16 valve clearance adjustment question

[baz666]

Hello all,
I have an 83 GS750ESD with the 16 valve engine. I adjusted the valve clearances according to the instructions in the cliff's notes.
When I loosened the little 9mm bolts that keep the adjusters in place, they seemed to be done up really tight.

But after making the clearance adjustments, the little 9mm bolts don't seem to do up that tight. I don't want to really reef on them since they seem quite fragile and the threads on the adjusters are so fine.
Should I use somekind of thread lock compound?
Or do these 9mm bolts tighten up with the reciprocating action the valves?

thanks,
baz

[Larry D]

They should be as tight as you can get them. You certainly don't want them coming loose.

I torqued mine down as hard as I could with the little 9mm wrench.

No thread locking compound required. You'll want to adjust them again in about 3-4,000 miles.

[hampshirehog]

Make sure you tighten those blighters up properly - manual will have the torque specs. They have a nasty habit of coming undone and wrecking motors.

[baz666]

Thanks Larry,
Yeah, I torqued them down tight but now that I've adjusted the valves, there seems to be a lot of valve clatter and the engine doesn't sound very smooth. Would that means they're too loose? I was erring on the side of loose, setting them at .005". The cliff notes guide says it's between .003 and .005
I set them loose because I've read that setting them tight can cause damage whereas loose isn't too bad.
thanks in advance,
baz

[baz666]

So what about if I use blue thread lock, which isn't permanent? I think the red thread lock is the permanent one.

[Larry D]

I'd check them again, after running the engine, if it's making that much noise. It (the engine) should sound like a big sewing machine.....smooth and strong.

Please, no thread lock. The 16 valve 750's have very tiny internal oil passages that can get clogged by any kind of foreign material.

Adjusting the valves on a 16 valve engine takes a little practice to get them to stay within spec while tightening the nut.

[cyclefvr2]

red is ok, its not permanent, but is very strong, so if you redo it heat the nut a lil it will losen the red up
best bet with red, if you use it on long bolts,in cases,ect... use a lil on the last few threads ,on the outside! of the bolt towards the head ect...,thats way the bolt or screw wont break off in deep, or tear up threads
i have used it and broken bolts off because its so strong, just use it right and it will be ok

clutch adjuster nuts,and valve adjuster like to work loose

[baz666]

Hello All,
thanks to everyone for helping me figure this out.
I finally got the valve clearance adjustments done on my 83 GS750ES
16-valver.
The thing is, I may have set the exhaust gaps a little too wide because there's now a tapping from the exhaust side that sounds like a sewing machine. However, it idles cleanly and has a nice, crisp off-idle response, along with really nice power throughout the rev range.
Is this tapping a serious issue and should I re-set the gaps?
I set the exhaust gaps a bit wide because I read somewhere that if they're too tight, it could cause all kinds of calamities.

Also, a friend bought a Honda CBX750 last spring. I think it's a UK import because I've never seen them in Canada.
He rarely revs it above 6,000rpm and says it's always felt sluggish and rough, no matter how well it gets tuned. It has good compression and the carbs are spot on, the battery's new.
I took it for a spin and revved the hell out of it, right up to just before the redline. Afterwards, it began to respond really nice and clean, good power.
Could it be that it just "needed" to be revved out like that to clear up carbon build-up or something?
Sorry if I sound a bit ignorant around engines - but it's because I am!
thanks in advance.
baz

[salty_monk]

Leaving them a little loose shouldn't be too much of a problem... depends how much a "little" is though....

Mine loosened up over the first 2500 miles rather than tightened (bike hadn't been run in a while) so you may want to run it a bit then dive back in.

Yes - it's possible an "italian tune-up" helped your friends bike if there was a lot of coke in the engine caused by sitting or low rpm chugging or if a carb passage or something was blocked your high rpm, high fuel flow could have just broken it free....

[baz666]

Thanks Salty. I'll probably take another look at the valve gaps soon since it's getting cold here in the Frozen North with winter right around the corner and bike riding season coming to an end...
Boy, I really envy you guys down there in SoCal. Man, to be able to ride year-round... Must be nice.

Over the winter I will also be changing the rear monoshock and maybe do the front forks. They just seem to bottom out too easily even though they don't leak and the fork seals are fine. At I want to find some decent tires. The Kenda Challengers are okay but can't handle the bike's power when coming out of a corner. If I really gun it coming out of a turn, the bike slides sideways.

[salty_monk]

Roadriders by Avon or Pirelli sport Demons.

Sonic or progressive springs, Race tech cartridge emulators if you can afford them and some 10w oil (15w if no emulators).

Take off the anti dive & put a blanking plate on them (but make a channel so oil can pass through them from the top hole to the bottom.

[baz666]

Thanks for the tips, Salty.
When you say "make a channel so oil can pass through them from the top hole to the bottom' about the anti-dive blanking plate, can you give me a few more details so I know exactly what I'm doing?
Thanks in advance,
baz

[bwringer]

Tappy valves are happy valves...

[baz666]

WHEW! Thanks a million, Ringer. That makes me feel a lot better. But really? My lovely old GS750ES SHOULD sound like a happy little sewing machine at idle and slight off idle then erupt into a howling animal once the taps are turned on?

Seems strange but hey, I'm no expert about engines and even less so about the 16-valve version... But you do have my eternal gratitude since I was thinking about diving in again to see if I'd set the gaps correctly on the exhaust side.
I was worried about it yesterday riding around but felt a little less worried when I had to cut around some idiot in a pickup who kept trying to block me from passing, pulling some dangerous moves. So I faked to the left, got him and his tank going that way, then whipped around the on right, and man 'o' mannequins! When I twisted the go-stick all the way in first at about 2,500 rpm, the bike exploded up the tacho. I was terrified the engine would blow up or something but it sounded smooth as a silk banshee and I even managed a nice clean change into second to go hurtling past, barely hanging on. I haven't ridden any of the modern superbikes but jeez louise, that was POWER on command. The guy in the pickup? He tried to follow but you know that story. In city traffic, a bike is king and a scooter is queen. Now, after riding my ES all summer and fall, I have a very hard time driving the cage and just SITTING THERE in the traffic.
So thanks once again for the comforting confirmation. I had a longish trip planned for today on what will likely be one of our last warm days and I was thinking of canceling. Now it's me and the 750ES on the way to the Caledon Hills and beyond for twisting backroads and the fall colors, stopping for fish 'n' chips at a mom and pop place about 100 miles out.
Okay, enough love sonnets, time to hit the road.

By the way, that's a great quote from ol' Hunter S. Gotta love the guy.

[SVSooke]

Love my old torque monster to.The TSCC engine seem to just go.Thought I'd really miss the SV650 I got from new but love the GS just as much.Can't wait for my morning commute.