Valve clearances

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by Lee R

Well thankfully the exhaust valves were about .065 so a little loose and I left them that way. That is one hell of a pain if you have large hands to get too. I'm just pulling the radiators off and changing coolant next check.

My Guzzi takes an hour two do both cylinders as they are both fully exposed and 4 bolts to open. This one took me about 4-5 hours with a good 3 hours messing with the front.

Pulling the regulator/rectifier off lets you move the left radiator a bit further back but not enough for me.

Get a t-handle or 8 inch socket extension as a wrench will be very difficult on the left radiator top bolt.

Intakes were less than .38 and adjusted to .06mm

Exhaust were .065mm in the first 500 miles.


Lee

Yes, it's a tedious job adjusting the valves on this bike. There is not a lot of room available to adjust the intake valves, and the exhaust valves are even worse.

I loosen only the left radiator. First I move the regulator/rectifier (RR) out of the way. Then I pull the left radiator back, and hold it out of the way with a bungee cord. I work only on the left side while adjusting the exhaust valves.

I can adjust the valves on my Honda XR650L and Zongshen ZS200GY-2 in a leisurely 45 minutes. I budget 2-3 hours to adjust the valves on my RX3. The Chinese really shoehorned the engine into the frame on this motorcycle.

[Lee R]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

Yes, it's a tedious job adjusting the valves on this bike. There is not a lot of room available to adjust the intake valves, and the exhaust valves are even worse.

I loosen only the left radiator. First I move the regulator/rectifier (RR) out of the way. Then I pull the left radiator back, and hold it out of the way with a bungee cord. I work only on the left side while adjusting the exhaust valves.

I can adjust the valves on my Honda XR650L and Zongshen ZS200GY-2 in a leisurely 45 minutes. I budget 2-3 hours to adjust the valves on my RX3. The Chinese really shoehorned the engine into the frame on this motorcycle.

This ones a challenge for the exhaust valves!

I may remove that bracket for the radiator from the frame next time and work just off the left side. That was giving me a really hard time getting my hand in there.

Maybe a longer or modified feeler would help as well. I'm using some that I "bent" on my own to fit without flexing and throwing off the feeler.

I'm also curious how hard it would be to just remove the stuff in the way from the top and go after the exhaust from there.

[SpudRider]

You're not going to be able to work on the exhaust valves from the top. I can only poke a screwdriver down from the top to hold the tappet in place as I tighten the nut.

[rtking]

I didn't remove the rectifier, but it's a great idea to. That would have made swinging the left radiator up a lot easier. Bungee or wire is a must to tie the radiator out of the way.

After you get the exhaust valve cover off, take a break. Grab a soda or beer. Take a bio break. Point is... You're going to need all the patience you can muster for the exhaust valves. And you're going to want to check your work three times to ensure that gap is correct because you sure as heck don't want to do this job again if you can avoid it. So being somewhat rested an relaxed is going to help tremendously.

A long 8 mm open ended and closed end wrench will be invaluable. A long and short flat head screwdriver will be helpful. And don't worry about bending the feeler gauge...it's only .040 - .060 mm, so it's plenty flexible. But getting the gauge under the tappet, then tightening the tappet to get a feel for the drag on the feeler gauge is going to be critical.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by rtking

I didn't remove the rectifier, but it's a great idea to. That would have made swinging the left radiator up a lot easier. Bungee or wire is a must to tie the radiator out of the way.

After you get the exhaust valve cover off, take a break. Grab a soda or beer. Take a bio break. Point is... You're going to need all the patience you can muster for the exhaust valves. And you're going to want to check your work three times to ensure that gap is correct because you sure as heck don't want to do this job again if you can avoid it. So being somewhat rested an relaxed is going to help tremendously.

A long 8 mm open ended and closed end wrench will be invaluable. A long and short flat head screwdriver will be helpful. And don't worry about bending the feeler gauge...it's only .040 - .060 mm, so it's plenty flexible. But getting the gauge under the tappet, then tightening the tappet to get a feel for the drag on the feeler gauge is going to be critical.

All this advice is excellent, especially the remark concerning the 8mm wrench. Several years ago I bought an 8mm, Kobalt combination wrench for my Zongshen ZS200GY-2, and it is a perfect tool for adjusting the valves of the RX3.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_337658-25428...d=3387166&Ntt=

[Lee R]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

All this advice is excellent, especially the remark concerning the 8mm wrench. Several years ago I bought an 8mm, Kobalt combination wrench for my Zongshen ZS200GY-2, and it is a perfect tool for adjusting the valves of the RX3.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_337658-25428...d=3387166&Ntt=

Funny I have that same wrench and used it for my valve checks as well. Also works great on the Guzzi.


Lee

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by Lee R

Funny I have that same wrench and used it for my valve checks as well. Also works great on the Guzzi.


Lee

The clearance between the cylinder head and the valve tappet nuts is close, so it is sometimes difficult to get the box end of a combination wrench over the nut. I was pleased I had this particular wrench in my tool kit, because it made the job much easier. Also, the length of this wrench facilitates tightening the valve tappet nuts.