DIY 1250 Gsa Valve Adjustment

The Heff

The Heff

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I have a 21 plate 1250Gsa with 24000 miles, so time for its valve check.

Having checked, it would appear that the inlet on both sides are outside the specified tolerance of 0.10 - 0.17

3 valves are between 0.05 - 0.09.

The exhaust all seem ok and within tolerance 0.34 - 0.41

In my opinion, Im reasonably competent, regularly doing my own oil and filter changes, final drive oil, drive shaft lube, brake pads, chains sprockets on other bikes etc.

Having watched quite a few online videos, it doesn't seem that difficult for a DIYer. Boxflyer videos are particularly helpful

I have spent a small fortune and bought all the necessary tooling to attempt this, locking tool, camshaft alignment jig, chain tensioner, torque adapter, box of shims etc. I already have all the other tools, micrometer, torque wrenches, etc required to complete it.

Having priced this job in Hursts Belfast, if I do this job twice, the tooling costs have more than paid for themselves.

So.

Any advice welcome, do's and don'ts or general comments welcome, before I start it.

Thanks in advance

Alex
 
I've had my Bike 4 years / 50k miles. In all that times only 1 valve needing adjusting.

Unless you're riding it hard all the time, up in the upper rev range you'll not need to check/adjust them that often. Whilst the servicing manual says 12k, i would say you could double that between checks.
 
Definitely agree with the valves rarely need any adjustment after the first few thousand miles.
The most cost effective, unless your keeping the bike forever, is checking the clearance at home, and then using a dealer/independent if any adjustment is required.
 
It is a reasonably easy job to do with a decent mechanical knowledge and the correct tools.
I have set up approx 20 now & there can be a huge variation bike to bike as to which valves need reshimming. I'd say 90% of bikes only need inlet valves doing.
 
Kudos to the OP and others on here for attempting this, I service my bike regularly and confident in the majority of mechanical work.

However the valve check or adjustment is looming if not the next service definately the one after. I have seen a video of how to check the valves which seems straight forward, it's the shims i dont want to be messing about with if its out of spec. Think at that stage i'll get the local dealer to fix despite the cost.

Will keep an eye on this thread for further input and thanks for posting.
 
During the 24,000 mile Shim Service (at about this mileage) my 21 GS1250 was found to need both Inlet Camshafts replaced due to wear. Fortunately the Bike was still a couple of months inside the 3 year warranty but this was the reason that I took out the extended warranty.
 
john-g said:
During the 24,000 mile Shim Service (at about this mileage) my 21 GS1250 was found to need both Inlet Camshafts replaced due to wear. Fortunately the Bike was still a couple of months inside the 3 year warranty but this was the reason that I took out the extended warranty.
Click to expand...
Same on my previous 2021 GSA. However, it was only 12 months old and 6000 miles at the time. It had a terrible tick on the right side, but the left was fine. All camshafts and followers replaced.
 
The Heff said:
I have a 21 plate 1250Gsa with 24000 miles, so time for its valve check.

Having checked, it would appear that the inlet on both sides are outside the specified tolerance of 0.10 - 0.17

3 valves are between 0.05 - 0.09.

The exhaust all seem ok and within tolerance 0.34 - 0.41

In my opinion, Im reasonably competent, regularly doing my own oil and filter changes, final drive oil, drive shaft lube, brake pads, chains sprockets on other bikes etc.

Having watched quite a few online videos, it doesn't seem that difficult for a DIYer. Boxflyer videos are particularly helpful

I have spent a small fortune and bought all the necessary tooling to attempt this, locking tool, camshaft alignment jig, chain tensioner, torque adapter, box of shims etc. I already have all the other tools, micrometer, torque wrenches, etc required to complete it.

Having priced this job in Hursts Belfast, if I do this job twice, the tooling costs have more than paid for themselves.

So.

Any advice welcome, do's and don'ts or general comments welcome, before I start it.

Thanks in advance

Alex
Click to expand...

I've altered them on 1200LC engines and it was easy enough to do. If the tolerance is tight, a quick rub on wet and dry has always done the trick. Before I used wet and dry, I bought so Harley shims which were the same size.

I didn't use a locking tool
 
Tackled the job this afternoon, but there was some poor planning on my part, as I missed most of the Italy v England rugby match.

Just took my time.

Done the oil and filters when I was at it.

Bike up and running again.

Out for a ride in the morning, hopefully all will go ok.

I was initially a bit apprehensive about doing this, but now having finish it, it isn't as daunting as it looks.

Having the right tools is a must though:cool:

Thanks to Boxflyer for his You Tube video guide which was a tremendous help.
 
This one falls into my faff versus cost equation. I just take my bike to dealer and drink their coffee. It only happens every few years and good time to kick tyres and buy t shirts. Also address recalls etc.
DIY not worth the hassle…………and it’s not every day you get to see Italy beat England?! 😬
 
Yes, normally thats what I have done in the past, but as I dont see myself changing the bike anytime soon, I thought it was a good investment.

Each to their own.

On the flip side, I was out today with a few of my biking buddies, one of which is also git a 1250 which is also over its inspection window.

He also does his own maintenance, and he has agreed to cover half of the tooling cost to do his own valve check/adjustment.

So result, ££ in pocket now

Thanks for your comments
 
Where did you buy the tools from, particularly the camshaft setting tool?
 
I tried ordering the camchain pretensioner tool from BMW and there was zero stock, apparently they make them in batches so the lead time could be ages. ISTR it was about £400 for all the required tooling.

I did email box flyer asking if his mate who made tooling in USA would export to the UK or share info so I could make my own tooling but alas no deal, it’s not worth their effort.
 
Hann said:
Where did you buy the tools from, particularly the camshaft setting tool?
Click to expand...
As Big Cats says Motorworks and Nippy Normans, depending on prices.

The box of shims came from XL Moto

To do this job you you need to have

Camshaft alignment jig

Flywheel locking pin

16mm torque adapter

Timing chain tensioner

Micrometer

Hope this helps.

Dont be put off, its not as complicated as it looks
 
If its just a valve clearance check, I'd probably agree.

If you need to change shims to keep the clearance within specified tolerances, the cams need to be realigned after removal. If you are checking the relevant cam position by eye only, there is strong possibility they will not be aligned 100% so your valve opening or timing will be slightly off.

If you have another way, maybe you can share on here.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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