Time to check the valves

[frostbite]

... but I've done far trickier.

Agreed.

I think I'll wait til November when I take it off the road. Then I can just yank the motor over the winter. What bothers me is the bad design; there is no need of it - an extra 1/2 inch of frame clearance at the top of the engine and you're good to go.

It reminds me of the hole in the bottom of the ski plate. Its about 1 inch away from the oil drain plug!? Not a big deal to remove the skid plate but you shouldn't have to. It's like they had parts for 3-4 different bikes and made a new one out of them. Some of the parts just don't jive with one another.

I guess it's just part of their charm

[CathastrophiX]

czowner: does your Houngdo have a 166 engine?
I thoght i was the only one with that engine (my bike that is)
I have a Qingqi 200 gy, but yours is a 250, right?
The 166 engine is a copy of the Suzuki DR 200 engine.

[dlunt]

Originally Posted by frostbite

I guess it's just part of their charm

Reminds me of a few of the cars I have owned over the years.
1980 Citation - Had to remove a frame brace to get the battery out.
1990 Integra - had to remove water pump, radiator, and half the other anciliary pieces just change the timing belt. It ended up costing 3x what it should have. Not to mention the aggrevation.

Please just keep a record for the rest of us when you do finally brave it!
Is there any frame difference between the GY-2 and GY-5 that might make a difference? (I doubt it)

[frostbite]

Is there any frame difference between the GY-2 and GY-5 that might make a difference? (I doubt it)

I don't know, but it is very similar to and 83 XR200L:

[czowner]

Originally Posted by CathastrophiX

czowner: does your Houngdo have a 166 engine?
I thoght i was the only one with that engine (my bike that is)
I have a Qingqi 200 gy, but yours is a 250, right?
The 166 engine is a copy of the Suzuki DR 200 engine.

My engine is a 166FFM, (223cc). It's Honda based, I believe on the old XL 200, it has 6 gears and a heap more torque (about 25%) than the 200. My bike is badged as a Hongdou MD250GY-1.

Jonathan

[Pirata]

I know this is a late post. But here in Peru I had to have my valves adjusted for altitude (10,000 ft plus). I let the local machanic do it. He used a disc grinder to increase the clearence between the frame and cover. (grinding the frame) I was appalled when I saw them do this, but there is plenty of frame left and I can get it off in the future.

[frostbite]

I thought of that. The valve cover has what resemble cooling fins. If they were ground off I would get the clearance I need.

It just seems wrong somehow......

[ejcycles]

Hi Frostbite
I as a dealer know your frustration with adjusting the valves on these bikes, so far I have had to adjust valves on two of them. One rocker cover came off like butter...the other one well another story...here is what I did to remove it.
First remove the seat & fuel tank...{no kidding!} Anyway just some sick humor. Remove the bolts from the rocker cover. While on the Left side of the bike move the cover toward the right side till it gets stuck. I then just very lightly tapped it with a small rubber mallet and it popped right off with no damage at all. It didn't even scratch the paint on it. It slid back in place with no problem once I had it in the right position. I know they are tight, and thought about grinding the frame but decided not too. I hope that this helps.

[fashby]

I adjusted the valves on my Viva GY200 with the FML163 OHV motor after only 300 miles because it was making a fairly loud clicking noise at certain RPM's.

I found that there was some resistance in the valve train that gives some resistance on the feeler gauge, but when I pryed up lightly on the rocker arm, it opened up a large gap. The exhaust valve was also too tight.

They are adjusted correctly now and the bike runs much better.

I had to support the engine with a jack and tilt it down to access the valves. What a pain! The overhead cam bikes look like they would be much easier to access.

I noticed there were 3 very small oil passages in the top of the valve cover. I suspect these will be prone to clogging. Any ideas on how to clean them?

[liverchip]

I found that the valve cover on my bike TSM 200XY(Shineray) came right off after removing the seat and releasing the rear tank strap and swiveling it up on the front mount. Took about 45 minutes for the whole operation.