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75 Posts
Just wanted to share my experience on doing the work myself as opposed to taking my motorcycle to a shop...
I was at 8100 miles on my X so it was definitely time for the valve check. My clutch slave cylinder was leaking so I had to replace that. I also went ahead and did the desmog/pair valve removal.
Valves:
I followed the directions from the bareass choppers website. Great help! I never knew I was so OCD until I started on my valves. All of my valves were in the tolerance spec but I went ahead and adjusted them the exact proper spec. My rear exhaust valve was close enough in spec that I didn't have to mess with it.. thank goodness. I was surprised how close they all were after reading other posts on the 8000 mile inspection. To anyone looking to do the adjustment yourself... do the desmog, get the proper tools, and have lots of patience, especially if you have thick hands like I do.
Slave Cylinder:
Unfortunately the previous owner never replaced the clutch fluid in the system, so it became real old and dark, which in turn messed up the slave cylinder and caused a slow leak. I bought a new assembley from Honda direct line parts. It was extremely easy to replace and since I bought a bleed vacuum from O'Reilys, the bleed process was painless. The clutch feels firm, smooth and it responds nicely.
Desmog:
My bike is a CA model, so it has a few extra things to take off than the 49 state model. Following the Bareass Direction and using the block-off plates with the dimples, this mod was painless as well. Only requires patience. This was also a great time for me to tighten up the throttle cable to my liking since the airbox was off. I will say that after this was done, I have noticed a slightly deeper exhaust note, but the de-acceleration "pop" was roughly the same. With that being said, I've always thought that I've always had a decel "gurgle" instead of a "pop."(still have stock exhaust) The previous owner did leave me with an installed PCIII and a map could very likely be loaded into it. Haven't looked into that yet.
I Took the bike around the block and so far everything checks out so far. When spring finally decides to show up, I'll go for a longer ride. The bike sounds fine, no obvious rattles or leaks, so no errors on the desmog. The Valves are noticeably quieter, yet when the bike warmed up I could still hear them(expected), yet quieter than before. Clutch lever response feels next to brand new.
My next adventure is installing V&H Big Shots with the Thunder Monster baffles. After TONS of research I'm almost positive that combination will give me the sound I'm looking for.
I recommend everyone do their own wrenching as long as you're comfortable with it. This was a lot of fun for me. I know it's done right and it saved me money.
Feel free to ask and questions. Hope I didn't ramble on too much.
Have a Good one!
Daniel
I was at 8100 miles on my X so it was definitely time for the valve check. My clutch slave cylinder was leaking so I had to replace that. I also went ahead and did the desmog/pair valve removal.
Valves:
I followed the directions from the bareass choppers website. Great help! I never knew I was so OCD until I started on my valves. All of my valves were in the tolerance spec but I went ahead and adjusted them the exact proper spec. My rear exhaust valve was close enough in spec that I didn't have to mess with it.. thank goodness. I was surprised how close they all were after reading other posts on the 8000 mile inspection. To anyone looking to do the adjustment yourself... do the desmog, get the proper tools, and have lots of patience, especially if you have thick hands like I do.
Slave Cylinder:
Unfortunately the previous owner never replaced the clutch fluid in the system, so it became real old and dark, which in turn messed up the slave cylinder and caused a slow leak. I bought a new assembley from Honda direct line parts. It was extremely easy to replace and since I bought a bleed vacuum from O'Reilys, the bleed process was painless. The clutch feels firm, smooth and it responds nicely.
Desmog:
My bike is a CA model, so it has a few extra things to take off than the 49 state model. Following the Bareass Direction and using the block-off plates with the dimples, this mod was painless as well. Only requires patience. This was also a great time for me to tighten up the throttle cable to my liking since the airbox was off. I will say that after this was done, I have noticed a slightly deeper exhaust note, but the de-acceleration "pop" was roughly the same. With that being said, I've always thought that I've always had a decel "gurgle" instead of a "pop."(still have stock exhaust) The previous owner did leave me with an installed PCIII and a map could very likely be loaded into it. Haven't looked into that yet.
I Took the bike around the block and so far everything checks out so far. When spring finally decides to show up, I'll go for a longer ride. The bike sounds fine, no obvious rattles or leaks, so no errors on the desmog. The Valves are noticeably quieter, yet when the bike warmed up I could still hear them(expected), yet quieter than before. Clutch lever response feels next to brand new.
My next adventure is installing V&H Big Shots with the Thunder Monster baffles. After TONS of research I'm almost positive that combination will give me the sound I'm looking for.
I recommend everyone do their own wrenching as long as you're comfortable with it. This was a lot of fun for me. I know it's done right and it saved me money.
Feel free to ask and questions. Hope I didn't ramble on too much.
Have a Good one!
Daniel