Hi,

Currently on the road in Split Croatia. Heading for Mongolia if I can, so long way to go. Bike runs fine but I wanted to do a valve check to be sure.

I called Yamaha shop here in Split in advance and they said "come in and we check your valves". When I got there this morning he listened to the bike and said it runs fine and these bikes just need oil no valve checks after 20k km. mine has done 31k...

I think he was just busy and didn't want the small job, but these bikes are of course supposed to run with little service.

Should I try another shop while in Europe and insist on a check? Or just continue without a check for about 15k km?

Anything else I should check? Change oil, clean air filter etc I can do myself (and have done).

As you can probably figure I'm new to bikes. Thankful for any help I can get!

Yes offcourse valves need adjustment, its so easy do it yourself. Oiling the chain, and check slack. Pull throttle and be happy

you mean checking is easy? Adjusting seems like a pain to do on the road but with the tools maybe check is doable.

I don't have tools to check distances though so I would prefer to find a shop if I need to do the check. Maybe I should go through the pain of finding another shop that has time and ability to do it...

Why is it so difficult to adjust? did they make something special on your engine? tools is cheap for measure. Only way this can be difficult on the road if you have shims, else its just loosen the nut, adjust and tighten.

You are probably right. I just checked some YouTube vid where they had to unscrew bolts and open up the engine, including bolt to cam chain that they said shouldn't fall down into engine etc. I know what a cam chain is in theory but have never seen inside of an engine. Maybe it's easier on my bike. I will try to read service manual. Thanks

Currently in Dubrovnik. First Yamaha service center here said no due to lack of time. They referred me to some small shop. Going there now. Will also start looking for a place that sells shims to do the check myself.

Also managed to bend handlebar yesterday on overloaded bike and small turns. A lot to learn when you are new to biking... Puh!

If you are totally unfamiliar with setting valves etc. I would NOT do it my self unless someone can show you and explain the procedure. Get it wrong and it clicks or holds the valves open. This is a critical adjustment and must be done correctly. Go to the small shop and ask to watch so you can learn....

Get the correct manual for your bike. There are electronic manuals available, just ask here or other forums.

__________________
'84 XT600 is now bored to 2nd oversize and new OEM pistons and rings installed. No more smoking.

Engine needs to be stone cold when setting valve clearances. I just had a 10.000 km service done on my TT. The Yamaha dealer insisted on me bringing the bike in the day before, so as to be sure the engine was cold when setting the valves.

It starts with one kick from cold now, whereas it took 2-5 kicks before.

good to know thanks. My bike had been on the beach for about 4 hours and then driven literally 200meters to mechanic to rest another hour.

However it's 30+ degrees C here so not sure anything ever gets really cold here

It typically needs more than one kick. But my technique isn't perfect either.

Doesnt matter if its hot or cold, the clearences wont change because of that.

As for the job itself, theres tutorials outhere, I would reckon youtube would be a good place to start. Be sure you know what you're doing. The job itself doesnt take long. I do it on about half an hour, and dont have to rush things. But theres some stuff you just need to have sorted out before you start.

Theres 2 tdc's, and only one is right when you set the valves. When you turn the engine ower, be sure to have all valvecovers removed (one for the intake, and two for the exhaust) As you turn the engine, you can se the valves move up and down. The WRONG tdc, is when the intakevalves goes down, and as they go up, the exhaustvalves go down. At this tdc, theres pressure on the valves, making no, or very little slack in the valves. Turn the engine further to get the CORRECT tdc...You turn the engine over further, and the intakevalves go completely up, and the exhaustvalves go all the way down and up. Turn it further, you will see the intakevalves go down and up, and the exhasutvalves doesnt move, and now comes the correct tdc. Now theres no pressure on either set of valves. Hope it makes sence.

Just turn the engine over a couple of times, so you can see the valves move.

The caps/valvecovers can seem very tight when you remove them, but please resist the urge to overtighten them at assembly. They only need something like 10Nm. Theres nu preassure on the covers, you just need to tighten them enough for the o-ring to seal. A short spanner, and toighten with two fingers is about right.

Also, the exhaustvalves can be a bit tricky to meassure, as they sit in a bit of an angle. So people often set them a bit too loose by mistake.

Do you know how to strip the bike down for the job? Mainly remove gastank and seat..? I also remove the coil to gain more access.

I think I'll have some time on my hand in the upcoming weekend, i suppose I could make a tutorial, or some sort of videoclip to show the wrong tdc, how to meassure the valves ect ect...My spokens english doesnt come so natural, but I could give it a go if you reckon it would be helpfull?

Just found this, use this and you will be home safe. Its the same for the xt600: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJHdyxLjwxY Notice how hes at the wrong tdc at first.

Differences:

In the video, theres 2 valvecovers for the intake, the xt600 only has one.
In the video, he uses a screwdriver to tighten the valves, the xt600 doesnt have a slot like that, so you need a little set of pliers or simular instead.
Be sure to use the specs for the xt600 to set the valves. Intake at 0.10, exhasut at 0.15.

Im no authority on motorcycle valve setting, but ive never seen valve clearing specs for a hot motorcycle engine. On cars, yes, but not on motorcycles. The TT manual specifically states that the valve clerance is when cold/ambient temp.

Again, im no Yamaha oracle though.

To the OP, there's a pretty good tutorial in the Yamaha TT600RE service manual with pictures and all. I can send it to you, if you dont have it?

Hot or cold same?no thats not true, adjust them cold! intake is 0,05-0,10