I know preventative maintenance is always good but. Should I really break down my motor and check my valve clearances? I've been thumbing through my manual and it saysat 16000mi I should inspect my valve clearance. I haven't noticed any performance issues and I have no smoke at start up, shut down, etc.

I'm trying to get a feel for what you guys/girls (if any in here) think.

I'm stuck in Maine and can't ride for the winter; so down time isn't an issue with me.

Thanks

 

I checked mine at about 18k and they were still in spec. Not too difficult, I did it in a day. There are some short cuts you can take. l didn't remove the tank, drain the radiator, disconnect the fuel line from the secondary injectors, or disconnect the throttle cables from the trottle bodies (Its alot easier to remove the cyclinder head cover if you disconnect the throttle cables and fully remove the throttle bodies however), you can just hang the secondary injectors over the side of your frame using caution not to scratch your frame. I was in kind of a hurry and wanted to get back on the road. But if you got the time and you want to learn about your bike do it how the manual says. Most likely they are fine tho.

 

you said remove the cylinder head.
dont you mean valve cover.
just making sure

 

I meant cylinder head cover.

 

thank god, i havent hit the mileage necessary to do this but there is no way i am taking the head off. i was thinking about rethinking my "no way the dealer is touching my bike" mantra

 

Yeah, you certainly don't want any dealer touching your bike, trust me.

 

You can do the check yourself. Its quite easy if you're mechanically inclined:
http://cbrworld.net/forums/thread/248256.aspx

 

Thanks for the great info guys. This is an awesome forum.

 

I would deffinatly check out abadfish's write up on the valve clearance check if you want a idea on what your dealing with if you want to try it yourself. I used his info along with my factory manual to get the job done. He's also got a few more write ups on other mods that are worth checking out.