikes!I gotta pull the tank,right?And the throttlebodies-yes?(which of course means REMOVING THE PESKY SUBFRAME AGAIN!!!SH&*!)LOL..............Okay,I'm getting this now-So I don't need to be concerned about being 180 out or whatever-right?the timing mark just needs to be lined up,and then the valves will dictate which ones I check.They can only be "open" or "closed"-right?So I just check the correct valve clearance on whichever one(s)are diagrammed in the book-yes?....For clarity-the "measuring valve"(in the diagrams on pg2-23)means that they are?(TDC,and CLOSED?)And that corresponds with the timing mark on the ignition-right?I can leave the plugs in?.The more I look at this,the easier it seems-am I right?I can check all the "measuring valves" at one time,once I get #1 or #4 piston at TDC?NOW-one more question-can I use my timing mark on my MUZZY advancer to line up on the ignition case mark,or do I need to install my original trigger?

* Last updated by: blue07 on 7/1/2009 @ 1:02 PM *

Forget the 4 degree mark-that will be "off"somewhat from the "original" advancer wheel.But it should be,well,4 degrees away from the original(and this will be "close"to the mark on the inside of the case there). Yep. if you can figure out 4 degrees or rely on the one time bamboo deal, you magic mark what is not TDC next to the 4 degrees. So, now for the other 3 you just line the magic marker up and no more pencil dicking with it.

In 6th,I can turn the crank with my hand on the advancer? Yes, in the direction of engine movement. And a tap of the starter will tell you engine direction.
Or do I use the rear wheel to turn the engine over? Use the rear wheel to reverse the crank. Being, yes you can turn the bolt back to turn the engine back on the crank side, but the back wheel gets you there without the possible loosening up of the advancer bolt. Just remember to tap the bolt or re-torque it to spec so it does not loosen on the last time you turned the engine rearward with the bolt.

I need to pull the plugs don't I to see TDC with the stick,yes? Yes. Just one plug and the magic marker and you are on your way with so many combos, I will load all this info on you and the head against the wall becomes so much easier is it is sinking in, ain't it.

(obviously).but can I get TDC without doing that-I mean,can I rely on the advancer wheel and the position of the lobes with confidence? Yes. As long as you feel confident that you know what position that cam lobe has to be in, is recheck the book so it matches that photo. More like, at lobes pointing out or the toe is pointed at the exhaust pipe and at the throttle body. You could take a straight edge and the lobes should be as flat and horizontal as that straight edge over the two cam lobes. See photo.

If I slide the gauge in there,and it is tight-do I move the advancer a tad either way to see if the friction changes on the gauge? NO! Once you hit TDC, you set the gauge in there and if she does not move, then she needs to be changed shim wise. You can get a few measurement changes, but as long as it is within that tight/wide gap range, you are at the mercy of TDC and do not move away from there to cheat if the feeler goes in.

I gotta pull the tank,right? And the throttlebodies-yes? (which of course means REMOVING THE PESKY SUBFRAME AGAIN!!!SH&*!)LOL.............. No tank and no body removed. Subframe, yes so you can gain a faster access instead of looking over or under that frame rail.

Okay,I'm getting this now-So I don't need to be concerned about being 180 out or whatever-right? Well, yes, you better know you are not 180-out by viewing the lobes. If say the toe of the cam lobes face the spark plug, are you 180-out? Yes you are!

The timing mark just needs to be lined up,and then the valves will dictate which ones I check. Correct. Lobes out (toe) is TDC. If toes are facing the spark plug, then it is 180° out! Turn the crank one more time to face the lobes out.

They can only be "open" or "closed"-right? Yes. Either TDC or 180-out. YOu got it!

So I just check the correct valve clearance on whichever one(s)are diagrammed in the book-yes? He nailed it. YOu need a beer and no one else is take your time to look at the positions

....For clarity-the "measuring valve"(in the diagrams on pg2-23)means that they are?(TDC,and CLOSED?) Correct!

And that corresponds with the timing mark on the ignition-right? Correct again! Lobes out = TDC Compression.

I can leave the plugs in? Yes. Say you remove only one so you magic mark that TDC with the bamboo. Now you can 360° one time and flat rate 4 valve banks, or turn the crank 4 times which will set the lobes out to the sides x's 4 times at crank rotation.

The more I look at this,the easier it seems-am I right? Yes, because once you turn the crank and watch the 4-cycles, you can see you have to position that crank at TDC so each valve is closed and once you do it to one cylinder, the other 3 become routine, you wound yourself up in a knot for nothing, you are too mechanical inclined not to catch that 4-stroke act.

I can check all the "measuring valves" at one time,once I get #1 or #4 piston at TDC? He wins the door prize!

NOW-one more question-can I use my timing mark on my MUZZY advancer to line up on the ignition case mark,or do I need to install my original trigger? Remember out loophole is one plug removed, one view of that intake valve move down, then back up is we now watch for the stick to stop at TDC = Mark my Muzzy to the Kawi static mark or spit of the case half, and you are half way done is reassemble.

Right on HUB-your answering my many questions the way you did helped me immensely to understand what is going on there.The lobes must be in the same position as the photo-and the mark lined up-GOT IT!Thanks a million for your time helping me understand this.BUT>>>>>>>>>are you SURE I don't have to remove the throttlebodies and tank?It's VERY tight in there.I'm not convinced I can get 1-the correct feeler blade angle and reading,2-the valve bolts out in the middle,3-the valve cover out and replace the gasket on it.Shouldn't I just go the extra bit and get that stuff out of the way?(The manual does say to remove those parts).Whattaya think?Just one more about the timer.The Muzzys has the little hash marks on it-each one is 2 degrees of advance OR retard(whichever way you go-it has the marks on both sides of the "starting" mark.(which is the stock mark)So I line it up to the "Stock Mark" on the Muzzys-yes?and that will be factory TDC-and then I measure with that mark-right?(I'm measuring at Stock timing,not at 4 degree-yes?)Thanks again HUB-I FEEL MUCH BETTER NOW KNOWING I'M GONNA BE DOING THIS JOB.And I also appreciate your confidence that I can do this-Thanks.It means a lot.

* Last updated by: blue07 on 7/1/2009 @ 11:49 PM *

BUT>>>>>>>>>are you SURE I don't have to remove the throttlebodies and tank? Positive. If you look at the tank, it is well past the throttle bodies. Once you remove the right side, you could pull the cover out the right side. This is where you become and engineer and think how to remove one piece after the other. That rubber blanket can be pulled up against the bottom of the ram chamber so as to gain access to the top cover. It will hug the t-body but there is enough room to manipulate the bolts off the cover and out she comes.

The book does not need to explain how to remove the cover. This is more the mechanic already knows how to attack said rubber blanket design. You'll be pulling off the PAIR hoses so it clears the tight fit. Oh, you are gonna love the work. You are going to wish you were a lot smaller with even smaller hands.

I may try to loophole removing the left frame brace. Think about it. This brace has permanent type loc-tite material around the threads. I would think that the right side being exposed so as no brace, this is the service side to the 14 to remove the cover and check clearances and the like.

If you look at a design to disassemble, you take the approach of minimum removal of parts. So, if I can get away with the left brace, it might stay on being I have a lot more room on the right side. It looks like there is no room to move in there, but you just keep plugging away and things just keep rolling off as one big piece. So technically, the more bulk you remove with less hardware removed to pull the piece away, you are beginning to understand engineering and what you can squeeze past is leave the t-body on. The tank is no where close to the shim check. Once you take so much minimum plastic off, this is your first step is less removed, the easier the assembly.

It's VERY tight in there.I'm not convinced I can get 1-the correct feeler blade angle and reading,2-the valve bolts out in the middle,3-the valve cover out and replace the gasket on it.Shouldn't I just go the extra bit and get that stuff out of the way?(The manual does say to remove those parts).Whattaya think? YOu are going to find out why it costs so much to set the valves. This is a long time consuming job. It is just to take things apart. The shim checking is the easy and fast part. R&R (remove/replace) the valve cover, you have to have the patients of a saint. You can't go fast. You must be meticulous and have some dexterity under that ram frame and all that is between the valve cover.

Remember, this is the internals being exposed. This is a dirt free and dust free environment. No debris should be dropping in the cam tower area. A dust storm and all that wind grit is another no-no. YOU are a DOCTOR in surgery. Do not leave a rag or wrench behind or call it malpractice.

If you found that hash mark to line up as a stock setting, then use that. To verify, the bamboo rises to the top and when it does = Hash Mark Lines Up Stock = Like you figured out. Thus the confidence I have you getting her done.

You might appreciate how much it takes to work on these and how they placed all those parts on two wheels. It is going to be tight, frustrating, and set your nerves on edge you have to work as tight as you do.

I rather set the valves than chase that sync screw. You want to talk tight fit and dexterity! WAIT! Valve checking is nothing.

Yeah, 07, take your time. You are going to find out it was not that difficult to remove all the parts and reinstall them. Like any rubber hoses going back on? Your spit is slippery enough to wad up a saliva slap on the hose ends. These will pop right back on the PAIR cages or the PAIR relay.

I'm ordering 4 new plugs and a top cover gasket. You could probably get away with reusing the cover. But when it is new and supple, it will make a better seal when they are fresh. I see no reason you could not use the other on over again. But did you notice how much a pain that was to remove and now you have a leak that needs fixing or shimming?

Well.........I began my quest at doing a valve check.I have to say,I'm deciding to let my mechanic at another shop do this deal for me-yeah,I know-may have given up too soon.I removed all the stuff to get there,including throttlebodies and tank.Got all the wiring unplugged,and all that.I couldn't get in there to remove the air suction valves(just too darn tight for me).Couldn't really get to the central valve cover bolts with the reed housings on there.Have to take the rubber cover seal off-can't get er past the front of the engine with that stuff in there.Rather than try and struggle with it-I'd rather have someone do it and be done with it.Got all the electrics plugged back in-hit the starter-she fired right up(thank GOD).So anyway-I learned some more things about my bike tonight.I appreciate ALL the help I've gotten through this forum-really top notch.I hate to "give up"-but at least I tried.Went as far as I could.So plastics go back on tomorrow-and "hopefully"she'll run okay.(she sounded fine at this point).Thanks again HUB-really.

Blue, ya did fine, don't worry. It can be intimidating attempting this one. Once you see the procedure, you can try it next time. I'll try to show as many tricks as if to take a mindset what can be moved and parts that can stay attached.

I expect to replace the bike with the older throttle bodies, using the DattaCoMacGuYveer actuator converter as I kill two birds with one stone.

I'm waiting for parts and then we can start running the video if anyone is interested in how that valve adjust process works.

A vid would be cool.I had no probs getting everything out and away-except-you know-the air suction valves and plumbing up front.The bright side-when I pulled my flies in 07,I had to drill one of the heads off.Thought I had gotten all the pieces out.Last night when I had the airbox exposed,looking down at the back weld area.............there "it" was-this nice round screw head........just waiting to be sucked into the intake.Geez-had that thing somehow dislodged and gone in there-I don't even like thinking about what it probably would have done?Any thoughts on something like that going into the combustion chamber? ....also,I know (from experience last night)that those well nuts can definitely pop out and drop into the airbox.I had to remove the tank again and fish it out.What if one of those got loose in there-could it get to the intake?And what would it likely do if it did?Are those rubber intake ducts designed to prevent something like that from traveling up and over the lip?

* Last updated by: blue07 on 7/6/2009 @ 10:59 PM *

No, that screw head would have to have legs and walk up the V-stacks. Once it is in the ram chamber rolling around, it is unlikely the weight could bounce that high and drop in.

If something that small fell in, it would most likely bend a valve or gouge the cylinder wall, being locked on the edge of the piston. Lots of variables, more or less is guess the damage of that one little head.

I think I have a little big big hand than your average knuckle dragger. So for me to jump in between that gap at the engine and ram will be somewhat of a challenge, but with the right tools, you can make the tools be the tight fitting hands sort of speak.

I think it will be a piece of cake and expect to loophole as much as I can, design wise. You'll see what you thought needing removing where I will try to maneuver the cover out with a lot of things still attached is my guess.

Almost 27000km on my bike now and she sounds the same as the day I baught her, well a little batter since the manual cam chain tnsioner install. Going to get her checked this off season see how the valves are.

Newf14

ya well here I am where 07 was ..starting in on a value clearance check/shim job if needed ..
Can't ride in peace anymore knowing I am at 18 thousand miles ..Gottah do this ..
BUT ....never done anything this deep in a motor before but I have to ..
When I asked the local kawi cro magnon shop guy for a price to check and shim the valves ..he said these encouraging things ...
1 Gee we never done one of those ZX 14's before.(sounded bamboozled even worried I'd actually ask them to do the work.)
2.He "thought" it might be a long job ..and quoted me 8 hours of labour..maybe ..we can't say...but he figured it would be about $1000.00 Canadian -give or take hundreds ..I am sure... to check and possibly not correctly shim the valves !!!! thats rich ..

Great ..Can't afford dropping that coin now nor idiots working on my bike ..
so here I am..
gunna do it myself ..I can't screw it up any more than the shop guy probably would have..

K ..anyone who knows what they are doing with valves ..
begin to laugh ..
here goes a total novice.
Battle plan ..
Step one...try and get the minimum junk out of the way and tied up to get at the value cover
Notice the all encompassing blanket right off ..
notice dust and dirt in that slivery thin place ..
Gunnah vacum the sucker and blow it dead clean before going further ..
Shall check in as I go ..
fun times...
oh Ya

fools rushin in where angels fear to tread.

* Last updated by: painterdude on 7/24/2009 @ 11:36 PM *

Welp I tooled around with the job tonight ....I marked everything with tape
that I pulled apart -all the electrics got taped ..and I photographed everything before I tore into it ..
..Ya I could have skipped all this ..but I am making sure I go very very slow on this job
..I shall err on the side of caution..and being slo mo lazy ..lol
One aspect of the little I did tonight went surprisingly fast ..I struggled when I replaced my plugs a while back to get the tops off ..
Tonight I used a tire iron tool I made for changing my dirt bike tires ..Popped them off one by one very saftely and fast. Cool.
Hopefully tomorrow night I will have the head cover off..I am going to see if I can avoid pulling the throttle bodies but that rubber blanket ..well that will be a fun challenge.

Man did i come up against a lot of sand and crap to clear out. That took a while doing -air blasting out ...
.I do not want a speck of dirt on the head or the head area when I pull it out. Gunnah try and see if I can keep the left side frame rail in place.
One last comment ..the manual sucks.
ya ..big time as a step by step aid.

onward ..

ps...07 ..hope your job goes well for you ..you certainly are avoiding a lot of cuts!! my hands are already all knicked up from the close quarter messing around you have to get into..
I gottah get this job done and done right by next Friday cuzz ..my brother and I are blasting out for parts unknown and gunnah put another 7K plus miles on our bikes.
If I can't get it done ...I will be forced to ride a KTM 950 and I reeeeeeeeeeeeely do not want to go that route. Nice bike ..but 7K on it and my back will be dust..

* Last updated by: painterdude on 7/25/2009 @ 1:23 AM *

Did you get the air suction valves off?That's where I got stuck.Couldn't get in there with any thing.And I did pull the subframe off the left side there-as well as the throttlebodies(surprisingly easy that part).If ya do that,watch yer fuel feed line going into the fuel rail-gotta unplug it.Use caution about kinking the line while yer workin with it.THIS should be interesting Painter.

* Last updated by: blue07 on 7/25/2009 @ 1:25 AM *

haven't tackled that but I guess I have smaller hands than you cuzz I think I will not have a prob. May eat my words tomorrow. Thanks for the heads up on the gas line..
later

Welp I am in the foothills to the Himalayas ..
Got the tank off to get the throttle bodies off ..got a ton of junk out of the way ..dumped the right side frame brace ..disconnected everything in my way ( blowing my original minimalist plan and following the book) ..and yes 07 ...I got them air switching values outah there with no issues. Used an allen key with an extension tube and the suckers walked outah there. Pushed the rubber blanket back ..and now its onward to remove the head..
Having cleaned the space of anything that might interfere with this job..checkin the values will be easy ..well..sortah once I figure sequences out ..which aint rocket science..
I shall see soon enough.
This is a boring job ..just lots of fiddley work and not worth the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ they wanted at the shop..at least so far ..
I may
yet
eat
my
words..
prideth doth goeth beforeth a falleth

* Last updated by: painterdude on 7/25/2009 @ 3:02 PM *

got the head cover off no worries..checked the values following the book ...it ...appears ....
my 33000kl master road blaster ..is wellllllll within spec !!!
did what the book shows re TDC..as rcflyer1388 wrote ..

"It's not that bad to find top dead center of a piston, just take that crankshaft sensor cover and that little timing wheel will have a line on it and just line that up with the line you get from the 2 halves of the case come together, make sure u have the head cover off and turn the engine until either cyl 1 or 4 valves are fully closed and that mark lines up with the line from the case halves, then just follow the chart in the book for the clearances for which valves depending on which piston is at TDC..."

I will hold off on the hallelujahs till I get my engineer bro over to check what I checked..I could have messed up the TDC stuff..but it aint difficult so I am thinkin...all is well.

Up your nose with a ten foot hose Kawi dealership ..

This bike is eeeeeeeeeeeeasy to work on ..or .maybe ...just straightforward to check the valve clearnces anyways ..just have to be patient. Its a pretty handy layout in my view.

* Last updated by: painterdude on 7/25/2009 @ 9:26 PM *

You removed the throttlebodies off to the right side of the motorcycle(sitting on bike)?And you removed the left subframe(where the gray harness is attached?).Okay-I've got mine apart(except for the throttlebodies and connectors and such off the top of the valve cover).I see the hex bolts there for the air valves-don't know why I didn't see em before.You removed front and back hex's,then the whole unit came off as one?I think now I'm this far in again,I'm gonna go ahead and do my valve check as well.But like ya said-I'm not gonna rush it.I want to get this FI code cleared up first.It comes and goes-but always seems to trigger when I open the throttle and hold it while cranking.If I pump the throttle several times after holding it open,then she fires right up-and everytime after that.So I am stumped on this! HUB's been trying to help me out-installed a new sensor(cam position)-didn't help.Someone mentioned MAP sensor-What is that?(I ought to know).And also TPS.(I know what that is).Wondering now if maybe the ECU is having a problem?I'm only getting FI error code 23.And ONLY when she sits like for overnight-first try at starting,doesn't want to fire(?).

* Last updated by: blue07 on 7/26/2009 @ 3:22 AM *

You removed the throttlebodies off to the right side of the motorcycle(sitting on bike)?And you removed the left subframe(where the gray harness is attached?).

( sorry for the wrong answer before ..it should have been -)

yes I removed the left side subframe and moved the bodies right to get at the fuel line to de couple it and then I believe I just kept on going out the right side if I remember correctly.

You removed front and back hex's,then the whole unit came off as one?

bingo.yup

crap on the code error.. my brainiack insight is limted to this ...
I wonder...did you connect eveything up right..or completely when you bolted the bike back up last go around?..how bout that weeny sensor over the throttle bodies ..you can easily forget to connect that one as the cord for it slips down and out of sightt if you do not watch it after taking it off..

I am concened about having screwed up something in my little escapade ..and error codes will start firing as soon as I turn the key ..argh!!! time will tell.

After my bro checks what I did,I am considering syncing the throttle bodies next ....but that special tool..humm I wonder if there is some generic measuring device I can use or is this one Kawi specific??

I will think about your problem and see what I can come up with...but I am pretty useless. Iwillconsult with my brother who is an engineer.

* Last updated by: painterdude on 7/27/2009 @ 2:59 PM *

Thanks Painter-Ya-all connectors are connected.Sounds great yer gettin er done so smoothly-I think yours is gonna start right up just fine.Watch that fuel line down at the fuel pump-make sure that is NOT sitting on that bumper there when ya install your tank again-and that line going into the fuel rail-pull up some slack so it's not "bent"at a 90 degree angle comin off the fuel rail.Just a heads up.Can't wait to hear how's she's doin on startup.Still tryin to find my prob-I may take er in and have the dealer check my voltages at plug to the sensor-I can't seem to get the right reading OR the correct way to measure.Checked my line continuity from the ECU plug(the connector side)and the plug at the sensor connector.It was at 14-x1K.Guess that would be 14,000 ohms-both wires-red/blk...orange/red.So I guess those wires going through the harness are ok?(can't find any reading info for that way of checking).But it APPEARS they're both equal-so I'm assuming(whoops)they're both intact.I'm getting 4 volts ac a the connector when I've got the Red probe in the hot side,and Blk probe on the ground side.That's it.(while cranking)and also when not cranking(key on).

* Last updated by: blue07 on 7/26/2009 @ 1:59 PM *

well 07 the manual says that error code 23 = Camshaft sensor malfunction, wiring open or short.
What the manual also says is that your bike is now attempting to run off of what the ECU can remember from the last good signal it got from the sensor..soo if if you can fix the sensor/short issue you may find its fixes two birds with one stone ..your slightly diminished gas mileage may be due to this problem..Its possible the sensor is ...ah ......dead like a doddo..lol
Just my lame guess bro..My best days wrenching were all done on 2 strokes with simple systems that an idut like me could grasp ..these sensor ridden things are another world ..

by the way ...my brother came by and checked what I did ...and the pronouncement was..that my bike is completely in spec. Thank you Motul!!!
Nearly 20,000 miles and the bike does not have a single problem ...well not yet ..
we shall see when I button it up if I have truly escaped the zillion dollar fee the shop loonies would have charged ..

* Last updated by: painterdude on 7/27/2009 @ 6:13 PM *