Mechanics tip.....the cam shaft gear marks are only used to align the timing chain, cam shaft and crank....an easy way to adjust the valves is when the rear cylinder inlet and exhaust valves are on the rock then the front cylinder is at TDC. With the feeler gauge if the specifications are say 0.15, try a 0.16 if it fits then the clearance is too big, try a 0.14, if it does not fit then the clearance is too tight, bit like a go-no go gauge.
I have every ratchet wrench from 1/4" up to 1" both standard and metric hanging on my wall in order of size, so I don't have to remember if a 1/2 or a 13 is bigger, I just grab the next size up. Love your videos sir, I have a 2014 1190, I very much appreciate your time and help.
Quick tip: If you stick a medium zip tie down the spark plug hole when turning motor, it will go up and down. U can easily see TDC if there is no one to help look.
...that’s the way I was taught to do it in the old days when I’d set the tappets on my bonneville and commando - old bonnevilles are pushrod and there are no marks (well, the marks are on timing wheels that are only used for valve timing). I believe the process applies to all 4 strokes
Nice job Mario... Hope all is well, I'm heading down to Tennessee on the Goldwing at the end of this month for my first long ride of the year, have several more planned your book has helped me very much to prepare for the ride, thanks again. Tell Kristen hello and you guys need to get back on that bike and do some traveling!!
Ken, sounds like a great time! We'll be back traveling before you know it...I think the weather may actually break soon. Glad to hear the book as been helpful and I'll be sure to pass along your greetings to Kristen!
The most important video intro- motorcycle must be at ambiet temp. If you check the clearance in the winter when its an cold day the clearance wil change when checking in summer. Where i live the winter are - 4 c and at summer it go to 45 c
Damn...I was really hoping you were going to replace the shims! Ah well, I’ll wait...btw I always put lint free cloth in the throttle bodies just in case, which being as clumps I am is good insurance. The hole in the crankcase/flywheel is actually really good for getting positive engagement, makes getting the precise position much easier...hope you do the shims soon
I have a 2014 Super Duke. I checked valves at 13k, 29k, and just doing them now at 42k. 1st time, 1 exhaust was right at the lower limit, the rest were fine. 2nd time, 2 intakes were also right at the lower limit (tight). Third time, all 4 intakes are tight. One of them was below zero by about .0015", meaning the valve was not quite closing all the way. I had noticed a little drop in performance on the last trip I did before doing the checks, so it make sense. 1.5 thousandths is not much, and the drop in performance was not much, but I'm glad I checked and have corrected it. Since the out of spec valves have all be on the tight side, I use sandpaper and WD40 on glass to lap them. Start with 600 to do most of the work, then step up with 800, 1000, 2000 to clean up the surface, with a final pass on my 16000 grit Shapton stone. I push the shim down with one finger on the sandpaper, then move in a circular motion, and rotate the shim under my finger every so often so it doesn't wear down in one area more than another. Couple of other notes on the adjusting/shim treatment: 1. The manual shows to use washers or something similar to set the depth of tensioner when you first push it down. That's not really necessary. Just push it down to the last click. If you go too far, it will release out and you'll have to do it again. But it's not hard to identify the last click. 2. When re-installing the tensioners, a 6mm allen wrench will do the job for releasing them. I use one of the multi-bit screwdrivers with the bit taken of of the big end to hold the allen wrench, stick the bent part in the hole in the tensioner cover nut, then give it a good push. It's easy to tell when it has released. 3. Instead of the special tool to go into the notch on the crankshaft, a 4mm or 5mm allen wrench stuck in there will do it just fine. 4. There is a mistake in the manual. On page 236, section 21.5, Installing the camshafts of the rear cylinder. it says to put the intake cam in first. That won't work. The intake side is where the tensioner is, so it's the slack side. You have to put the exhaust cam in first, get the mark in the right place while putting a little tension on the chain. Then put the intake cam in, get the mark in the right place while putting some tension on the chain. If you do the intake cam first, the chain is slack and there's no way to know where the marks will end up when the chain is pulled tight. Note it's the opposite on the front cylinder, because the tensioner is on the exhaust side. Note it's the opposite for the front cylinder - in that one you have to put the intake cam in first because the exhaust side is the slack side with the tensioner on it. Great video, btw. Thanks for making it.
Nice video, what is the procedure if there is any out of clearance spec? Looks like they could go to 30,000km without having to correct something.. Thanks
I recently changed my oil on my KTM 1290 the oil level is perfect but it's showing low oil warning on the digital display the red oil light doesn't come on though
Thanks for the great video. I went ahead and changed out the shims. That darn tensioner gave me problems though and either collapsed on me or didn't get set properly. I'm going with the latter. While turning over the engine locked up. At that point I stopped turning it for fear of damaging a valve or piston. I pulled the tensioner and it definitely did not expand or stay expanded. Any suggestions for correcting this mess?
Upgrade to a set of dirtrix cam chain tensioners. They're superior to the OEM ones. I'll be doing it this winter on my bike. about the same cost as factory too
What I find interesting about this is your cam chain; it looks VERY similar to my old Yamaha's, and the link to re-assemble that chain has become ultra rare and tends to cost a lot more than the original $8 price if you do find one. Cheapest I managed to get from e-Bay was $40, mainly because it was in England and not too many folks bid on it. Lost out on a couple, being out-bid at the last second in the $75 range. Can't re-assemble the motor without one if you have to pull the head, Yamaha never used it on any other model I know of, and I've never seen it elsewhere. If that's the same size and pitch it would be an amazing coincidence. (I did mange to find a full new chain and link as well (NOS), only $125, but that supplier has now gone out of business, so no more where that came from.)
1) You can only check clearance one cylinder at a time because only one piston can be TDC at a time. 2) Technically you don’t have to remove both valve covers at once but you’re saving zero time as it’s only 4 bolts. Either way you need to have unobstructed access to both cylinders since all 4 spark plugs need to be moved in order to turn over the engine.
Hello Mario. I am working on my 1190 and doing fine thanks to you. I don't see any mark on one gear. Can it be only one? I think I got it aligned from what I can through the 10mm hole but I just want to make sure. Thanks.
Should be a small mark on each of the camshafts to align flush with the cylinder head. They aren't very big. If you want, email me a picture of what you got. I'll be up for a little longer tonight. 2wheeledriderdotcom@gmail.com or send it to me on instagram (@marioorsini) or facebook /2wheeledrider
I took the pic and when I zoom it I can see the other mark (very light dented) Your are the man! Now I don't see how they can be aligned due to each location LOL. I am sending you the pic. Now I check the exhaust side and they are within spec but I can't get any sheet on the intakes side.
Hello from Pakistan. I have a KTM 1190 adventure, lately it started to show general failure error, I ignored it thinking it will go off. But it didn't. Now I'm facing starting problem. I even replaced the battery but it didn't help. I have to tow it to get it started, once it starts it works perfectly fine, but when switched off it does not picks up the self. Any suggestions how to diagnose this issue?
1) Check the voltage on the battery 2) If it's not above 12.8, charge it 3) if you're still throwing a code, it's going to have to be plugged into the KTM scan tool 4) it could be something as simple as a fault ground wire
Mario, I need your help! I have an oil leak on the valve cover of the front cylinder. Do I have to replace the gaskets once I open it to check the valve clearance? I made a SAS delete, could this leak be related with it? Thanks bro!
It's gonna really depend on your area and how much hourly labor charges are. My guess would be $800-1200. This is the 30,000km or 18,600 mile service interval. Also done at this interval is new spark plugs, oil change, air filter change and a handful of other things.
I just had the 18,000 valve check, oil change and air filter done. Cost a little over 700 bucks. They broke a spark plugs and charged me for it! Your videos are inspiring me to do my own work! Thanks for sharing your skills
Another tip. When checking gaps with feeler gauges that have a tolerance like 0.25-0.3 use a 0.25 gauge which should be loose, then try the 0.3 which shouldn't go into the gap. Using just one gauge you have to depend on judging the resistance of the gauge to get the gap where as using 2 takes out any possibility of errors. Seeing how much work there is to do these things make you realise why they can charge so much! Very interesting tho 👍🔧🔧
Sorry if that wasn't clear but I wasn't only using one gauge to check clearance. I just went into more detail on the intake valves since I was able to get a better view(s) for it on camera.
Just to check? I'd so most should be able to do it in an afternoon 3-5 hours depending on how well you know your bike. If you have to adjust them, add another hour or two.
It depends - because this video just shows the easy part. But in many cases adjustment is needed. The main work is in the taking the cams out and changing the shims and them doing it correct at the first time, then assembling the cams and doing the measuring again... I did it couple of years ago at early stage (maybe under 20 000 kms) and there was already a slight tightness around. Better loose than tight in this case. So, to have best results one needs the shim set that is with smallest possible differences in shim thickness - I bought 2 sets (Prox) one for 1.85-3.20mm and the orher for 1.875 - 3.175mm and by meticulous work and a good gauge feeler set (that has increments of 0.01mm), micrometer (to measure the exact thickness of shims, they are not always 100% that there stands) I managed to get very nice results. But be aware and cautious, during assembly it is said to be easy to crack the cam bearing bridge... And they sell only the complete cylinder head with all included at about price of 880eur... To take out the cams you also need to slacken the camchain tensioners but some like to use the opportunity to change them too. So it took about a week for me - working 2-3 hours per night, for 2x1290sdr's... The first time it takes time, then it's easy and more fluent. I also removed radiators because I like space to work and it's nice to clean all debris out of them and change coolants, too.
Hello . a simple question. had any serious problems with your ktm 1290 super adventur t? because I think I will have one. I'm always afraid of the reliability of ktm. thx
Well, I don't consider it work for nothing as I now have the measurements to compare to the valve clearance of the next check in another 18k miles so I should be able to have a decent estimate of when they'll actually need adjustment on down the road. Besides, it was only 8 more bolts to pull since I had to change the spark plugs anyway.As for your question, that's a great one. Most automobiles come with hydraulic lifters which use pressurized oil to set the clearance and require basically no maintenance. The problem is they take a split second longer to set the clearance which isn't a problem on lower revving engines like cars, trucks and lower revving v-twins have but it is a problem when you have a high performance motorcycle engine capable of revving up to 15,000rpms. Shim under bucket valves allow for higher performance, but are more maintenance-intensive. Hope that explanation helps.
Checked the valves on my 1290SAR at 20k. All within spec.
Thanks for the guide!
Glad to hear it!
Mechanics tip.....the cam shaft gear marks are only used to align the timing chain, cam shaft and crank....an easy way to adjust the valves is when the rear cylinder inlet and exhaust valves are on the rock then the front cylinder is at TDC. With the feeler gauge if the specifications are say 0.15, try a 0.16 if it fits then the clearance is too big, try a 0.14, if it does not fit then the clearance is too tight, bit like a go-no go gauge.
Can you explain a little more please? I'm from the UK and not quite understand 'on the rock' in this case. thanks!
Just bought my 1290...love these videos...keep 'em coming.
Just did this on the old vulcan, gettin ready for this possible trip,counting down the hours to registration!:)
I have every ratchet wrench from 1/4" up to 1" both standard and metric hanging on my wall in order of size, so I don't have to remember if a 1/2 or a 13 is bigger, I just grab the next size up. Love your videos sir, I have a 2014 1190, I very much appreciate your time and help.
That's a good idea. And thanks for taking the time to comment. Glad to hear you've been enjoying the videos!
Quick tip: If you stick a medium zip tie down the spark plug hole when turning motor, it will go up and down. U can easily see TDC if there is no one to help look.
I like that! Thanks for sharing.
...that’s the way I was taught to do it in the old days when I’d set the tappets on my bonneville and commando - old bonnevilles are pushrod and there are no marks (well, the marks are on timing wheels that are only used for valve timing). I believe the process applies to all 4 strokes
@@2WR Works better with a long screw driver.
Nice job Mario... Hope all is well, I'm heading down to Tennessee on the Goldwing at the end of this month for my first long ride of the year, have several more planned your book has helped me very much to prepare for the ride, thanks again. Tell Kristen hello and you guys need to get back on that bike and do some traveling!!
Ken, sounds like a great time! We'll be back traveling before you know it...I think the weather may actually break soon. Glad to hear the book as been helpful and I'll be sure to pass along your greetings to Kristen!
Thanks , just did this on my PW fiddy worked a treat
You're a legend man! Thank you for posting this.
HAHA! I don't know about that but this comment made my day! Thanks!
The most important video intro- motorcycle must be at ambiet temp. If you check the clearance in the winter when its an cold day the clearance wil change when checking in summer. Where i live the winter are - 4 c and at summer it go to 45 c
As you see from the service manual I showed, the optimal temp for checking is 68F/20C.
Once more, amazing job! Thanks 2WR.
Thank you!
Damn...I was really hoping you were going to replace the shims! Ah well, I’ll wait...btw I always put lint free cloth in the throttle bodies just in case, which being as clumps I am is good insurance. The hole in the crankcase/flywheel is actually really good for getting positive engagement, makes getting the precise position much easier...hope you do the shims soon
Ronan, we'll see at the 36k mark but if I were a betting man, I'd bet they'll still be within spec at that point as well.
I have a 2014 Super Duke. I checked valves at 13k, 29k, and just doing them now at 42k. 1st time, 1 exhaust was right at the lower limit, the rest were fine. 2nd time, 2 intakes were also right at the lower limit (tight). Third time, all 4 intakes are tight. One of them was below zero by about .0015", meaning the valve was not quite closing all the way. I had noticed a little drop in performance on the last trip I did before doing the checks, so it make sense. 1.5 thousandths is not much, and the drop in performance was not much, but I'm glad I checked and have corrected it.
Since the out of spec valves have all be on the tight side, I use sandpaper and WD40 on glass to lap them. Start with 600 to do most of the work, then step up with 800, 1000, 2000 to clean up the surface, with a final pass on my 16000 grit Shapton stone. I push the shim down with one finger on the sandpaper, then move in a circular motion, and rotate the shim under my finger every so often so it doesn't wear down in one area more than another.
Couple of other notes on the adjusting/shim treatment:
1. The manual shows to use washers or something similar to set the depth of tensioner when you first push it down. That's not really necessary. Just push it down to the last click. If you go too far, it will release out and you'll have to do it again. But it's not hard to identify the last click.
2. When re-installing the tensioners, a 6mm allen wrench will do the job for releasing them. I use one of the multi-bit screwdrivers with the bit taken of of the big end to hold the allen wrench, stick the bent part in the hole in the tensioner cover nut, then give it a good push. It's easy to tell when it has released.
3. Instead of the special tool to go into the notch on the crankshaft, a 4mm or 5mm allen wrench stuck in there will do it just fine.
4. There is a mistake in the manual. On page 236, section 21.5, Installing the camshafts of the rear cylinder. it says to put the intake cam in first. That won't work. The intake side is where the tensioner is, so it's the slack side. You have to put the exhaust cam in first, get the mark in the right place while putting a little tension on the chain. Then put the intake cam in, get the mark in the right place while putting some tension on the chain. If you do the intake cam first, the chain is slack and there's no way to know where the marks will end up when the chain is pulled tight. Note it's the opposite on the front cylinder, because the tensioner is on the exhaust side. Note it's the opposite for the front cylinder - in that one you have to put the intake cam in first because the exhaust side is the slack side with the tensioner on it.
Great video, btw. Thanks for making it.
Good info. Thanks@@Patrick_Cashman
Great video, really helpful! Did you replace the valve cover gasket?
Dunno if I did at that time. I’ve replaced them tho.
Excellent tips , but I think I'm getting a headache from it being so out of focus . Had to take a break. Going back for more.
Yeah, sorry about that. Had AF on.
Nice video, what is the procedure if there is any out of clearance spec?
Looks like they could go to 30,000km without having to correct something.. Thanks
ua-cam.com/video/Ss1oQFUH9cY/v-deo.html
Thanks for the vid. Might try this myself on my 1290sdr "gulp"
Actually changing out the shims raises the level of difficulty (still not hard) but check is simple. Best of luck!
@@2WR Thanks man. I'm thinking my valves must be tight because I my idle hangs and it's a real bitch to start cold.
Likely the case. Better get a shim kit.
I recently changed my oil on my KTM 1290 the oil level is perfect but it's showing low oil warning on the digital display the red oil light doesn't come on though
Could be the oil level sensor but tough to be 100% sure.
Thanks for the great video. I went ahead and changed out the shims. That darn tensioner gave me problems though and either collapsed on me or didn't get set properly. I'm going with the latter. While turning over the engine locked up. At that point I stopped turning it for fear of damaging a valve or piston. I pulled the tensioner and it definitely did not expand or stay expanded. Any suggestions for correcting this mess?
Upgrade to a set of dirtrix cam chain tensioners. They're superior to the OEM ones. I'll be doing it this winter on my bike. about the same cost as factory too
Already placed the order. Surprising they went bad after only 30k Kms. Thanks!
While they aren't "terrible" they are probably the weakest link in the engine.
What I find interesting about this is your cam chain; it looks VERY similar to my old Yamaha's, and the link to re-assemble that chain has become ultra rare and tends to cost a lot more than the original $8 price if you do find one. Cheapest I managed to get from e-Bay was $40, mainly because it was in England and not too many folks bid on it. Lost out on a couple, being out-bid at the last second in the $75 range. Can't re-assemble the motor without one if you have to pull the head, Yamaha never used it on any other model I know of, and I've never seen it elsewhere. If that's the same size and pitch it would be an amazing coincidence. (I did mange to find a full new chain and link as well (NOS), only $125, but that supplier has now gone out of business, so no more where that came from.)
Sucks when parts are lo longer made. Had some trouble running stuff down for my old Honda a couple years ago.
Can I check valve clearance on one cylinder first and then the other? Don't want to remove both valve covers at the same time
1) You can only check clearance one cylinder at a time because only one piston can be TDC at a time. 2) Technically you don’t have to remove both valve covers at once but you’re saving zero time as it’s only 4 bolts. Either way you need to have unobstructed access to both cylinders since all 4 spark plugs need to be moved in order to turn over the engine.
Great post, super helpful video.
Thank you! Glad to hear it helped.
Helloo... By chance you know how to erase the engine check alert? Thanks
Check engine or service light?
You are spot on about the wrenches.lol
Wish I would've bought a set even sooner than I did.
Will it look the same on the 1190 Adventure?
Same exact
Hello Mario. I am working on my 1190 and doing fine thanks to you. I don't see any mark on one gear. Can it be only one? I think I got it aligned from what I can through the 10mm hole but I just want to make sure. Thanks.
Should be a small mark on each of the camshafts to align flush with the cylinder head. They aren't very big. If you want, email me a picture of what you got. I'll be up for a little longer tonight. 2wheeledriderdotcom@gmail.com or send it to me on instagram (@marioorsini) or facebook /2wheeledrider
I took the pic and when I zoom it I can see the other mark (very light dented) Your are the man! Now I don't see how they can be aligned due to each location LOL. I am sending you the pic. Now I check the exhaust side and they are within spec but I can't get any sheet on the intakes side.
Is this your first service interval?
Hello from Pakistan. I have a KTM 1190 adventure, lately it started to show general failure error, I ignored it thinking it will go off. But it didn't. Now I'm facing starting problem. I even replaced the battery but it didn't help. I have to tow it to get it started, once it starts it works perfectly fine, but when switched off it does not picks up the self. Any suggestions how to diagnose this issue?
1) Check the voltage on the battery 2) If it's not above 12.8, charge it 3) if you're still throwing a code, it's going to have to be plugged into the KTM scan tool 4) it could be something as simple as a fault ground wire
Very Nice. Thank you.
Mario, I need your help! I have an oil leak on the valve cover of the front cylinder. Do I have to replace the gaskets once I open it to check the valve clearance? I made a SAS delete, could this leak be related with it? Thanks bro!
Email me 2wheeledriderdotcom@gmail.com
KTM manual suggests putting LOCTITE 5910 on the valve cover.
how to install camshafts on ktm rc8?
Should be about the same since they are both based off the LC8 engine
@@2WR I see two marks on the crankshaft. where should the cams of the camshaft of the first cylinder look? inward or outward?
@@2WR I'm from Russia. Forgive my English)
How much cost this if you have make by KTM?And after how many km have to doo this
It's gonna really depend on your area and how much hourly labor charges are. My guess would be $800-1200. This is the 30,000km or 18,600 mile service interval. Also done at this interval is new spark plugs, oil change, air filter change and a handful of other things.
2 Wheeled Rider 1200$ more or less similar with Ducati
I just had the 18,000 valve check, oil change and air filter done. Cost a little over 700 bucks. They broke a spark plugs and charged me for it! Your videos are inspiring me to do my own work! Thanks for sharing your skills
All it takes is some time and a decent set of tools. The more you start wrenching on stuff the easier it gets.).
Another tip. When checking gaps with feeler gauges that have a tolerance like 0.25-0.3 use a 0.25 gauge which should be loose, then try the 0.3 which shouldn't go into the gap. Using just one gauge you have to depend on judging the resistance of the gauge to get the gap where as using 2 takes out any possibility of errors.
Seeing how much work there is to do these things make you realise why they can charge so much! Very interesting tho 👍🔧🔧
Sorry if that wasn't clear but I wasn't only using one gauge to check clearance. I just went into more detail on the intake valves since I was able to get a better view(s) for it on camera.
Nevermind, I get what you're saying...I just wasn't awake yet :)
How many hours does the job take?
Just to check? I'd so most should be able to do it in an afternoon 3-5 hours depending on how well you know your bike. If you have to adjust them, add another hour or two.
It depends - because this video just shows the easy part. But in many cases adjustment is needed. The main work is in the taking the cams out and changing the shims and them doing it correct at the first time, then assembling the cams and doing the measuring again... I did it couple of years ago at early stage (maybe under 20 000 kms) and there was already a slight tightness around. Better loose than tight in this case. So, to have best results one needs the shim set that is with smallest possible differences in shim thickness - I bought 2 sets (Prox) one for 1.85-3.20mm and the orher for 1.875 - 3.175mm and by meticulous work and a good gauge feeler set (that has increments of 0.01mm), micrometer (to measure the exact thickness of shims, they are not always 100% that there stands) I managed to get very nice results. But be aware and cautious, during assembly it is said to be easy to crack the cam bearing bridge... And they sell only the complete cylinder head with all included at about price of 880eur... To take out the cams you also need to slacken the camchain tensioners but some like to use the opportunity to change them too. So it took about a week for me - working 2-3 hours per night, for 2x1290sdr's... The first time it takes time, then it's easy and more fluent. I also removed radiators because I like space to work and it's nice to clean all debris out of them and change coolants, too.
Hello . a simple question. had any serious problems with your ktm 1290 super adventur t? because I think I will have one. I'm always afraid of the reliability of ktm.
thx
Nope...just routine maintence.
@@2WR thanks for your answer. thx
all that work for nothing? How come my cars dont need valve checks but motorcycles do ?
Well, I don't consider it work for nothing as I now have the measurements to compare to the valve clearance of the next check in another 18k miles so I should be able to have a decent estimate of when they'll actually need adjustment on down the road. Besides, it was only 8 more bolts to pull since I had to change the spark plugs anyway.As for your question, that's a great one. Most automobiles come with hydraulic lifters which use pressurized oil to set the clearance and require basically no maintenance. The problem is they take a split second longer to set the clearance which isn't a problem on lower revving engines like cars, trucks and lower revving v-twins have but it is a problem when you have a high performance motorcycle engine capable of revving up to 15,000rpms. Shim under bucket valves allow for higher performance, but are more maintenance-intensive. Hope that explanation helps.
stupid intro,,otherwise good/
I WOULD SAY REPETITIVE BUT NOT STUPID!
@@MrKromy67 naaaa, it's stupid!
Actually I'm stupid.sorry man..for the stupid comment .your videos are excellent and a credit to you. My Apologies and respect..
How often do you check your valve clearances
30,000km or about 18,000 miles.