[RobertBarr]

Valve clearance time, and the only real problem I'm having is getting the radiator out of the way. There's obviously some way to unclip the plastic shield behind the upper part of the radiator -- the shield that has the wiring fastened to the back of it. I've tried prying here and there, and I really don't want to break the plastic.

I'm not surprised that it's putting up a fight, but I am surprised there's no How-To video or similar; not even Dr. V-Strom covers this. (And he does a pretty darned good job!).

Can anyone provide a little detail on getting that piece to release?

Thanks in advance.

 

[blaustrom]

Have you removed the radiator?

I did it twice but can't remember exactly. Once the radiator is out of the way, I think there were some pins that held the plastic in place plus I think at least one plastic push rivet. Get a good light and have a closer look. It can't be that difficult.

This may help: https://www.stromtrooper.com/v-strom-service-maintenance-questions-discussions/73048-remove-radiator-leave.html

 

[gdrew]

The rad should have a bolt on the top & bottom right side and a hanger on the top left. Remove the hoses first then the bolts on the right, push rad to the left to get it off the hanger. Un-clip the horn & fan wiring as you gain room from the detached rad.

 

[RobertBarr]

Thanks for the replies.

It was tough to see the release clip on the left side; there's no contrast. Black on black. What I needed was a picture of the shield by itself, so I can see what's what. Brilliant idea! (Actually, pretty mundane...) Search eBay for the item, and just examine the seller's pictures.

(No way to tell if that image came through...).

That did the trick. It took about three minutes to get the radiator out, and the valve exam went well, thanks to a few helpful websites, including this one.

Less than 14k on the bike, but all four exhaust valves were too tight, enough that I have to go down two steps in shim size. Intakes were OK. The clearances from the initial maintenance were written on the cam journals in still readable blue marker. All 8 were allegedly 0.20. (It's a miracle!), so the exhaust started out at the absolute low limit. Dumb.

So, it's a good thing I decided to do this at the start of the season; I had almost decided to postpone it, after reading umpteen posts about owners with 35k+ and clearances that still check OK. It's also a good argument for setting clearances to at least the middle of the spec, at least early in the machine's life.