Valve Adjustment Price

[lonewolf05]

Hey guys quick question. I am planning on getting my valves adjusted and having a jet kit put in since I lost some low end power with the new exhaust. I got quoted $365 that is with the parts for valve adjustment and then me providing the jet. Just wanted to see if that sounds like a good deal? Thanks guys

[whiteboy]

See how much it would cost to do the jet yourself But to me that a little much to spend and I would find a diy

[TXJ]

I'd invest that money in tools and DIY the whole adjustment and install if you feel comfortable with it/mechanically inclined. There are a lot of FAQs and videos online for visual aid if it's your first time.

If you're in a apartment complex or no access to a garage then that seems like a ok price for a shop to do it. The only thing I can think of to knock down the price is if you strip down the bike, put it in the back of a truck and take it down there. Might lower the price by $50-$100. If that's possible get another quote saying your bike will come in stripped down. I find to disassemble and assemble the bike harder then checking the valves. lol.

[lonewolf05]

Correction ithat price includes the jet kit and tuning it correctly

[CThunder-blue]

That's a good price. Valve adjustments run anywhere from 125-175. Add in the jet kit and time to tune and you're in the right ball park.

[lonewolf05]

actually that price now includes them installing the K&N pod filter as well ... Im starting to like this place

[lonewolf05]

I do live in a townhome so no access to a garage. This is a very good shop probably 2 miles down from the dealership. I checked the dealer to see how much they would charge and $400 for the valve adjustment includes oil change, oil filter, new seals, air filter and spark plugs. To install and tune the jet kit that I need to provide would cost $300 PLUS the jet kit!

[randomwalk101]

I paid a guy who worked as a tech who claimed to know how to adjust valve $50 to check my valves...we worked together (and I learned the process). Honestly, I can tell he never worked on the newer gen 250 before but he knows what to look for when the valve cover was pulled...
It wasn't hard at all...do it yourself and save a bunch. My valves were still in spect after 8K miles. Next time I'll do it myself for sure. It does take a little time though.

[lonewolf05]

If the bike was like my weekend ride i would probably have attempted this myself because i like a challenge and it feels good when accomplished BUT right now this is my main mode of transportation. I have 13k miles on it and never had it checked before. I can't afford for something to take a wrong turn and it take me even longer to get my bike back up and running! I was gonna do the jet kit and air filter myself but if they have it apart there then why not? especially if they will tune it for me

[Momaru]

For what it's worth, this thread has prices from a bunch of other people that have had their valves checked by shops (including me for my first valve check), or at least inquired about it. $300 for valves + jetting, pod and tuning it seems like an outright steal. I had to leave my bike with the shop for several days for them to do everything, so be prepared. The valve check + maintenance is doable in a day, but add in the jetting & tuning, it'll be a LONG day for the mechanics.

That said, make SURE you ask them for both before and after clearance measurements on your valves. They have to take them anyway to do the adjustments, so it's no extra time for them. It'll tell you how bad they'd gotten and will (help) prove they actually looked at them.

[CZroe]

Even independent shops quote me $280+ in San Diego. That's valves ONLY.

[lonewolf05]

Originally Posted by Momaru

For what it's worth, this thread has prices from a bunch of other people that have had their valves checked by shops (including me for my first valve check), or at least inquired about it. $300 for valves + jetting, pod and tuning it seems like an outright steal. I had to leave my bike with the shop for several days for them to do everything, so be prepared. The valve check + maintenance is doable in a day, but add in the jetting & tuning, it'll be a LONG day for the mechanics.

That said, make SURE you ask them for both before and after clearance measurements on your valves. They have to take them anyway to do the adjustments, so it's no extra time for them. It'll tell you how bad they'd gotten and will (help) prove they actually looked at them.

Yea they said they will have to order in the parts so it will be a couple days but whatever to see the difference of $365 here vs. like $900 at the dealer im cool with

[demonchild]

That price is really steep to have valve adjusted and jetted. I had my bike in for a jett and valve adjustment @ Performance cycle for $180, but total bill was $220 they also did oil change and adjusted my chain. Their labor rate is $80 an hour. I brought in the jett kit and oil filter only bought oil from them. Could have done oil myself but since they offered I said what the hell. I believe their is a Performance cycle shop in Pensacola Fl, don't know where your at in Florida. Hope it works out for you.

[WOTurtle]

I have almost 12k on my bike and have not had the valves checked either. A local shop here in columbia quoted me 350 just to adjust the valves. I kinda have noticed some power loss, and even a little hesitation at WOT. Could they be that much too tight by now? Stock bike, 2 shims, no snorkle. Sorry to threadjack.

[lonewolf05]

all good man! Yea i am at 13k miles now and never had them check until now. I just had a full exhaust and 3 washers with no snorkle. I can post up the measurements when i get my bike back!

[Momaru]

Originally Posted by WOTurtle

I have almost 12k on my bike and have not had the valves checked either. A local shop here in columbia quoted me 350 just to adjust the valves. I kinda have noticed some power loss, and even a little hesitation at WOT. Could they be that much too tight by now? Stock bike, 2 shims, no snorkle. Sorry to threadjack.

That could be valves getting way out of whack, restricting influx of gas (amongst other things). Alternately it could be some jets accumulating crud. Either way, you're way overdue for some service, I'd get it done before something happens that'll cost more.

[Norway]

Originally Posted by Momaru

That could be valves getting way out of whack, restricting influx of gas (amongst other things). Alternately it could be some jets accumulating crud. Either way, you're way overdue for some service, I'd get it done before something happens that'll cost more.

I get the impression that valve adjustments often cost in the range of 3 - 400 USD. What does it translate to in work hours?

[cbinker]

depends on the skill of mechanic and if anything needs to be replaced, most often it takes longer stripping the bike down then it does to do the adjustment.

[Norway]

Originally Posted by cbinker

depends on the skill of mechanic and if anything needs to be replaced, most often it takes longer stripping the bike down then it does to do the adjustment.

Like always, when humans (and bikes) are involved, there will be huge variations.
It probably follows some statistical distribution, with some average
number of hours and a standard deviation.
Given that a large number of Ninja 250 R owners answered, we could start
making a graph similar to the one to the upper right corner in the link below..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_deviation

[Ytse Frobozz]

Originally Posted by Norway (MORE LIKE SNOREWAY)

I get the impression that valve adjustments often cost in the range of 3 - 400 USD. What does it translate to in work hours?

I just did this a week ago. It had been a long time since I had done any work requiring front fairing removal, and I had to look up each step and be really methodical, so it basically took me all day to do it. Now that I've done it once, I think I could do it again in about 4 hours. I was able to get to the valve cover in under an hour the second time I took everything apart to fix my oil leak. So I figure another couple hours to actually check the valves, take the camshafts out, shuffle the shims around, and put the camshafts back in, and then another hour to put everything back together again. Don't forget to test for oil leaks before you put the fairings back on!