hey guys, curious what your thoughts are. my 14r is pushing almost 17k miles, never seen a drag strip or any crazy redline racing down the hwy, bike is 100% stock. called my local dealer about doing the valves and they said they rarely see these bikes out of spec under 20k miles. and should wait till at least 20k to get it done. my thoughts are 20k ill be hitting during riding season and wont want to have the down time . should i just get it done now or let it go till end of the season when its actually in the 20's? thanks for any advice on the matter.

called my local dealer about doing the valves and they said they rarely see these bikes out of spec under 20k miles. and should wait till at least 20k to get it done. my thoughts are 20k ill be hitting during riding season and wont want to have the down time . should i just get it done now or let it go till end of the season when its actually in the 20's? thanks for any advice on the matter.

I checked mine at about 27k and a couple were out of spec, one seemed like it reallt did NEED to be adjusted (though I do not know what clearance is actually considered to be dangerous to run the bike). I adjusted mine and plan to check again soon.

Green just told me last night he adjusted one valve clearnce on his 2007 at 29k.

I think your dealer is steering you in the right direction with good , practical advice. That is one huge vote of confidence. Stealerships usually will tell you the worst just to get your bike in and hand you as many fat bills as they can over the life of the bike.

for your info.

http://zx14ninjaforum.com/messages.cfm?threadid=D659042A-D56B-84E2-1C5A7BC825184613

Yeah I've been doing a lot of searching on the subject and seems to be a 50/50 split of guys who had it done at 15k and some needed adjustment and others done like you said at 20k+ and weren't to bad. It's never had the plugs done or throttle sync and I know the book says every 7.5k on both those so I may end up taking it In and having it all done at once . Throttle sync would be part of a valve check if they actually have to adjust any valves right ?

Also what's diff about the non us/ca bikes allowing them to go to 26k miles before needing a valve check ?

I did mine at 15k. Almost all of mine were out of spec. 2007 ca model.I would just do it.

The book's maintenance schedule will suggest 20ish because in most cases, if not addressed it can cause damage. However that said, by doing it earlier you do not harm the bike, it will get an adjustment it needs earlier. However, I set my next maintenance schedule earlier too to compensate.

Case in point I do push my bike, it's bounced away from redline many many times. I have 9100 km. I am doing plugs early and the air filter as I do not want to sap HP. But that's me and most would call me crazy!
W

I called the dealer back and asked about the tb sync and he said its part of the valve job. But he did sorta reiterate that he rarely sees one out of speck cause the manual allows so many thousandths to be within acceptable range and if it's in that window they won't touch them , So he has me 2nd guessing taking it to them . meaning if one valve is close to out of spec and the others are complete opposite but within range they leave them be. I'd love to attempt this job myself but after reading the write up you linked me to rook I'm not sure haha..

Funny you should ask.

Just had the 14000 mile service and some additional work done while I was at it. Picked the 14R up yesterday and could barely keep from riding through all the salt/sand/slop around here as winter has finally broken (fingers crossed.) Had to take a short ride though and wallet is lighter but bike has never been better. NO hesitation or soft spots, only a little side "slip" on the salt flats, smooth and ......oh that sound form the 2 Bro's!

Now, disclaimer or validation as you will see, my dealer is an old friend and an ex-student of mine. One particular master mechanic always wrenches my bikes and he is worth all the shekels they pay him. The days when I wrenched my own engines are gone as are the days when I built my own radios, LOL. Fortunately I have an enviable relationship with the local Kaw dealer and mechanics.

Here's the scoop on my valves; they had all tightened up. Some of the guys above seem to be referring to their experience with first gen bikes and I'm not sure that is a fair comp. My first gen bike had little adjustment when it was done at 15000 miles and I was surprised to learn that this one had all of its valves reset yesterday because they had tightened up!

Having said that; I don't baby the bike but I am not a track rat either. Yes it has "bounced off" the limiter on a few occasions and the driver of a Super Snake saw the back end of my 14 at speeds somewhere over 170 mph. I like to keep my bikes in top condition in case I am inspired to do something stupid like that every now and then. We toured the Rockies, et al, first season in very hot weather for a couple of weeks and 4-5 thousand miles.

Compare that usage to your own; but since you asked, yeah get the service done and check-set those valves! Especially if you have a trusted competent mechanic to do the job. It may well need it all around and you avoid serious problems down the road if you stretch it out. If they check out good, what's the harm; either way you are set for the season which is .............dawning as we speak.

Now if I could just get a good rain around here in the next week.........look out cages!

Cheers!

* Last updated by: PaulAB on 3/14/2014 @ 9:08 AM *

Yeah I'm not sure what to do , I don't know any mechanics and there's not really many dealers in Delaware , this guy is the only one within a good 30-40 mile range, and I'd suspect the next closest one is ran the same way. They also Gave me a ruff estimate of $650 if they need to adjust and add shims and to do the plugs while in there, basically a 15k mile service they would do which is go over the whole bike . Do oil/ filter , plugs , valves. That seem to be a reasonable price from a dealer for all that ? Again that's a ruff estimate too lol

So he has me 2nd guessing taking it to them . meaning if one valve is close to out of spec and the others are complete opposite but within range they leave them be.

I'd love to attempt this job myself but after reading the write up you linked me to rook I'm not sure haha..

You could take the cover off and check. The adjustment is the hard part. Just torque the cover back down and bring it to the dealership to do the adjustment if you need that done. ...but to me, seems like the best thing to do is just wait a while.

has anyone EVER heard of a 14 suffering damage from not checking the valve clearance? I never have in 6 years of participating in these forums. You're ok gaiden. I would concentrate on other stuff like oil changes and chain maintenance. That's all that brand new bike needs for now.

how many people you want to bet NEVER checked the valve clearance on their 06 with 80,000 miles?

I'm not saying that's wise, just I'm sure there are a lot of them out there and still running great.

point taken. thanks rook!

Behold!

valve shennanigans... click me now! Really hard!!

ninjagaiden,

Sounds to me like you really don't want to (spend the money/take the time) to do a proper 14K service,

Well, if you don't want to, don't! From your earlier discussion of plans for mid-season service as opposed to now; I gotta ask logically; why put it off. What is to be gained?

With the knowledge that I am repeating myself: " My first gen bike ('07) had little, if any, adjustment when it was done at 15000 miles and I was surprised to learn that this one (2012 14R) had all of its valves reset yesterday because they had all tightened up! Are you asking about an "'06" that may never need adjustment out to "80,000 miles" evidently; or are you running a a second gen bike?

As to the $650 service charge; that's in the right ball park. I had all the fluids changed to boot and some other elective work done and with 200 for parts, my bill was closer to 900 dollars.

As far as oil changes and chain lubes and etc; I expect you are already doing those things right? What does that have to do with the engine valves check / set and the new plugs you get at 14000 miles?

It's up to you man; your bike, your time and money and your choice whether to do it now or squeeze another 5K out of the mechanicals before you do the service. Really?

Priorities are one thing, convenience another and a good mechanic is a must, IMO; but if you are going to do it later in the season anyway, then...............what is the reason (and you may have a good one, I don't know) for delaying?

Just my two cents worth since I have been there with both generation bikes and done that already.

Best wishes and best of luck.

* Last updated by: PaulAB on 3/14/2014 @ 5:24 PM *

@ paulAB, i think you arent understanding what im saying. $$ is not a issue trust me. its the dealer one one end telling me i should wait till at least a min of 20k to do it, yes the dealer said no dont bring it in now @ 17k miles lol!( which started this whole thread ), i am asking fellow riders there opinion, listen to the dealer and wait or just go ahead and do it now. and from what im gathering he is probably right and i should wait as alot of zx14 riders didnt have there first service done until the 20kish ballpark and were ok on valve adjustment. ive searched all of google about these valves, now most if not all seem to pertain to the zx14 not the 14r ( i have a 2013 btw ) maybe cause the 14r is still semi newer not many have come across this yet but i dont think there is much of a difference though when talkin about valve adjustment, right? someone can chime in and tell me if im wrong in thinking this? i dont want to waste the time/$$ on a valve check and it not need if the dealer and others are saying wait. still debating though on what to do and it may just go in, belive me if it does i will report back on the #'s lol!

@hagrid, sounds like you had fun when doing your service!

It's not for the faint of heart, assuredly.

i agree, ive looked at the writeup. BTW are you a 14r or 14?

It's something like 'shot peening.' You have these molecules that take a pounding. You hammer metal and the term is called, 'shrink.' So this valve is pounding on the valve seat, pounding on the soft cutout the valve seat is pressed into. The 3 pounding moves up the valve stem to close the shim gap is the valve face moving up; the seat's 45° face is flattening out so that moves the valve up; the seat insert is pounding the seat into the head = Tight Valve.

Heat comes next. More time off the seat. If there was a large gap, the cam has to ramp later, thus more time on the seat to transfer heat. Now, the gap is narrow; the cam's ramp is shorter; lifts sooner; causes more heat to stay in the valve; the valve glows orange; cracks form; cracks fall out like a pie cut out of the round pie; the compression fails to seal = No start.

I just had to put 3K more miles on it and were am I in the shim gap?:

Post 1 > All mine were out.
Post 2 > Mine were fine.
Post 3 > I only had a few out of spec.

How do I write up my work order? What are the odds the mech has a cell phone with a camera? BIG ASS BOLD LETTERS on the work order. "Shoot my throttle sync before and after. I want a copy of my shim measurements before and after. I can tell a working sheet as opposed to a trumped up shim sheet. Do your best so I won't need to come back or question your work... It Comes Back!"

Hub:

I understand why to request from the mechanic the shim measurements before and after the valve service.

But, why the before and after for the "shoot the throttle sync"? What does that data from the service tell you?

When I bought my 2013 ZX14R this past Fall I was told by the dealer to bring it in for a valve adjustment at 600mi. That's not a typo I said six hundred miles. Are you guy's saying I don't need to do it? I currently have 475mi on the bike

Hub, I'm in Southern CA do you know anyone that you trust to do a valve adjustment out here ?

I really don't trust the dealers out here ...

Thanks ...

But, why the before and after for the "shoot the throttle sync"? What does that data from the service tell you?

Do you want to see a close enough sync? Hold hand up, palm facing in front of you. Drop all your fingers down except your index and middle finger. Place them together. Does that look like a 'within spec' sync that says, 'close enough?' It sure does, but that reads clutch bang if it's that off-sunk.

I'm in Southern CA do you know anyone that you trust to do a valve adjustment

* Last updated by: Hub on 3/17/2014 @ 10:46 AM *

Thanks, Hub, Got It.

hub, if you were checking the valves on your bike.. and some of the valves were on one end of the allowed tolerance and some were on the complete opposite end of the allowed spec would you make any adjustments at all or since they are all technically within kawasaki's safe range leave them all alone? dealer told me they dont touch them if they are within this safe range. anyone know a good shop/mechanic in the de/pa/s jersey area?

* Last updated by: ninjagaiden on 3/17/2014 @ 3:06 PM *