Valve Adjustment....hmmmmm

[Van]

An ST newbie here and I was wondering about a couple things. My 2005 now has about 19k on it and I'm wondering what you guys think about getting a valve adjustment at those miles. According to the service schedule I may be a little late. The bike runs great and averages around 35MPG. Not looking forward to any maintenance induced problems. I would appreciate your input.
Thanks much,
Van

 

[okmurdog]

I recommend you check the valves - checking is not difficult and really doesn't take much time. Not many STs require adjustment during the first check; however, if nothing else it's important to record the clearances so that you can see if the valves are moving in subsequent checks. Most bikes will require adjustment at some point in mileage.

 

[Kevin_56]

Your call. Most that have had their clearances checked have had none out of spec. The rest have had found a few to need adjustment. I am one that has taken the risk for 99k miles. I keep meticulous records of fuel used at every fill up. For the 6 years of ownership my end of year average has a difference of 3 MPG. Does this mean my valves are in spec, NO. It does say the operation and fuel consumption has not changed and I feel the performance is the same due to the close year end MPG average. I do plan on having mine checked in a couple of weeks when I am under the "hood" replacing my coolant hose as a preventative measure.

MPG by year 07 - 46.3, 08 - 43.2, 09 - 43.7, 10 - 45.3, 11 - 44.1, 12 - 44.3

 

[dduelin]

A valve check is indicated at 16,000 miles. Most owners find all 16 valves within specs at the first check but not everyone does. I checked mine the first time at 22,xxx miles so don't feel alone. Since then I check them around 20 - 22,000 miles each time. Mine did not need adjustment until 86,000 miles. If you check them a couple of times and find the clearances stable you won't feel skipping a check as a big risk but I wouldn't skip the first two as we need them to get a history.

 

[st1300r]

Check around to see if there is a tech day coming up in your area.
That'll give you some insight how to do it and get the covers back on without leaking.
You'll also have a base line measurement.

The dealer quote$ go from $pendy to are you $eriou$ and your not assured of getting numbers just "it was ok".
There's a few with over 100k that have never been checked. A few that needed a shim swap early on. Most probably don't.

 

[Van]

Thanks to everyone that replied. Since I'm not confident to do it myself I made an appt with our local Honda shop to get it done.
Thanks much for the advice.
Van