Member Contributer swimmer Posted November 18, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted November 18, 2015 I just spent about 10 hours doing the 16K valve adjustment on my 2013 1200. I studied the postings on a couple of 7th gen forums before getting started. On one, the author removed the radiator but not the throttle body assembly, and on another, the author didn’t remove the fuel tank. I followed both of those examples. The gas tank tip worked fine. I simply hoisted the fuel tank out of the way (keeping an eye on the hoses and wires). The jury’s still out on the radiator tip. Next time, I will remove the throttle body assembly…and probably the radiator too. The problem with removing just the radiator is that it’s extremely difficult to pull the front heat shield and valve cover out through the front frame opening. The benefit is that when you work from the radiator side of the engine, you’ve got pretty good access…you can get a torque wrench on the adjusting nuts, the spark plugs, and two of the four cover bolts. So, what did I find? All the intake valves were spot on. All the exhaust valves were on the loose end of spec…but still in spec. I also found that adjusting the exhaust rollers to .008 put the exhaust valves at .012 (so I don't think that you really need to check both). What took me so long? Not having done much work on this bike yet, I took my time along with a lot of pictures. The radiator comes off easily, but is a pain to get back on…and I had to do it twice because I “lost” a couple of wires behind it. I also triple checked everything. I installed new spark plugs (the old ones were like new) and fresh Honda coolant. The original gaskets were soft, undamaged, and in the case of the valve cover gaskets, glued in place. Even though I bought all the recommend gaskets and o-rings, I didn’t use most of them. With fresh plugs, and valves that appear to hold to spec remarkably well, I think I’ll wait until the 48K mark before I devote another day to this chore. I’ve been riding for over 35 years, and I’ve always done my own maintenance. This would have been a fairly straightforward valve adjustment if the front cylinders had been easier to get to…but they’re incredibly hard to get to, so it was actually the toughest that I’ve tackled so far…and that’s without having to adjust the intake valves. Finally, one odd tool came in very handy in replacing the front spark plugs. It’s a flexible 6” drive extension. It allowed me to easily insert and snug down the spark plugs. It also allowed me to retrieve the socket from the bottom of the well after torqueing down the plugs using a standard 3” extension. Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm at about 20k miles after 13 months of ownership and will probably tackle this over the xmas break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 I called my mechanic today to ask about something else. He brought up this topic because I had told him previously that I would like the valves checked with the next service. He thinks I am mentally ill. He told me to sell the VFR and get a newer bike. "But I LIKE this bike!" I am somewhat open minded and feel I could go either way. I hate this discussion because it keeps tipping me off the scale. It is very difficult to argue with the tenet that I could replace the engine for less than this procedure. What now? :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer swimmer Posted November 18, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted November 18, 2015 What now? :( Post in the 5th gen forum? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer HighSideNZ Posted November 18, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted November 18, 2015 Yep you could replace the engine with one of unknown/bogus history and end up in the same or worse boat. Motorcycle engines are finely engineered pieces of equipment and in my opinion deserve to be treated with that in mind. Buy a Ducati and look at the service costs on Desmo's. And the interval! My 2 cents worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum CEO HispanicSlammer Posted November 18, 2015 Forum CEO Share Posted November 18, 2015 I do all my own work, I found 3 of my shim under bucket valves where out of spec, I had some tools that are not usually found in a tool box that I ended up using. To pull the bow loose, the vfr1200 uses a spring loaded bow to tension the cam chain rather then a piston design, I used the spring removal tool I got for my leo vince exhaust, which looks like a miniature wire clothes hanger, grabbed the tension hole and pulled on it till the bow was released and the cam chain was loose. Then I used another tool to secure the bow in place - a steel basketball inflation needle which fit perfectly in the slot and held the bow in place. A few small skinny wrenches to get the cam gear off was needed since there is little room to work, it took some coaxing to get the cam shaft off to get to the shims. Also I needed a long screw driver about a foot long to get to the clamps that hold rubber intake flanges between the head and the throttle body. Also a correctly sized spark plug wrench. Torque wrenches to tighten all the bolts back to spec when assembling the cam mechanism. I spent about 4 hours on the job, I could do it faster but I take my time and do it right. I just unhooked the hoses and wires from the tank and let it swing back as far as it would go, no leaking, it was well out of the way, the airbox has about 20 or so screws to remove its time consuming and a few wires on the temp sensor and map sensor, a few things in the way, the throttle bodies I removed the wire harness at the connectors, and took off the throttle cables at the TP cam. I left the fuel rail intact. took it off and cleaned it all up with carb cleaner It was filthy, cleaned my airfilter too. I had to go buy 3 shims from the dealer, I adjusted all the exhaust valves too they are all rocker valves and very easy to adjust. You have to remove the rocker arms to get the cam shaft off that that was tricky, they dont want to go back in easy, washers get out of position. I did not remove the radiator I did all the work inside the frame, and its very tight fit. I think I am good for another 2 years - I beleive I put more miles on my bike then most 1200 owners I am almost at 50k now. As long as you are doing all that work its worth it to replace the spark plugs since thats almost the same amount of work as a basic valve check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 Yep you could replace the engine with one of unknown/bogus history and end up in the same or worse boat. Motorcycle engines are finely engineered pieces of equipment and in my opinion deserve to be treated with that in mind. Buy a Ducati and look at the service costs on Desmo's. And the interval! My 2 cents worth. I just talked to a co-worker and he said something similar. AKA my bike and engine are a known quantity. I know exactly how well it works now, and am taking care of it. There is no substitute for the known quantity. Thanks! I think this argument is a tipping point for me. I am planning on going forward with this. I hope it is okay I posted some general commentary here given I have a 5th gen. But it is a universal conversation for us VFR owners methinks and I appreciate the advice here as well. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueTraveler Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 I do all my own work, I found 3 of my shim under bucket valves where out of spec, I had some tools that are not usually found in a tool box that I ended up using. To pull the bow loose, the vfr1200 uses a spring loaded bow to tension the cam chain rather then a piston design, I used the spring removal tool I got for my leo vince exhaust, which looks like a miniature wire clothes hanger, grabbed the tension hole and pulled on it till the bow was released and the cam chain was loose. Then I used another tool to secure the bow in place - a steel basketball inflation needle which fit perfectly in the slot and held the bow in place. A few small skinny wrenches to get the cam gear off was needed since there is little room to work, it took some coaxing to get the cam shaft off to get to the shims. Also I needed a long screw driver about a foot long to get to the clamps that hold rubber intake flanges between the head and the throttle body. Also a correctly sized spark plug wrench. Torque wrenches to tighten all the bolts back to spec when assembling the cam mechanism. I spent about 4 hours on the job, I could do it faster but I take my time and do it right. I just unhooked the hoses and wires from the tank and let it swing back as far as it would go, no leaking, it was well out of the way, the airbox has about 20 or so screws to remove its time consuming and a few wires on the temp sensor and map sensor, a few things in the way, the throttle bodies I removed the wire harness at the connectors, and took off the throttle cables at the TP cam. I left the fuel rail intact. took it off and cleaned it all up with carb cleaner It was filthy, cleaned my airfilter too. I had to go buy 3 shims from the dealer, I adjusted all the exhaust valves too they are all rocker valves and very easy to adjust. You have to remove the rocker arms to get the cam shaft off that that was tricky, they dont want to go back in easy, washers get out of position. I did not remove the radiator I did all the work inside the frame, and its very tight fit. I think I am good for another 2 years - I beleive I put more miles on my bike then most 1200 owners I am almost at 50k now. As long as you are doing all that work its worth it to replace the spark plugs since thats almost the same amount of work as a basic valve check. Lot’s of good info there, HS. Thanks. I’m not a trained mechanic (and I’ve never played one on TV), so if my intake valves ever need adjusting, how ‘bout I buy you a round trip ticket to sunny Phoenix in return for 4 hours of your time??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotardMenace Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Buy a Ducati and look at the service costs on Desmo's. And the interval! My 2 cents worth. Which Desmo the Multi with 16K valve intervals or the Monster with 16K valve intervals.......or pretty much any current Ducati.....Yep the old ducs were finicky with shorter valve checks, but the new ones are on par with most manufactures now. Yes I like Ducatis and no I don't have one currently and yes I am again looking to purchase the Buffalo but I wanted to clarify for those out there that Ducati isn't as bad as everyone still seems to believe. Just goes to show how a perception can be turned into reality I guess........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer swimmer Posted December 24, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted December 24, 2015 So the throttle body definitely has to come off in order to check the front cylinder's valves correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer hvfrdave Posted December 24, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted December 24, 2015 Nope, certainly no need to remove the throttle bodies. So the throttle body definitely has to come off in order to check the front cylinder's valves correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lshark Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 my greatest skill as a mechanic is knowing when to turn it over to the Pros ...!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer swimmer Posted December 25, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted December 25, 2015 Nope, certainly no need to remove the throttle bodies. 006 (2).JPG014.JPG So the throttle body definitely has to come off in order to check the front cylinder's valves correct? OK thanks. Did you pull your radiator forward? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer hvfrdave Posted December 25, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted December 25, 2015 I drained the antifreeze, then removed the radiator, for what time it took. I also did the Pair-valve mod at the same time. Nope, certainly no need to remove the throttle bodies. 006 (2).JPG014.JPG So the throttle body definitely has to come off in order to check the front cylinder's valves correct? OK thanks. Did you pull your radiator forward? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
750 Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 I had mine checked on the 750 at 25000 miles. Not one had fallen remotely out of spec. Take from that what you will, only reason I bothered getting it done was due to having a full exhaust fitted at the same time so thought fuck it, why not. Otherwise I'd never have bothered. My other 750 on 48000 miles doesn't feel any different to the posh one other than power delivery due to the posh one having the dyno kit and exhaust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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