DL650 Valve Adjustment Notes and Tips

Keeping this thread going.

How many have done the valve check on a 2012+? I am having a hell of a time with the boomerang lower faring plastics...I can't figure out how to remove them and since they cover the sides of the radiator they make it difficult to get in there with them in place. So I opted to drop the whole entire faring by removing the two bolts that hold it to it's subframe. Unfortunately, I have several aux wiring that attaches to the faring, so I can't just unplug the main harness plug and detach it. My next move will be to try and flip it up and back to give me some room to work. Actually, looking back it might have been easier to drop the forks/tire/fender.

The rear valve adjustment was easy, a few extensions and a wobble and I could easily get to the tensioner bolt by going in between the swingarm and the exhaust pipe where it turns down. Both exhaust valves were at the max tight of .20mm, so I changed shims and they are now at .26mm.

*btw, I did a review of posted info after I completed the rear exhaust adjustments and this post from VStrominfo.com confuses me:

"To do the REAR cyl. you have to rotate ONE FULL 360 degree revolution around to the F/T timing mark (not R/T mark). Check cam lobe positions and E and I marks to ensure you are set up right for the REAR cylinder. This is not the position to check clearance but rather this is the position where the E and I lines on the cams will line up and ensure proper valve timing, so this is the position you must have when you remove and re-install the cams for the REAR cylinder."


I zip tied the intake cam chain to cam, then removed the exhaust cam after marking the chain and cam, but I did it in the "check" position for on the R/T mark....did I screw up?

Ugh:

I also took the fairing off the Glee to do engine work. It seemed the only way to do it. As far as replacing shims on the rear on the Wee, I did that in the position of the cam sprocket lines and numbers being shown in this diagram with 1R on the right sprocket even with the top of the head and not on a timing mark.

Alright, I went back over the official Suzy shop manual. There is no difference in position when "checking" the valve or adjusting the valve. Also, there are no illustrations of the cam wheels like GW posted, only the lobe positions. I say, "whew...I did it correctly then". Here are some snapshots of the terminology and cam diagram(hope it does not violate and rules since we are clarifying, not plagiarizing);





Bottom photo is prior to the top photo...sorry I posted them out of sequence.

I got the front done, and I have to admit I scared myself. Since the rear cam sprockets face to the right of the bike I never looked at my marks(shown in red)after verifying I had put them back in the exact same position. I mark them like this, then also zip tie one of them to the chain:



After I finished the front(also changing both exhaust shims) I rotated the crank half a dozen times to re-check the gap. Since the cam sprockets face to the left on the front cylinder they were staring me in the face and the marks where not only no longer aligned, but way way off. Then that blanket of dread settled over me when I thought I had pooched the job. I turned to the cam position diagram in the shop manual and "yep, they were spot on in the correct position". Then it dawned in my pea brain that the crank sprocket is small, and the two cam sprockets large, so even though they are linked by a chain, the cam sprockets turn slower than the crank and at different timing so what I was seeing was normal. So I put my old helmet on and smashed it into the concrete floor for being a "moran"

Btw, I know the diagram is not for the front cylinder...it was just showing how I mark my sprockets when they are at TDC.

*Oh, and one more thing, I know some like to remove the cylinder covers and keep the gasket with the top cover. I noticed that the rubber gasket is silicone'd to the cylinder case(the two half moon cut outs), so if you separate the gasket from the top while removing it you don't disturb the silicone'd area. Just be careful to get the gasket back in it's groove when replacing the cover and you can skip having to re-silicone at all.

I'd check them around the recommended mileage, that way you know where you are and can then decide whether to adjust or sit tight. I did my first check at about 15,000 miles. All were in spec, so I have sat tight. At each check since they have all been in spec but a couple are now at the limit but still staying in spec.

YMMV