Hey guys,

I just got the bike back from the shop after having a service done including a valve adjustment at 27k miles. The bike is now making this ticking noise that won't go away. The shop said they needed to adjust the carbs after the valve adjustment because two of them barely had clearance and it struggled to run after the adjustment. Does anyone know what this sound could be? It's driving me insane. The video is here https://youtu.be/s_4HgF8ai_8

 

Sounds like valves tapping to me. When did they do the work? How long was the bike at the shop? What shims did they replace, IN or EX? What sizes did they install and what did they remove? What specifically were the clearances that they measured? That information should be on the service slip they provided you.

 

They had the bike for two weeks and I got it back on friday. Here's the slip they gave me.

 

This is what you're looking at.
Top row = what they measured labeled "Intake Clearances" or "Exhaust Clearances"
Second row = The current shim installed
Third row = The shim they replaced it with

For the EX side along the top of the document, anything that says 0.19 to 0.25 is in spec and does not need any change.
For the IN side along the bottom of the document, anything that says 0.13 to 0.19 is in spec and does not need any change.

Cylinder 1 EX, should be no change because its within spec. Cylinder 2 EX has 1 in spec and the other barely out, but out none the less. Cylinder 3 EX both out, and Cylinder 4 EX only 1 is out.

For the IN side, #1 both are out, #2 has one out, #3 has one out, and 4 both out.

I'm not sure why they would change ones that were within specification. All of them they seemed to open them to the wider side of the tolerance. Essentially making them noisier. Only way to correct is to do it again.

 

I'm thinking of bringing the bike back there tonight. My concern is the bike wasn't making that ticking noise before I got the valves adjusted and now it is. The noise itself is very annoying but my bigger concern would be something getting damaged in the engine from now having the valves adjusted correctly. The shop said that after they adjusted the valves the bike ran like crap and they had to adjust the carbs to get it running properly. Does that sound right to you? My knowledge is pretty limited when it comes to valves and carbs so I'm looking for opinions on whether it's safe to ride or not and whether or not I should bring it back to the shop.

 

The valves are the beginning point in controlling the air/fuel mixture in the engine. The duration, amount, and timing of the valves opening and closing controls the air passing through the carburetors, and thereby the amount of fuel that gets into the engine. To get things absolutely right, valve clearances should be checked/adjusted to spec, then the carburetors cleaned, adjusted and synchronized in order to get the most performance out of the engine. I don't know that you're at a great risk of damage because the valves are a little on the lose side, however it too would drive me nuts and I'd want it corrected. I'm not instilled with a lot of confidence in their work. But, anyone can have a bad day. I wonder if after they changed the shims and got the cams reinstalled and torqued down, did they take the time to check the clearances again to verify that they were in fact within spec? Makes one wonder right?

 

Thanks for all the help. I talked to the owner at the shop after dropping it back off and he said there was some carbon buildup that didn't allow for an accurate measurement and the valves have been readjusted and is ready to go. I'm going to get the bike tonight and hopefully it's quieter.

 

Personally, I'd be looking for another shop, or learn how to do it yourself. That's a load of BS if you asked me. I appreciate that many people don't have the time, location or skills to work on their own bikes. I get that. I would however at least watch a handful of yourtube videos on what and how it's being done. This way you understand the process and will know when someone is making excuses for not taking the time to do a quality job. For that shop, it cost them not only twice the time, but also potentially a customer and they're reputation. What's the chance you're going to recommend them to a friend?

Good luck, I hope it works out.

 

Tackling the valve adjustment is a serious commitment BUT, as OP is finding out, no one cares as much about doing the job right on your bike as you!

I have two auto shops in my town that I trust to do good work BUT they both have cross threaded lug studs at one time or another and they NEVER clean the rust near/around the areas they work on. Thanks to the wonder of YT, I've tackled so many repairs/mods/projects that I never would have dreamed of attempting 15-20 years ago and if I can do it, anyone can!

 

Glad to see that for the most part this is sorted, though want to add (and still has me curious) in the spec sheet picture of the valve clearances, the #2 left EX circuit is blank (both before and after). Was it just not written down or was it not checked at all? Was my first thought as to the culprit of ticking before reading the rest of the thread.