What Did You Do to Your RX3 Today?

[AdAn82]

Third oil change and first Valve Adjustment at 1000 miles.

Oil change is a snap.

Valve Adjustment . . . well . . .


So, I followed the tutorial on the CSC website (as well as some of the notes and tricks people have left on here). Got everything stripped down and ready to go. TDC, Valve covers off, everything situated and out of the way . . . and it took about 2 hours of me loosening and checking valve lash, tightening, loosening, cursing, re-reading the tutorials and still not being able to get things adjusted right. When I initially took everything apart, I thought "wow, there is absolutely no movement in these rocker arms . . . yikes". I had to pretty much back off the adjustment screws to their limits before I could get a .006 mm feeler gauge in. I was thinking, there's no way the guys at CSC had these valves this tight. Then I was thinking . . . crap . . . what if something went wrong (remembered reading something about valve recession) . . .

Right about the time I was about to give up and call Gerry, I thought, let me start from the beginning and make sure I'm not being a bonehead.

I was.

I was at TDC of the intake stroke . . .

It took me about 5 minutes to adjust all the valves and another 15 minutes to put it all back together afterwards. Fired right up and runs like a dream.

Derp.

[rtking]

Good job, AdAn82! Great job deducing what was amiss. I did the same... except I buttoned up my bike and wondered why it was clacking so loudly upon firing up. I had to tear it down again and I rotated the engine so it was on the back side of the cam lobe for the intake, then adjusted the valve. Then I rotated the engine until the exhaust valves were on the cam's base circle and did the adjustment again. Worked fine and the bike ran (and still runs!) great!

[rideabout]

I have a long torso which has my helmet out in the breeze when riding even though I'm only 5'10". Today I installed a windscreen spoiler I found on Ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=221708071924 Shop around if you are interested as you can find them a little cheaper than the $40 I paid (as I found out later). Delivery was fairly quick just over a week. Its adjustable for height and angle, check out the pics. It also comes in black but I like the plain aluminum, it looks fine. I haven't tried every angle and height yet but it seems to work as advertised. The screws are fiddly to start when attaching the spoiler to the provided bracket, took some time but they eventually will thread in.

Yesterday I added some white reflective tape to the rear and sides of the luggage for more visibility. Less than $10 at Harbor Freight.

[fjmartin]

I have the same one on mine and it's great.

[AdAn82]

Dodged a HUGE bullet . . .

So, I was doing a test ride yesterday after my valve adjustment. Everything was purring like a kitten. I actually felt like it was running better than when I got it!

Stopped at a stop light and accelerated fairly quickly on green and I noticed a tapping sound developing. Uh oh.

Within a quarter of a mile the tapping was definitely getting louder and kept pace with the RPMs. Crap.

Within the next half mile, it was deafening. Had to limp it home (luckily, very close).

Because of the way things unfolded, I suspected a lock nut had come loose on one of the valves. So, I let it sit overnight and ripped it back apart. Bingo.

Not only had it backed off . . . it was GONE. I was worried I was going to have to pull the motor and find what kind of damage this had done (and to find the nut!). But first I dug around in the bottom of my tool bag and found my flexible magnet-on-a-stick . . . poked it around in the top end and heard that satisfying "click" . . . found it! Used a mirror and a bright flashlight to look around for any damage and couldn't find any. Re-did the valve adjustment (and tightened the HELL out of all of the lock nuts). Started right up an is purring like a kitten again.

I'm bummed because I had planned on leaving for Key West early this morning . . . but, I'm pretty happy that this happened yesterday down the street from me instead of in the middle Seven Mile Bridge halfway through my trip!

On another note, I made the change from normal to synthetic on my 3rd oil change and WOW. It's so much more smooth now! Shifting is easier, it even sounds like it's quieter!

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by AdAn82

Dodged a HUGE bullet . . .

...I'm bummed because I had planned on leaving for Key West early this morning . . . but, I'm pretty happy that this happened yesterday down the street from me instead of in the middle Seven Mile Bridge halfway through my trip!...

Amen!

I tighten the living daylights out of those tappet nuts on all my motorcycles, and I haven't damaged one yet. Tighten those nights very securely and you won't have any problems.

[BlackBike]

Way to go, Your living your life right!

Maybe that syn oil is so slick it loosened that nut right off

[dpl096]

You certainly dodged a bullet on that one. . . someone is looking out for u !

[Working_ZS]

You might want to invest in a 1/4" drive torque wrench. The maximum torque spec for a 6mm nut is 7 or 10 ft/lbs which translates to 84 or 120 in/lbs which is what most 1/4" drive torque wrenches are graduated in. The 7 pounds is for a grade 8.8 nut (SAE Grade 5) and the 10 pounds is for a grade 10.9 (SAE Grade 8). I'm not sure on the grade of the RX3's valve lash adjuster, but I use 8.5 ft/lbs (102 in/lbs) as a middle ground on mine without issue. Also, I let the bike sit a day after a valve adjustment, to let the nuts "set" so to speak. Probably not necessary, but something that I do on my bikes.

[jbfla]

Originally Posted by Working_ZS

You might want to invest in a 1/4" drive torque wrench. The maximum torque spec for a 6mm nut is 7 or 10 ft/lbs which translates to 84 or 120 in/lbs which is what most 1/4" drive torque wrenches are graduated in. The 7 pounds is for a grade 8.8 nut (SAE Grade 5) and the 10 pounds is for a grade 10.9 (SAE Grade 8). I'm not sure on the grade of the RX3's valve lash adjuster, but I use 8.5 ft/lbs (102 in/lbs) as a middle ground on mine without issue. Also, I let the bike sit a day after a valve adjustment, to let the nuts "set" so to speak. Probably not necessary, but something that I do on my bikes.

I doubt if anything on the RX3 is Grade 8...

I have a digital 1/4" torque wrench....can't see any possible way to use it to tighten the valve adjustment nuts and still hold the screw in place with a screwdriver.

Do you have a photo showing how to do this?

jb

[Working_ZS]

jb, my valve lash adjustment technique is a bit different than what most people do.

Instead of using a .003" feeler gauge, I use a .006" one. I adjust the lash bolt as usual with a screw driver until slight drag is felt with the feeler. Then I snug the lock nut finger tight. At this point, I use a long 1/4" drive extension and 8mm socket to get on the locknut from the top of the bike. As I torque the nut, it turns the adjuster bolt with it and the thread pitch of the adjuster closes up the extra .003", leaving the valve lash right on the money at .003".

PS: I agree with your assessment of the grade of the RX3's fasteners, particularly with the body fasteners. I do think that the internal engine nuts and bolts are the proper grade for the application, however.

[jbfla]

Originally Posted by Working_ZS

jb, my valve lash adjustment technique is a bit different than what most people do.

Instead of using a .003" feeler gauge, I use a .006" one. I adjust the lash bolt as usual with a screw driver until slight drag is felt with the feeler. Then I snug the lock nut finger tight. At this point, I use a long 1/4" drive extension and 8mm socket to get on the locknut from the top of the bike. As I torque the nut, it turns the adjuster bolt with it and the thread pitch of the adjuster closes up the extra .003", leaving the valve lash right on the money at .003".

PS: I agree with your assessment of the grade of the RX3's fasteners, particularly with the body fasteners. I do think that the internal engine nuts and bolts are the proper grade for the application, however.

Thanks for the explanation, ZS.

I will give your technique a try the next time around.

What torque value do you use on the adjuster nuts?

jb

[rdp5008]

Removed the decals and stickers!

[AdAn82]

900 miles later, it looks like I tightened them enough this time!

Got to ride through my first torrential Florida downpour, too. That was a little nerve-wracking!

Wish I could have taken a picture of my camp setup, but it started raining and I had to pack things up in a hurry.

[rideabout]

I saw this small tank bag at Revzilla ($45) and thought I would give it a try. I wanted a little tank bag as I don't really need a big one for more storage, I use a duffle for camping and the stock luggage is plenty for my commute. This little bag is actually really nice and fits well on the small RX3 tank surface. I like how the gps holder tips up for easy reading using a sturdy Velcro support. I have a smaller phone, Apple 5SE with a Defender Otterbox. It fits great but anything larger might be a problem. I originally was considering the strap model, but I changed my mind and I'm glad I did. The magnets are very strong. Nelson Rigg offers a lifetime warranty I believe. It seems to suit the look of the bike.... not too big and very functional. I'm going to move the RAM mount to the KTM for a small gps unit.