Thank you very much for taking the time to make this video. I know this had to take an incredible amount of time to adjust cameras, think about how to explain the process and then explain, and post edit, not to mention all the other items I'm not aware of, However, you have just saved me a ton of time of figuring this out and, more than anything, given me confidence to do this myself. Thanks again!
@@backcountryadvmoto I second that! People watch such material and don't think twice about how difficult it is to actually make it. I think you should set up a donations space for all your hard work. Just make sure that all the information you provide is accurate (like double and triple check). The tensioner part looked a bit sketchy (I'd be worried about putting it back or not losing that spring in the motor). BTW, I don't own an AT and laughed when you asked at the beginning "why would you otherwise watch this?" AT is on my short list.
Thank you exposing the steps to pull off the valve adjustment for the AT and avoiding asking myself, "what in the hell I was thinking there is nothing to it"! I am going to the Bar now.
Thank you very much for putting all the time and effort into making this video, its going to be a great help for all the AT owners out there. I'll be tackling mine this coming winter and will certainly be using this video as a reference during the process. Its quite a lengthy and entailed process but if you do it a step at a time like you did it should go smoothly. Thanks again Kyle.
... and just to be picky, that was a caliper not a micro-meter. However, I'm sure the caliper is sufficient precision for that job. And great job explaining the process. Good video on a technical topic. Good job dude!
Great video! One of the best I've seen for this type of work. I'm contemplating buying an Africa Twin and I was curious as to what was involved in this service. I'm mostly a DIYer for most of my own motorbike work, not only to save a bit of money, but also because I like to know how to service all of my vehicles. You took a lot of time to make this video and go into great detail how to do this. Thank you for sharing!
My AT now has 24000km and I paid a fortune for this inspection. But your video made me feel less bad about the costs...for me it looks like a pain in the ass working on that thing. Thank you for sharing your knowledge in this awesome video!
Thanks, glad you liked it. Yes it is a royal pain. Unfortunately I feel like as technology advances and companies try to cram as much as they can into a small space. Manufacturers like Honda are slowly losing their reputation of ease of maintenance but hopefully not their reliability.
@@backcountryadvmoto Or maybe this is exactly what the industry (dealerships and mechanics) wants? If it would be so easy to change the sparkplugs, I would definitly consider it doing by my self. Once I tried to take a deeper look into my AT and removed the side-body. It already started here to annoy me and I broke a little rubber-plug while trying to put it back on. Side-Body replacement for the AT: €400,-. I will never do anything by myselfe on this bike again. But I am considering buying an old one (as second bike of course ;) Greetings from austria!
great video I watched to see what the maintenance would be like on a AT. I can 100 percent promise you I will happily keep my BMW R1200 GSA Again great video and great work. Its insane how they bury everything
Generally loose valves will not cause a noticeable difference in performance. It's when they are tight and the valve does not close completely you have a loss of compression, a slight engine miss and or loss in performance. All in all the great tutorial, think I'm considering buying one of these machines it's nice to see how it's done. Thanks for the informative video!
Totally agree. The only real drawback to them being too loose is that if they get bad enough the the rocket arms can slap the cam lobes and cause wear quicker. And if they are loose they can not open as far as they should and not allowing air in and exhaust out as efficient as it should be. Unless they are really loose though it’s negligible.
This style of vavle train will absoluly never increase in clearance under normail circumstances, if your going to shim, shim to middle or loose side of spec ALWAYS, especialy exhaust.
Wow great video, you can see your professionalism, I was a dealer tech for Chrysler for 44yrs, I just purchased a 2019 atas can't wait to adjust the valves!🤣🤣
Thanks so much for this video and your channel I’m in the process of buying my first motorcycle and that will be an Honda AT and I’m trying to educate myself on mods and maintenance and I plan to do everything myself I live in an area I just don’t trust my dealers to do it right !! Keep up the content great job!!
Why, this will be fun. My first check at 16 they were still in spec. Now at 28k and definitely have to check them as my exhaust sounds way different now. Great job on going over the shim/bucket.
great video mate, congratulations! with your thorough explanation you really gave me a precise idea of what the job is about. got myself a k19 africa twin 1000 a couple of months ago and this job will be needed in about 5000 km, I'm really considering doing it myself 💪🏼
I was kinda hesitant first, but I did it on my 2001 GSX-R600, and it is actually not so bad if you use extreme care and caution. Just do every step as slow and thoughtful as possible and use a reference book and tourque wrench. Now I have peace in mind, because I adjusted every valve to the perfect spec, while in the shop they usually leave it even if it is close to being out of spec, if they even open it at all and not just listen to the engine and then say it is all good without checking and then writing you a huge bill.
Thank you so much! I doubt I ll do it myself, i mean checking the clearance is one thing, actually do the adjustment if needed seems a bit too much a “too many things I can mess up” situation...then again once I get there now i know there is this great video i can go back to if i decide to try. Great job 👍🏻😊
Do you recommend Africa twin as an adventure bike? I live in Coeur d’Alene Idaho near you and I’m just getting into the sport. I’ve been dirt bikes most of my life and some street bikes. I would just appreciate your opinion based upon all your videos and the amount of riding you do.
@@kevinglenn4381 you replied to my message although i suppose wasn't my opinion u were looking for. I ll share it nonetheless coming from 60.000 km on the crf1000 and about 20.000 now on the 1100. It really depends on what you are planning to use it for. To cut it supershort I d buy another africa twin another 10 times. Look this is very true if you just have 1 bike in your shed. 2 weeks ago I was with some people riding enduro bike on some enduro trails (real offroad no gravel roads or something). I was the sloweststin the pack but did it all what people with beta 300 were doing. Now I changed the wheels with the ones with roadworks tyres and is 2 day i am doing canyons and mountain pass. Bikes overtaking me? Not really and I am no Valentino. It is an hell of a bike, then again, there are better road bikes and there are better offroad bike, but when it comes to balancing the 2 to me there is no doubt which way to go.
Great video! Makes me appreciate the valves on my 91 Nighthawk. Modern motorcycles shouldn't require this kind of maintenance at such low millage. I think most AT owners would be willing to sacrifice a few HP to get lower maintenance, I know I would. Dealer here quoted me about 8h if valves needed adjustment.
Thank you for the video. Very informative step by step process. My conclusion based on my limited mechanical skills is to take mine to the dealership for this specific service. Everything else l shall do myself and even out the expense to do the valve clearance service.
Many thanks for your video. It will help me to change my spark plugs, but I don't know if I have the mechanical skills to adjust the valves. I will subscribe and follow your channel from France 🇨🇵
Good video. If they did the inlet same as the exhaust valve adjustment, then no need to pull it all apart. Shims are not required for motors that are below 10000 rpm. If the exhaust can manage tappets, so can the inlet.
“I’m assuming you own an Africa twin because why else would you be watching this video” - Me just a glutton for motorcycle mechanics watching every make an models maintenance videos 😂😂😂
Hello, I wrote from Colombia and I thank you very much for your video is great. Just yesterday, our twin Africa disarmed it in order to clean it up. But I would like to know how to remove the mud guard. I would also like to know how to get the manual. Guide me? Thank you
Outstanding work man, I know this was a lot of hassle doing the maintenance and adjusting / editing camera. I'm torn -- I have the $$ to pay for a dealership to do it, but I honestly don't trust them -- there aren't a lot of AT sold where I live (NM seems to be Harley or pure dirt bike territory) and last thing I wanna do is pay lots of cash for some dude to screw up my bike. Then again, I sure as hell wouldn't wish this maintenance on my worst enemy. LOL, first-world problems. Excellent work!
If you have the money and doesn’t wanna take the time, take it to a Honda dealer and have it done. Ask them to replace the spark plugs while they are in there bedside the top two are impossible to get to unless you are already in there doing this job. The dealer will have a flat rate “book” cost so there shouldn’t be any surprises.
Yeah if someone doesn’t feel comfortable with doing stuff like this then by all means, have a professional do it. It’s really not that hard though it’s just time consuming. I’ve had bad luck with dealers when it comes to services unfortunately so I’d rather do my own work if it all possible
@@backcountryadvmoto Agreed, I do the valve adjustment on my KTM 500 as it is super easy, but rather have the dealer adjust my BMW GS1250 valves. The issue with dealers is that they may not even do the valve adjustment but charge you for it, that's my concern, I mean, how can you really check if they did the valve adjustment?
@@ironhorsegladiator5034 Best way is to listen to the engine closely.. If the tappets are noisy then adjust them, I don't think you'd get much damage in 30,000 miles with high quality oil anyway.
@@ironhorsegladiator5034 " The issue with dealers is that they may not even do the valve adjustment but charge you for it, " >>You can say that again! I used to own a 2006 GSA and, right after a valve check/adjustment, a valve hit the piston and grenaded the engine. The valve was found in my exhaust! Even though the bike was just 1 month out of warranty, they replaced the damaged cylinder at no cost. It was a 20K kms bike. P.S. I too own a 500 EXC (2012) now. What a great bike that is!
The only gasket is the rubber one on the valve cover and it’s listed from Honda as “inspect and reuse” Other than that, it would be a good time to replace the spark plugs as it’s nearly the same process to replace the top ones
Ive done my own clearance check on the klr. Very similar process. The shims are bigger. Also did the doo😆 Second time I took it to the dealer. $800cad later.🤑🤮
Great video I don't understand why Honda has positioned the air filter under the tank and adjusted the valves this way. At Honda nc700x I checked the valves in 2 hours maximum, doing this for the first time. Everything is done with screws both at the intake and at the exhaust. Why didn't they do that at Africa Twin?
The NC700x's engine is a Street motorcycle engine and can't be considered a hundred percent adventure bike , the center of the NC700x is located at the bottom and in the middle of the motorcycle and this gives the NC700x great stability on the road, add to that the angle at which the engine is installed in the NC700x, make the engine head located completely behind the radiator, you only have to remove the radiator and work freely, as for the Africa Twin, it is basically a big dirt bike , 100% adventure motorcycle , the engine is high above the ground , It cannot be compared to the NC700X .
@@hussienabukhalil2012 I do not compare the two engines in the sense of their use. If on the Nc700x they were able to make adjustments to the valves whit screw, why didn't they do them on the AT as well? The position of the air filter is totally wrong for an adventure motorcycle I love the Africa twin, îs my dream motorcycle
@@lucimoto2922 I hope you get africa twin as soon as possible, I have had nc750x before , it's a great bike , then sold it out , add some money, and I get africa twin 2019 , normal one not the adventure sport , it's a nice bike 👍but it's not made for short people . 😉
Far from a rebuild. Just valve adjustments. I know several people who have never checked the valves and they have over 50k miles with no issues. Not saying it’s good practice, but they are low maintenance motorcycles
@@backcountryadvmoto Is it good idea to buy a used one or better to get a new? Some guys can kill bike in off road driving in 5K miles or less and I could end up with major problems. Looks like they take more beating compared to street bikes.
Great video mate. Thanks for such a clear and detailed walk-through. This is my next major action on my AT. I now feel much more confident about it. Can you list where you got that valve adjusting tool?
I’m impressed! Super job; thanks for all your focusing and editing. After watching it to the end, I believe that I could get everything properly adjusted but I’m not sure that I could get it all reassembled. Sign me up for oil changes. To be clear, you only used blue locktite on the cam gear bolts, everything else was just torqued to spec, is that correct? Thanks again. Cheers
Engine exactly the same dude, just slightly different mapping. Funnily enough, I've got an AT but thinking of trading in for the NT! Don't go off road and it's so tall, but it's a lovely engine. This lengthy valve checking procedure does seem ridiculous on a modern machine though.
Video helped a lot thx. Just wondering if it’s ok to leave the crank shaft wherever you last adjusted, or if there’s a set point it’s supposed to go back to?
Nope, once it’s adjusted simply button it all back up and you are good. The only thing that matters as far as the crank goes is that you are at TDC before the adjustment in each side. Thanks for watching. Glad it helped
No. Once you are finished it does not matter what position engine is in. As long as the steps were followed and the timing was correct during assembly it will not change. Think of it this way. When you turn your engine off after a ride, it almost never stop at top dead center. As you crank the motor that is what initiates the firing order. Same concept
@@backcountryadvmoto Cheers. Just that I have done the steps. Everything is within tolerance having changed the shims. Checked 3 times and the engine is more tappy than before. Stripped and checked again. Put a new tensioner on. Still the same. Check for arcing of plugs. Very tappy. Wondering if the gap is too large?
It’s possible. Check the math and make sure you are using the right shims. Tolerance needs to be checks at TDC on both the intake and then rotated for exhaust.
Do you need to drain the oil from the bike to do this. (sorry of you mention this, I skimmed the first part where you talked a lot - you may have mentioned it)
Wow. Thanks so much for doing this. I just got a new Africa Twin, and after watching your video, I am questioning my purchase and really, really appreciating my BMW more. Maybe the trick is to sell the Honda at 15,000 miles. Would you know if a valve job is any easier on the 2021 model? I don't think Honda could have made this 'routine maintenance task' more involved. Why didn't they use the 'tappet' system on the intake side? I was OK until I saw you removing the chain. But then again, I had to rebuild my BMW ABS pump, so maybe this is not impossible. But I'm the kind of guy who would drop a nut into the engine.
The 21 will be the exact same. It’s not really hard, just a lot of steps. The bmw is definitely easier. The cam chain removal is pretty common on many OHC motors. I’m not sure why they do the buckets only on one side. I’ve seen it on many dirt bikes, but not on only one side. 🤷🏼♂️
To my knowledge every manufacturer has some type of valve adjustment. They vary and complexity, but modern day motorcycles are a pain because of fairings and plastic to make the bike look good.
I would also add to that that the only one that’s not really that difficult would be a BMW R1200 or 1250 GS. The heads on these motorcycles are very accessible and easy to work on for this type of maintenance
I looked at both of them but couldn’t fork over that much money. Realistically I probably will never put 16k miles on my AT before moving on so for now it’s all good. BTW, Great videos
@@backcountryadvmoto I found a set of three with 8, 9, and 10mm hex side and interchangeable adjustment knobs. Not looking forward to doing this check but Im at 29.9k miles and not about to push my luck beyond that.
@@backcountryadvmoto I have a Haynes manual for the bike, I will probably pick up a Honda shop manual for it as well. Haynes is ok but not nearly as good as the Honda one. Your video covers pretty much the whole process though, the manual will be mostly a reference for torque specs.
I used just the power commander at first and it was pretty good, but it was still lacking on the bottom end so I actually got it dyno tuned and it made it awesome. Lots of power down low low when you need to get the front wheel up and smooth it out for highway speed to get decent mileage.
Might be a stupid question but is there anyway to find the correct shim size without having shims already installed? Working on a honda aquatrax engine and I measured all the clearances only to realize there were no shims after I removed the buckets. No wonder the clearances were way off. Fml
Wow, that’s insane. Somebody clearly didn’t know what the hell they were doing. My only suggestion would be to either look in a shop manual or get buried in some Google searches, trying to find what the factory shim originally was. You will have to install the shim and then re-measure your clearance to determine what the new shim will be if necessary. You could also buy a shim kit and literally just pick a size somewhere in the middle and reassemble and measure from there and it will give you a starting point to know what size to go with to give you a proper spec. Hopefully that makes sense if not, feel free to give me a call. My phone number is on my website. Might be able to walk you through it from there. 🤙🏼 good luck
@@backcountryadvmoto thanks so much for the response. I guess they thought the shims were already on the bucket lol. I guess I'll just order a shim kit and re measure everything again 🤦♂️
The E1 position doesn’t make sense as piston 1 is midway down the intake stroke. The piston should be at TDC on the compression stroke the same as it is for cylinder 2.
Does anyone know if it’s crucial that when making the final tightening after adjustment that you use a wrench that gets the specific torque setting right?
it is, if you over-tighten a screw, you may damage the head, or even worse, if the screw comes lose while the engine is running, you easily end up with wasting the head or worse. consider you save a ton of money by doing this job yourself - the way I see is, the first time you do it, you barely save any money because you're investing in tools, but then you're set for life 💪🏼
So if you are not mechanically inclined to do this it’s going to cost a lot of money ever 15,000 miles I was thinking about getting one but I don’t know now thanks for the great video.
If you are referring to the tappet adjustment, yes, as mentioned in the video the intake side is bucket/shim and the exhaust side is screw adjustment. Forgiving me if that’s. It what you were asking.
They can’t do it without vyebons, on the one hand it is necessary to make a valve actuator with rockers, and on the other hand with adjusting washers so that people get to fuck off removing the camshaft, bitches, Honda ones ..
Thank you very much for taking the time to make this video. I know this had to take an incredible amount of time to adjust cameras, think about how to explain the process and then explain, and post edit, not to mention all the other items I'm not aware of, However, you have just saved me a ton of time of figuring this out and, more than anything, given me confidence to do this myself. Thanks again!
Thanks for recognizing all the time and effort 👍🏻
@@backcountryadvmoto I second that! People watch such material and don't think twice about how difficult it is to actually make it. I think you should set up a donations space for all your hard work. Just make sure that all the information you provide is accurate (like double and triple check). The tensioner part looked a bit sketchy (I'd be worried about putting it back or not losing that spring in the motor). BTW, I don't own an AT and laughed when you asked at the beginning "why would you otherwise watch this?" AT is on my short list.
Thank you so much for the video. Never had an engine so time consuming to do a simple servicing job. 👌
wow this must have been an absolute mission to film! huge thanks for the effort!!
Thank you exposing the steps to pull off the valve adjustment for the AT and avoiding asking myself, "what in the hell I was thinking there is nothing to it"! I am going to the Bar now.
One of the best UA-cam videos I’ve watched. Still not sure I’m going to do it but finally a video worth watching. Great job!
You've convinced me to get a HD Pan America with self adjusting valves.
Thank you very much for putting all the time and effort into making this video, its going to be a great help for all the AT owners out there. I'll be tackling mine this coming winter and will certainly be using this video as a reference during the process. Its quite a lengthy and entailed process but if you do it a step at a time like you did it should go smoothly. Thanks again Kyle.
Thanks for the kind words
It's a good idea to mic the NEW shims too to make sure of their thickness. Only want to put the cam back once. Great video!!!
... and just to be picky, that was a caliper not a micro-meter. However, I'm sure the caliper is sufficient precision for that job. And great job explaining the process. Good video on a technical topic. Good job dude!
Great video! One of the best I've seen for this type of work. I'm contemplating buying an Africa Twin and I was curious as to what was involved in this service. I'm mostly a DIYer for most of my own motorbike work, not only to save a bit of money, but also because I like to know how to service all of my vehicles. You took a lot of time to make this video and go into great detail how to do this. Thank you for sharing!
My AT now has 24000km and I paid a fortune for this inspection. But your video made me feel less bad about the costs...for me it looks like a pain in the ass working on that thing. Thank you for sharing your knowledge in this awesome video!
Thanks, glad you liked it. Yes it is a royal pain. Unfortunately I feel like as technology advances and companies try to cram as much as they can into a small space. Manufacturers like Honda are slowly losing their reputation of ease of maintenance but hopefully not their reliability.
@@backcountryadvmoto Or maybe this is exactly what the industry (dealerships and mechanics) wants? If it would be so easy to change the sparkplugs, I would definitly consider it doing by my self. Once I tried to take a deeper look into my AT and removed the side-body. It already started here to annoy me and I broke a little rubber-plug while trying to put it back on. Side-Body replacement for the AT: €400,-. I will never do anything by myselfe on this bike again. But I am considering buying an old one (as second bike of course ;) Greetings from austria!
Thanks a lot, you dragged me over the line by presenting the job in a realistic way.
Adjustment went just fine.
Greetings fro Antwerp
great video I watched to see what the maintenance would be like on a AT. I can 100 percent promise you I will happily keep my BMW R1200 GSA Again great video and great work. Its insane how they bury everything
Generally loose valves will not cause a noticeable difference in performance. It's when they are tight and the valve does not close completely you have a loss of compression, a slight engine miss and or loss in performance. All in all the great tutorial, think I'm considering buying one of these machines it's nice to see how it's done. Thanks for the informative video!
Totally agree. The only real drawback to them being too loose is that if they get bad enough the the rocket arms can slap the cam lobes and cause wear quicker. And if they are loose they can not open as far as they should and not allowing air in and exhaust out as efficient as it should be. Unless they are really loose though it’s negligible.
This style of vavle train will absoluly never increase in clearance under normail circumstances, if your going to shim, shim to middle or loose side of spec ALWAYS, especialy exhaust.
Adored how well done the video was made, and leaves me confident that i could do this myself when i save enough to buy an Africa Twin myself lol
Awesome video that convinced me to give it to the mechanics. You have great skills and convey them awesome.
Keep on the good stuff coming !
lol same..
Same2,, First Got To Figure Which Bike.
Wow great video, you can see your professionalism, I was a dealer tech for Chrysler for 44yrs, I just purchased a 2019 atas can't wait to adjust the valves!🤣🤣
Thank you very much for great information. Just finished mine. Lucky me only exhaust valves were little tight. Great job. Thank you sir.
That is very useful information.
Thank you for taking the pain to document and share .
Thanks so much for this video and your channel I’m in the process of buying my first motorcycle and that will be an Honda AT and I’m trying to educate myself on mods and maintenance and I plan to do everything myself I live in an area I just don’t trust my dealers to do it right !! Keep up the content great job!!
great video ,, please keep making them,, seem like a super down to earth guy with lots of bike knowledge
Why, this will be fun. My first check at 16 they were still in spec. Now at 28k and definitely have to check them as my exhaust sounds way different now. Great job on going over the shim/bucket.
Thanks for watching
I am close to 25000 Km service on my AT DCT 2019 it is no wonder why this service are costly @ the Honda dealer Thank You For Sheering well done 👍
great video mate, congratulations!
with your thorough explanation you really gave me a precise idea of what the job is about.
got myself a k19 africa twin 1000 a couple of months ago and this job will be needed in about 5000 km, I'm really considering doing it myself 💪🏼
Having watched this for me it’s worth the $600-$700 to have a dealer do it.
IF they do it! And that's the problem with many shops today.
I was kinda hesitant first, but I did it on my 2001 GSX-R600, and it is actually not so bad if you use extreme care and caution. Just do every step as slow and thoughtful as possible and use a reference book and tourque wrench. Now I have peace in mind, because I adjusted every valve to the perfect spec, while in the shop they usually leave it even if it is close to being out of spec, if they even open it at all and not just listen to the engine and then say it is all good without checking and then writing you a huge bill.
Thank you so much! I doubt I ll do it myself, i mean checking the clearance is one thing, actually do the adjustment if needed seems a bit too much a “too many things I can mess up” situation...then again once I get there now i know there is this great video i can go back to if i decide to try. Great job 👍🏻😊
Do you recommend Africa twin as an adventure bike? I live in Coeur d’Alene Idaho near you and I’m just getting into the sport. I’ve been dirt bikes most of my life and some street bikes. I would just appreciate your opinion based upon all your videos and the amount of riding you do.
@@kevinglenn4381 you replied to my message although i suppose wasn't my opinion u were looking for. I ll share it nonetheless coming from 60.000 km on the crf1000 and about 20.000 now on the 1100. It really depends on what you are planning to use it for. To cut it supershort I d buy another africa twin another 10 times. Look this is very true if you just have 1 bike in your shed. 2 weeks ago I was with some people riding enduro bike on some enduro trails (real offroad no gravel roads or something). I was the sloweststin the pack but did it all what people with beta 300 were doing. Now I changed the wheels with the ones with roadworks tyres and is 2 day i am doing canyons and mountain pass. Bikes overtaking me? Not really and I am no Valentino. It is an hell of a bike, then again, there are better road bikes and there are better offroad bike, but when it comes to balancing the 2 to me there is no doubt which way to go.
A friend from Brasil here. Always nice videos. This one is great
Great video! Makes me appreciate the valves on my 91 Nighthawk. Modern motorcycles shouldn't require this kind of maintenance at such low millage. I think most AT owners would be willing to sacrifice a few HP to get lower maintenance, I know I would. Dealer here quoted me about 8h if valves needed adjustment.
As a 92 Nighthawk 750 owner myself i can second this feeling. Love to know i have Hydraulic Lifters that have my back lol
I dont even own a Africa twin (some day) but I really enjoyed the video and seeing how the motorcycle is designed.
Thanks for making this video, I have the 2017
Thank you for the video. Very informative step by step process. My conclusion based on my limited mechanical skills is to take mine to the dealership for this specific service. Everything else l shall do myself and even out the expense to do the valve clearance service.
Many thanks for your video. It will help me to change my spark plugs, but I don't know if I have the mechanical skills to adjust the valves. I will subscribe and follow your channel from France 🇨🇵
Drop it off on Tuesday morning, pick it up Friday on the way home from work.
Thanks for taking the time to make this video.
Good video. If they did the inlet same as the exhaust valve adjustment, then no need to pull it all apart. Shims are not required for motors that are below 10000 rpm. If the exhaust can manage tappets, so can the inlet.
That is a great video. Thanks for taking to time to do it so well.
thank you very much from the AT - guys in germany! excellent work! very helpful!
Thanks for this video. You covered everything. I appreciate it
Thank you sir for an AMAZING VIDEO , 48:31 WORTH WATCHING
What a great video! Will be doing this for my buddy very soon!
Oh gawd this makes my head spin. I'll have to leave this for the stealership
I like this video and the guy is genuine 👍
thank you very much!
“I’m assuming you own an Africa twin because why else would you be watching this video”
- Me just a glutton for motorcycle mechanics watching every make an models maintenance videos 😂😂😂
Hahah. Honestly I’m the same way
Hello, I wrote from Colombia and I thank you very much for your video is great. Just yesterday, our twin Africa disarmed it in order to clean it up. But I would like to know how to remove the mud guard. I would also like to know how to get the manual. Guide me? Thank you
Outstanding work man, I know this was a lot of hassle doing the maintenance and adjusting / editing camera. I'm torn -- I have the $$ to pay for a dealership to do it, but I honestly don't trust them -- there aren't a lot of AT sold where I live (NM seems to be Harley or pure dirt bike territory) and last thing I wanna do is pay lots of cash for some dude to screw up my bike. Then again, I sure as hell wouldn't wish this maintenance on my worst enemy. LOL, first-world problems. Excellent work!
If you have the money and doesn’t wanna take the time, take it to a Honda dealer and have it done. Ask them to replace the spark plugs while they are in there bedside the top two are impossible to get to unless you are already in there doing this job. The dealer will have a flat rate “book” cost so there shouldn’t be any surprises.
Thanks for the video. Would you say that after the first 16k check, the valves are much less likely to go out of spec?
Good video as always, but it would make sense to let the dealer do this, unless you don't mind paying them double if you messed up.
Yeah if someone doesn’t feel comfortable with doing stuff like this then by all means, have a professional do it. It’s really not that hard though it’s just time consuming. I’ve had bad luck with dealers when it comes to services unfortunately so I’d rather do my own work if it all possible
@@backcountryadvmoto Agreed, I do the valve adjustment on my KTM 500 as it is super easy, but rather have the dealer adjust my BMW GS1250 valves. The issue with dealers is that they may not even do the valve adjustment but charge you for it, that's my concern, I mean, how can you really check if they did the valve adjustment?
@@ironhorsegladiator5034 Best way is to listen to the engine closely.. If the tappets are noisy then adjust them, I don't think you'd get much damage in 30,000 miles with high quality oil anyway.
@@MagicAyrtonforever I heard other long mileage BMW owners tell me the same. Thanks
@@ironhorsegladiator5034 " The issue with dealers is that they may not even do the valve adjustment but charge you for it, "
>>You can say that again! I used to own a 2006 GSA and, right after a valve check/adjustment, a valve hit the piston and grenaded the engine. The valve was found in my exhaust! Even though the bike was just 1 month out of warranty, they replaced the damaged cylinder at no cost. It was a 20K kms bike.
P.S. I too own a 500 EXC (2012) now. What a great bike that is!
Great video man!
Well done video
I’m going to pay the dealer lol
Really not looking forward to this in 750 miles. Thanks for the video!
Great vid - love it, thx.
Can you please list some necessary things to replace while doing this? Such as gaskets and seals and anything else.... Thank you!
The only gasket is the rubber one on the valve cover and it’s listed from Honda as “inspect and reuse” Other than that, it would be a good time to replace the spark plugs as it’s nearly the same process to replace the top ones
Ive done my own clearance check on the klr. Very similar process. The shims are bigger. Also did the doo😆
Second time I took it to the dealer. $800cad later.🤑🤮
Thank you
Great video
Alot if Good Info
very nicely explained 👌
Thanks 😉
Great video
I don't understand why Honda has positioned the air filter under the tank and adjusted the valves this way.
At Honda nc700x I checked the valves in 2 hours maximum, doing this for the first time. Everything is done with screws both at the intake and at the exhaust.
Why didn't they do that at Africa Twin?
Beats me 🤷🏼♂️ Seems like someone who actually wrenches on bikes certainly didn’t have any input 😂
The NC700x's engine is a Street motorcycle engine and can't be considered a hundred percent adventure bike , the center of the NC700x is located at the bottom and in the middle of the motorcycle and this gives the NC700x great stability on the road, add to that the angle at which the engine is installed in the NC700x, make the engine head located completely behind the radiator, you only have to remove the radiator and work freely, as for the Africa Twin, it is basically a big dirt bike , 100% adventure motorcycle , the engine is high above the ground , It cannot be compared to the NC700X .
@@hussienabukhalil2012
I do not compare the two engines in the sense of their use. If on the Nc700x they were able to make adjustments to the valves whit screw, why didn't they do them on the AT as well? The position of the air filter is totally wrong for an adventure motorcycle
I love the Africa twin, îs my dream motorcycle
@@lucimoto2922 I hope you get africa twin as soon as possible, I have had nc750x before , it's a great bike , then sold it out , add some money, and I get africa twin 2019 , normal one not the adventure sport , it's a nice bike 👍but it's not made for short people . 😉
@@hussienabukhalil2012
That s the problem
I am 5,8
I don't have Africa Twin but thinking about buying one. Seems like a major engine rebuild at 16k miles.
Far from a rebuild. Just valve adjustments. I know several people who have never checked the valves and they have over 50k miles with no issues. Not saying it’s good practice, but they are low maintenance motorcycles
@@backcountryadvmoto
Is it good idea to buy a used one or better to get a new? Some guys can kill bike in off road driving in 5K miles or less and I could end up with major problems. Looks like they take more beating compared to street bikes.
Thanks Good video. I assume it works the same for the NT1100
I’m not sure. This was on the CRF1000L
The power commander...did you consider a rolling road remap? Why chose the commander?
Great video mate. Thanks for such a clear and detailed walk-through. This is my next major action on my AT. I now feel much more confident about it.
Can you list where you got that valve adjusting tool?
These are the ones I use amzn.to/3L9g5zm
@@backcountryadvmoto I really appreciate that man.
Thanks again for the vid.
Nice servicing job
Great video,subbed.👍
Would your remap mask the out of spec tolerances for the intake valves, by compensating the air mix?
Amazing vídeo 😍🤟
Hello, may i ask why cant i do the exhaust measurement for cylinder 1 at the top dead centre too?
I’m impressed! Super job; thanks for all your focusing and editing. After watching it to the end, I believe that I could get everything properly adjusted but I’m not sure that I could get it all reassembled. Sign me up for oil changes.
To be clear, you only used blue locktite on the cam gear bolts, everything else was just torqued to spec, is that correct?
Thanks again.
Cheers
That is correct, and that is really more of a failed Safe than anything. Thanks for watching and glad I could be of some assistance
Outstanding - Thx
Don’t own an Africa Twin, but I’m interested in the new NT1100. Am I correct to assume the procedure described here is likely to be similar to the NT?
Engine exactly the same dude, just slightly different mapping. Funnily enough, I've got an AT but thinking of trading in for the NT! Don't go off road and it's so tall, but it's a lovely engine. This lengthy valve checking procedure does seem ridiculous on a modern machine though.
Thanks grate wideo 👍👍👍
Video helped a lot thx. Just wondering if it’s ok to leave the crank shaft wherever you last adjusted, or if there’s a set point it’s supposed to go back to?
Nope, once it’s adjusted simply button it all back up and you are good. The only thing that matters as far as the crank goes is that you are at TDC before the adjustment in each side. Thanks for watching. Glad it helped
@@backcountryadvmoto good to hear thx!
Great vid. Once done does the engine have to be turned to a particular position before starting?
No. Once you are finished it does not matter what position engine is in. As long as the steps were followed and the timing was correct during assembly it will not change. Think of it this way. When you turn your engine off after a ride, it almost never stop at top dead center. As you crank the motor that is what initiates the firing order. Same concept
@@backcountryadvmoto Cheers. Just that I have done the steps. Everything is within tolerance having changed the shims. Checked 3 times and the engine is more tappy than before. Stripped and checked again. Put a new tensioner on. Still the same. Check for arcing of plugs. Very tappy. Wondering if the gap is too large?
It’s possible. Check the math and make sure you are using the right shims. Tolerance needs to be checks at TDC on both the intake and then rotated for exhaust.
Do you need to drain the oil from the bike to do this. (sorry of you mention this, I skimmed the first part where you talked a lot - you may have mentioned it)
No you do not need to
are you sure you were on the compression stroke?
Wow. Thanks so much for doing this. I just got a new Africa Twin, and after watching your video, I am questioning my purchase and really, really appreciating my BMW more. Maybe the trick is to sell the Honda at 15,000 miles. Would you know if a valve job is any easier on the 2021 model? I don't think Honda could have made this 'routine maintenance task' more involved. Why didn't they use the 'tappet' system on the intake side? I was OK until I saw you removing the chain. But then again, I had to rebuild my BMW ABS pump, so maybe this is not impossible. But I'm the kind of guy who would drop a nut into the engine.
The 21 will be the exact same. It’s not really hard, just a lot of steps. The bmw is definitely easier. The cam chain removal is pretty common on many OHC motors. I’m not sure why they do the buckets only on one side. I’ve seen it on many dirt bikes, but not on only one side. 🤷🏼♂️
How many kilometers did the bike have before the valve clearance?
Do all the different makes of adventure bikes need this same adjustment and if so are they just as complex?
To my knowledge every manufacturer has some type of valve adjustment. They vary and complexity, but modern day motorcycles are a pain because of fairings and plastic to make the bike look good.
I would also add to that that the only one that’s not really that difficult would be a BMW R1200 or 1250 GS. The heads on these motorcycles are very accessible and easy to work on for this type of maintenance
I looked at both of them but couldn’t fork over that much money. Realistically I probably will never put 16k miles on my AT before moving on so for now it’s all good. BTW, Great videos
@@backcountryadvmoto the most easy to work on for me is the moto guzzi v85tt 👍
What's the size of your tappet adjustment tool? I can't find the nut size anywhere for those and the tools sold online come in specific sizes.
I believe it’s a 10mm I use this set amzn.to/3ZptqsY
@@backcountryadvmoto I found a set of three with 8, 9, and 10mm hex side and interchangeable adjustment knobs. Not looking forward to doing this check but Im at 29.9k miles and not about to push my luck beyond that.
@@devorlast I would highly suggest picking up a shop manual if you don’t already have one. The book lays it out pretty well.
@@backcountryadvmoto I have a Haynes manual for the bike, I will probably pick up a Honda shop manual for it as well. Haynes is ok but not nearly as good as the Honda one. Your video covers pretty much the whole process though, the manual will be mostly a reference for torque specs.
Hey, I know this bike is long gone 😢but when you did your exhaust and filters did you get the bike dino tuned or was the power commander enough?
I used just the power commander at first and it was pretty good, but it was still lacking on the bottom end so I actually got it dyno tuned and it made it awesome. Lots of power down low low when you need to get the front wheel up and smooth it out for highway speed to get decent mileage.
Thanks
Might be a stupid question but is there anyway to find the correct shim size without having shims already installed? Working on a honda aquatrax engine and I measured all the clearances only to realize there were no shims after I removed the buckets. No wonder the clearances were way off. Fml
Wow, that’s insane. Somebody clearly didn’t know what the hell they were doing. My only suggestion would be to either look in a shop manual or get buried in some Google searches, trying to find what the factory shim originally was. You will have to install the shim and then re-measure your clearance to determine what the new shim will be if necessary. You could also buy a shim kit and literally just pick a size somewhere in the middle and reassemble and measure from there and it will give you a starting point to know what size to go with to give you a proper spec. Hopefully that makes sense if not, feel free to give me a call. My phone number is on my website. Might be able to walk you through it from there. 🤙🏼 good luck
@@backcountryadvmoto thanks so much for the response. I guess they thought the shims were already on the bucket lol. I guess I'll just order a shim kit and re measure everything again 🤦♂️
The E1 position doesn’t make sense as piston 1 is midway down the intake stroke. The piston should be at TDC on the compression stroke the same as it is for cylinder 2.
otherwise excellent video Amerigo
I also have a Honda is it important to do
it was at 25000 km
Wow honda. Just wow...
Does anyone know if it’s crucial that when making the final tightening after adjustment that you use a wrench that gets the specific torque setting right?
it is, if you over-tighten a screw, you may damage the head, or even worse, if the screw comes lose while the engine is running, you easily end up with wasting the head or worse.
consider you save a ton of money by doing this job yourself - the way I see is, the first time you do it, you barely save any money because you're investing in tools, but then you're set for life 💪🏼
That seems like a lot just to check valve clearance!
It is! 🙄
@@backcountryadvmoto I am seriously considering buying the 2021 AT Adventure Sports; any insight would be appreciated !
So if you are not mechanically inclined to do this it’s going to cost a lot of money ever 15,000 miles I was thinking about getting one but I don’t know now thanks for the great video.
Hondas are known to be good,in fact close to bullet proof,,,nobody said they were easy or cheap!
if this was KTM engine, the camshaft would be eaten whole. how many miles was this engine at time u did it?
About 21k
Didn't your bike have adjusting screws?
If you are referring to the tappet adjustment, yes, as mentioned in the video the intake side is bucket/shim and the exhaust side is screw adjustment. Forgiving me if that’s. It what you were asking.
Jeez, no wonder people let this job go past the service interval. What a pain.
Yes it is
Great video
It’s a no for me dog I guess signing up for overtime and cry a bit
measure on cold engine
Absolutely. With all the stuff in the way, by the time you get to the actual measuring the engine will be cold anyway 😁
jeg har også en honda er det vigtig at gør
det var gang ved 25000 km
👍
Dont use vernier calipers, get a digital micrometer.
They can’t do it without vyebons, on the one hand it is necessary to make a valve actuator with rockers, and on the other hand with adjusting washers so that people get to fuck off removing the camshaft, bitches, Honda ones ..
That's a caliper, not a micrometer....a real micrometer would be more appropriate as the accuracy of a ( cheap) caliper might not be that great.
Yep
Wow this is a very dirty bike under the fairings 😁
jeg har også en honda er det vigtig at gør
det var gang ved 25000 km