revtothelimit - motorbike forum

Just off to pick the bike up from its 15k valve service, dropped it off Tuesday evening, train home, now on the train back and got a nice 50ish miles back through some of Oxfordshire and Worcestershire’s best roads to enjoy before then taking the missus out for an anniversary meal… Good times! Especially as (famous last words) the forecasted rain is almost nowhere to be seen and the sun is shining brightly.

Got my Op this coming wednesday (27th) now, so might get out on the bike over the weekend too if the weather is good, but suspect otherwise tonight will be the last time it gets ridden this year. Gonna be November at least til I’ll be fit to ride again, and by then I doubt too much I’ll be wanting to take it out. Gives me plenty of time to start taking the shock off, replace with the Nitron I now have, replace the front pads with the upgraded ones I’ve just bought, look into some braided brake lines etc…

Did you ask if any were out of spec? (valves). I've noted on the forums that most don't bother till at least 30k or never! I reckon mine will be at about 5 years old by the time I hit 15k so may well do as part of a big 5 year service.

My 750 didn't need any shims changing at 15000 miles, speaking to the mechanic that serviced it, he said Suzukis rarely needed shims apart from SV650s, Triumphs were most likely.

My Honda is 24000 miles between checking the shims, which sounds pretty impressive, but my car is 80000 miles between checking the shims and didn't need any when checked, good old Japanese engineering.

My German car doesn't even have shims.

My Jap one does! I think...not sure

Supermofo wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 4:30 pm Did you ask if any were out of spec? (valves). I've noted on the forums that most don't bother till at least 30k or never! I reckon mine will be at about 5 years old by the time I hit 15k so may well do as part of a big 5 year service.

Yup and predictably all within spec... Happy enough to have paid for the service though, cos I now have another 12 months warranty on the bike with the Suzuki service activated warranty, which lasts up to 7yrs if you keep it serviced at a Suzuki dealer.

I did contemplate not bothering but for the extra £250 or so I've paid to have the valves checked it means I now have total peace of mind for the next 15k miles, should I keep the bike that long... Also, should I sell it, it's worth more to the next person with proof of a valve service at the recommended mileage than it would be without.

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 6:57 pm My 750 didn't need any shims changing at 15000 miles, speaking to the mechanic that serviced it, he said Suzukis rarely needed shims apart from SV650s, Triumphs were most likely.

My Honda is 24000 miles between checking the shims, which sounds pretty impressive, but my car is 80000 miles between checking the shims and didn't need any when checked, good old Japanese engineering.

Most Honda's were 16k valve service intervals recommended, but then dealers started telling customers not to bother til 32k at least... At least that's the story with VFR800's, Blackbirds etc. In fact, I have only heard of 2 or 3 VFR800's or Blackbirds ever needing their valve shims adjusting inside 100k or so. I've had a couple of VFR800's and a Blackbird, I didn't bother getting the valves checked on those bikes, but then I paid that little for them and spare engines were available for peanuts that I was prepared to take the risk should the worst happen... With the GSXS, whilst I got it for a relative steal of a price, it's still enough money invested (and 2nd hand engines still command enough of a premium) that I figured the extra £250 or so for having the valves checked was worth it for the peace of mind...

My mate just had his Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 with 3k mile service intervals, and it is recommended that the valve clearances are checked at every service!!! He's probably gonna clock 7-8k miles per year on the bike, keeping it serviced (and it needs it, valve clearances have been out of spec each time) is costing him quite a bit more than running a more expensive bike in the first place would do!

mboy wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:26 pm My mate just had his Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 with 3k mile service intervals, and it is recommended that the valve clearances are checked at every service!!!

It's every 1000 miles on me old Trumpet

Supermofo wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 4:30 pm Did you ask if any were out of spec? (valves). I've noted on the forums that most don't bother till at least 30k or never! I reckon mine will be at about 5 years old by the time I hit 15k so may well do as part of a big 5 year service.

My Hornet had two shims changed at 80,000. Even then they didn't really need doing.

The Spin Doctor wrote: Thu Sep 28, 2023 2:09 pm

Supermofo wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 4:30 pm Did you ask if any were out of spec? (valves). I've noted on the forums that most don't bother till at least 30k or never! I reckon mine will be at about 5 years old by the time I hit 15k so may well do as part of a big 5 year service.

My Hornet had two shims changed at 80,000. Even then they didn't really need doing.

Knowing me I'll probably not get them done until much later cos I'm a tightwad and lazy. Although that's coupled with evidence that they very probably don't need doing.

The Spin Doctor wrote: Thu Sep 28, 2023 2:09 pm

Supermofo wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 4:30 pm Did you ask if any were out of spec? (valves). I've noted on the forums that most don't bother till at least 30k or never! I reckon mine will be at about 5 years old by the time I hit 15k so may well do as part of a big 5 year service.

My Hornet had two shims changed at 80,000. Even then they didn't really need doing.

Changing shims is a dodgy business.
They charge you labour, which is fine.
Then they charge you for the shims and put yours back in the shim box

A mate in Bradford used to do all ours and he'd borrow the shim box from the bike shop over the road

Shims cost a few quid, wouldn't you rather have new ones?
If you're tight you can grind the ones you've taken out down.

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Thu Sep 28, 2023 4:17 pm Shims cost a few quid, wouldn't you rather have new ones?
If you're tight you can grind the ones you've taken out down.

They're so hard, they don't wear. When you have yours changed, you'll be getting somebody else's old ones anyway

So guess who's just won ANOTHER one of these in a competition...



K-Tech Razor shock on it too...

Anybody wanna buy a Suzuki GSX-S1000...? Pretty sure I can't ride em both at the same time!

mboy wrote: Thu Oct 19, 2023 11:54 pm So guess who's just won ANOTHER one of these in a competition...



K-Tech Razor shock on it too...

Anybody wanna buy a Suzuki GSX-S1000...? Pretty sure I can't ride em both at the same time!

If you're giving it away, i could find space i guess.

That is proper sods law! Win a bike and it's the one you've already got! Still allows you to punt it on for some money I guess.

Fooking aces! About time we had another winner on here!

Supermofo wrote: Fri Oct 20, 2023 8:18 am That is proper sods law! Win a bike and it's the one you've already got! Still allows you to punt it on for some money I guess.

I'm not complaining...

I'm no serial gambler, but signed up to a couple of these competition sites, I get emails regularly to say how "undersold" tonights draw is but literally never do anything... Last night I stuck £20 on this one, with an hour to go before the draw only 35% of the tickets had sold. When they drew it, only 45% had sold. Still long odds, but better than you'll ever get. I checked to see how much I'd spent with the site and turns out I've spent all of £70 this year on competition entries! So not a bad return really...

Anyway, obviously didn't expect to win... Got a phonecall at 9:40pm last night from a random mobile number, half expecting it to be some dodgy telesales call, but turns out I was on their live facebook feed and they were announcing me as the winner!

Might nick the shock off it first... K-Tech Razor with adjustable rebound and compression and remote reservoir. The Nitron I've got is only combined damping adjuster and no remote reservoir.

Selling it on will more than cover the cost I had to fork out for an operation recently, and go some way to covering my loss in earnings too! Which is a bonus...

weeksy wrote: Fri Oct 20, 2023 7:48 am If you're giving it away, i could find space i guess.

It'll be attractively priced I'd say... I have no real space for it and don't want to have to tax and insure it...

mboy wrote: Fri Oct 20, 2023 1:00 pm

Supermofo wrote: Fri Oct 20, 2023 8:18 am That is proper sods law! Win a bike and it's the one you've already got! Still allows you to punt it on for some money I guess.

I'm not complaining...

I'm no serial gambler, but signed up to a couple of these competition sites, I get emails regularly to say how "undersold" tonights draw is but literally never do anything... Last night I stuck £20 on this one, with an hour to go before the draw only 35% of the tickets had sold. When they drew it, only 45% had sold. Still long odds, but better than you'll ever get. I checked to see how much I'd spent with the site and turns out I've spent all of £70 this year on competition entries! So not a bad return really...

Anyway, obviously didn't expect to win... Got a phonecall at 9:40pm last night from a random mobile number, half expecting it to be some dodgy telesales call, but turns out I was on their live facebook feed and they were announcing me as the winner!

Might nick the shock off it first... K-Tech Razor with adjustable rebound and compression and remote reservoir. The Nitron I've got is only combined damping adjuster and no remote reservoir.

Selling it on will more than cover the cost I had to fork out for an operation recently, and go some way to covering my loss in earnings too! Which is a bonus...

I got that email too. It said (at the time) it was their most undersold bike this year! I dont do bike comps since getting the AT but i was tempted at those odds. Good for you!