No kidding.. Now I just gotta do (or should do) a valve clearance check on the bike. Do you have any idea what a ballpark cost might be for this at a local shop?

 

I honestly don’t know. I would call a few reputable shops in your area to get an idea what the rates are for your area.

 

I'd guestimate $250 to $500. Doing the check is not so difficult and might take a couple to 3 hours start to finish. But if they are not in spec, then the job becomes more time consuming because making the adjustment requires removing the camshafts from the engine.

The check portion for valve clearances does not require you to determine precisely what the clearance is (not the specific value), only that it is within the specified range that the manufacturer indicates. In the case of the intake valve of the F4i, the specification is 0.20mm ± 0.03mm. So a range of 0.17mm to 0.23mm. Put another way, as long as you can insert a 0.17mm feeler gauge and you can't put a 0.24mm gauge in without really having to force it in, then you're within spec. You don't need to do anything else. You don't need to know if the gap is 0.15mm (too tight) or 0.26mm (too lose). It's not important. It only becomes important IF the clearance is not within the specifications. So, I use 2 sets of feeler gauges. One set at 0.17mm and the other 0.24mm. If the 0.17 fits, then I check for the 0.24mm. So long as it doesn't fit, I'm on to the next check.