Valve inspection?

With 3 bikes living here it always seems time for a valve check.But with results like this i'm starting to think i should extend the periods of inspection.

Aprilia 65,000 kls no adjustment ever needed.
Triumph 61,00 kls no adjustment ever needed.
Bandit 32,000 kls no adjustment ever needed.

I'm comfortable checking the clearances ,but not looking forward to removing the cams to get at the shims.(loved the 1200 screw & locknut )
I'm sure once you have done it , the second time will be a lot easyer. None of the bikes get a real hard time and don't see the red line all that often .
With the Bandit (09) 32,000 kls i'm tempted to give the next inspection a miss.I know all bikes are different and it might come down to how they are
treated ,but is there any distance done (1250 Bandit) where adjustment becomes usual. I guess what i'm looking for is what % of people
have had to adjust valves and at what distance. If 95% of people have never had to have them adjusted it should be o.k. ,but if i've just
been lucky i better get the feeler gauges out.

each bike will be different but shims are known to be quite reliable and not need adjustment for quite some time when set up right

some will go many thousands of kms without needing new shims but there will be the one or two that may need a change in shims earlier in their life.
As an example I've done the checks on my car each and every time according to the manual, but in the past 170,000 kms i haven't needed to change any shims yet (my car has shim over bucket) but i have heard/read of a few cars same as mine that have needed shims at the 80,000 km mark.

IMO do the checks as per the service manual recommendations. It's a pretty easy job to do yourself if you have the know how and the tools in the shed (no special ones needed). if you work out it needs a shim change and you're not so confident it doing that part of the job, then you can book it into a bike shop to get them done.

EDIT: I was just now looking at the service manual I downloaded from the net ages ago.
The scheduled maintenance table shows that the valve clearances should be inspected every 24000 kms and this is reflected in the bikes user manual. The text on how to do the check says that valve clearances should be inspected at 1000kms and then every 12000kms there after. Bit confusing I recon. I may just drop in the local suzuki shop and see what their manual says.
The GSX650F service manual says 24000kms in the table and in the text. It also says 24000kms in the user manual

By comparison the ER6 I used to own needed valve checks every 42000kms

I probably will check them when due, just for "peace of mind". Just got to get in the right mood at the right time.
Still interested in seeing what % of people have had to have cams out for adjustment,and what mileage.

Is there Anybody ?

Obviously modern machining these day is very,very good with service intervals getting larger all time.

So far its not one person who has had to get there shims adjusted . That would be nice, but unlikely true.

If you,or the dealer have had to adjusted yours ,what mileage was it done at ?

If they needed no adjustment let us know that too. Mine 32,000 no adjustment needed.

gus wrote:If they needed no adjustment let us know that too. Mine 32,000 no adjustment needed.

My 650 didn't need any valve adjustments at 32,000k service. I intend to get past that on the Bandit

I've now done over 3000 km and I have worked on the valves a number of times .. in fact before every long ride .. Oh! THOSE valves .. not the ones poking through the wheel rims Well THOSE valves and shims I am going to leave entirely in the hands of the Suzuki Dealer to check and advise as I religiously stick to the recommended Service Intervals. Let the responsibility for getting it right lie with the experts I say. YMMD.

The last time i took my Aprilia to the dealer for a valve check the apprentice worked on it.(apparently).He "pinched" the front gasket so it leaked
oil out of the front cylinder. Had had problems with this dealer before so bit the bullet and took it somewhere else to fix it ,so another $200
Had enough after that so brought a manual and do it myself .CHECKING the clearances is quit easy(esp on Bandit) and costs nothing but a little time.
So far none of my bikes have been out of spec. If we can get 60,000 out of a Bandit without pulling the cams out that's a good $ saving buy
checking them yourself.No one has yet said that they have had to have them adjusted ,Its not like were all running around banging it
off the rev limiter.

haven't checked out content of these links but have a look as it may give you some info perhaps.
You may have to register on the particular forum to see the info

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.............Bringing back an old thread for any more recent feedback as to any/everyone's experiences with 'valve clearance' maintenance/service on the 1250's. Are people checking/adjusting per service manual...what results? Is the dealer/mechanic, suzuki service dept. advising that adjustment's required/performed etc.....and at what mileages ? ............cheers:study:

I checked the clearances on my previous bike (06 Bandit) at 24000Km and no adjustment was required.
I spent no less than 2 hours on the task and was a little disappointed that maybe I had wasted my time.
My current bike (09 Bandit) has just passed 24000Km and I am wondering if I should do these checks, maybe yes, maybe no!
I also wonder if some dealers have told the truth when they claim to have checked and adjusted the clearances as I cannot see the job being done in less than the 2 hours it took me.

Mine didn't need adjustment at 24,000. I'm not too far off 48,000 so when that service is done I'll report back on whether the valves needed adjustment.

Dad worked in a leading Sydney dealership for a number of years and said they always did the checks but never had to make adjustments on any Honda or Suzuki in the time he was there. Make of that what you will.

Mine's done about 30,000 ks and the valve train is nice and quiet so I'll leave it alone. My experience tells me that valve clearances need to be adjusted in proportion to the amount you rev the engine. My old GSXR1100 had shim replacements at 12,000 and 24,000 km, but I used to redline it quite often, especially in 1st and 2nd gears. Since I rarely need to rev the Bandit past 7,000 rpm, the fat and flat torque curve making high revs unnecessary, I doubt they'll need to be checked for quite some time.