How To: Adjust Your Valves

[kfolse107]

Originally Posted by Fointwinder

Just finished adjusting the valves on my 06 EN500 with ~13,500 miles. This was the 2nd time I've done it, and the process went easy again. Neither time would have been attempted my me if not for the thread/user friendly manual on the subject seen on this forum. I am extremely grateful to all of you who posted and commented on the subject. Thanks much! FYI: It has been ~6500 miles since the last adjustment. The intake valves were still well within specs, but the exhaust valves needed attention. Three were borderline on the tight side (.007), and one had exceeded the borderline (.006). But not any more!

Just did my valve adjustment tonight. Took about 4 hours, but then I'm slow and stopped to eat also. Just before I reached the 4000 mile mark, I noticed more valve noise than usual and the engine just wasn't running right. It started fine, but I could tell something was not quite right. Using .006 on the intake and .008 on the exhaust, I found the intake a bit on the loose side, and the exhaust too tight. One of the phillips head screws stripped, the other came out with no problem. I even reused the coolant after straining it cause it only had 4000 miles on it. Got everything back together and took it for about a 30 mile ride.
It's amazing what well adjusted valves feel like! They sound right and I have more power.
Thanks to this forum's members, I still have money in my wallet that I wouldn't have if I had the dealer do the job.

Now just patiently waiting on my 17 tooth sprocket to come in.

[Zim_the_Giant]

Would I be out of line if I asked the friendly neighborhood moderator to make this "how to" a sticky? Since it's 500 specific, it wouldn't even need to go in the "general" how-to section. I would like to be able to find this when I go to adjust my valves in a month or two, and I'm sure others would find it useful as well.

[MN-Rider]

Originally Posted by Zim_the_Giant

Would I be out of line if I asked the friendly neighborhood moderator to make this "how to" a sticky? Since it's 500 specific, it wouldn't even need to go in the "general" how-to section. I would like to be able to find this when I go to adjust my valves in a month or two, and I'm sure others would find it useful as well.

Done!
__________

[kfolse107]

Originally Posted by Zim_the_Giant

Would I be out of line if I asked the friendly neighborhood moderator to make this "how to" a sticky? Since it's 500 specific, it wouldn't even need to go in the "general" how-to section. I would like to be able to find this when I go to adjust my valves in a month or two, and I'm sure others would find it useful as well.

Well, before I did my valves, I copied the necessary steps and photos to a word doc. on my puter just in case. But a sticky is great too.

[Zim_the_Giant]

Originally Posted by *********

Done!
__________

Thanks Nomad!

[old]

Would appreciate someone posting the diameter and length of the phillips head screw that needs to be replaced with an allen head type? I thought I saw it somewhere in one of the posts, but cannot find it.

Would like to have all necessary parts before beginning the adjustment.

tx..........Old

[Zim_the_Giant]

Originally Posted by old

Would appreciate someone posting the diameter and length of the phillips head screw that needs to be replaced with an allen head type? I thought I saw it somewhere in one of the posts, but cannot find it.

Would like to have all necessary parts before beginning the adjustment.

tx..........Old

Old,
If you don't feel like replacing them with hex heads, you can re-use the phillips (I did). The reason the replacement was brought up is because it makes future repairs easier. To answer your question, though, I don't rightly know the fastener specs. Maybe someone did their adjustment recently and hs it fresh in his mind?

[MnV500]

This is from VulcanRyder's post made 4/16/2011...

"...the coolant tube screws I hit the Home Depot and got metric M6-1.0 x 12mm screws."


Kawasaki list the part as: "220 220AA0612 SCREW-PAN-CROSS,6X12 $2.97"

[old]

Thanks Steve!

[old]

Pay attention to the comment about plugging all openings that would allow something to fall inside the engine. When replacing the small oil tubes, I dropped an 8mm wrench about 3" long down inside the valve cam chain galley.............WHEW........finally got it out with a magnet, but it was touch & go for a while.

Bike runs a lot better after adjusting the clearances.