When should I check my valves?

[Rmcapozzi]

I've always thought the first few valve clearance checks are the most important. As the motor gets through it first few 10k miles or so, I would expect the adjustments to be less frequent but I too will continue to check them.

 

[cyclemikey]

One thing that hasn't been brought up, but probably bears mentioning, is that valve adjustment intervals may also depend on usage. Specifically, hard use - heavy loading, high rpm running, frequent hard acceleration, etc. - can all impact valve train wear and hence, adjustment intervals.

And not to bring up a Dreaded Oil Thread, but use of high quality oil (and gasoline) can also affect the equation.

For whatever it's worth, I use synthetic motorcycle oil, premium non-ethanol fuel, and have no plans to check the valves again (they were checked at 600mi) until 20K or so. And I'm not worried in the least. YMMV. Literally. (At my generally relaxed pace on my preferred secondary highways, I get just a smidge under 60mpg.)

Mikey
Coos Bay, Oregon USA

2010 NT700VA
+ Others. Many others.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Mikey,

You've probably heard this before, but there's no reason to use premium fuel unless you've got a higher compression engine. All the higher octane does is prevent knock. The NT won't knock with the lowest octane gas you can buiy in Coos Bay. But if you want to spend more money and feel OK with that, I don't that you'll hurt your engine. You won't get quite as good a performance from the higher octane, though.

 

[Rich]

Mikey,

You've probably heard this before, but there's no reason to use premium fuel unless you've got a higher compression engine. All the higher octane does is prevent knock. The NT won't knock with the lowest octane gas you can buiy in Coos Bay. But if you want to spend more money and feel OK with that, I don't that you'll hurt your engine. You won't get quite as good a performance from the higher octane, though.

Some years ago I performed this experiment with my GL1000. Routinely I used regular gas in it. But in four separate experiments I filled it (starting with a mostly empty tank) with premium gas. In all cases - every single one - gas mileage went down by about 2 MPG. This was not what I was expecting, but it's what happened.

 

[karl]

Skipping a manufacturers preventive maintenance could save you some time or money or could turn around and bite you in the butt. Many years ago I worked as a machinist in the aerospace industry back when humans still operated the machines. Nothing is perfect. Modern machining practice comes real close. Metallurgy keeps getting better and better but still not perfect.
With the valves set too tight they can be kept off the seat long enough that the motor still runs great but they don't get enough cooling and will burn. That can get time consuming to repair. With my luck that would be right on the same day the weather gets really nice for riding.

You save your money and take your chances.

 

[cyclemikey]

Mikey,

You've probably heard this before, but there's no reason to use premium fuel unless you've got a higher compression engine. All the higher octane does is prevent knock. The NT won't knock with the lowest octane gas you can buiy in Coos Bay. But if you want to spend more money and feel OK with that, I don't that you'll hurt your engine. You won't get quite as good a performance from the higher octane, though.

Hi Phil, Yes you make a good point. But I'm not using premium for the octane, I'm using it because that's the only grade of non-ethanol available here in Oregon. It's very expensive, but worth it to me to keep that crap out of my bikes.

[BTW, on a 7000 mile cross-country trip with the NT, I kept careful records the whole way and the mileage was 10-15% worse when I had to use E10 fuel. And, to be honest, when I can't get non-ethanol and I fill with Chevron E10, I still sometimes use the premium because the additive package is better. I'm sure the NT could get by on whatever, but I generally fuel it the same as the other (65) bikes. As you can imagine, many of them get few miles.]

FWIW I can't confirm that mileage and/or performance on the NT suffers on premium fuel. In the absence of a functioning knock sensor controlling the ignition timing, it's certainly theoretically possible, due to the speed of the burn, but I've run sequential tanks on it, same brand, and have not seen either effect. Inferring from that that I just "want to spend more money and feel OK with that" is maybe just a wee tad snarky, eh? I'm just going to concede that you may be right and leave it there.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Mikey, I never thought about the possibility of getting non-ethanol fuel by buying premium. Good enough reason.

And I have, from time to time, been just a tad snarky. Sorry 'bout that. I try to keep it under control, but sometimes I fail.

 

[Coyote Chris]

Wow... that is really something to think about. I'll have to take a look at the manufacture date of my 'new' 2010 NT and consider changing those fluids.

Does anyone have any tests about anti-corrosive propertys or lubricative properties of coolant breaking down? The concentrate and the pre-mix I see on the store shelves is rated for five years
after install. Does it break down in the original container? In the bike without usage? In the bike with usage?