Need some advice about 7500 mile maintencance

[walty87]

Sup dudes and maybe ladies!

I'm currently sitting at 8200 miles on my 2012 ninja 250 and still haven't done the 7500 valve maintenance :[

I've done most of the maintenance myself, but I did have my local dealer do the first 600mile service. I'm no mechanic, but i'm good at putting things back together after taking them apart. I've replaced my clutch (whole different story on why I had to do that so I don't want to talk about that here), do my oil ect...

Anyways, my issue is I'm scared to check my valves myself (no idea how to do it), and don't want to even attempt to have to adjust them. Currently the ninja 250 is my only form of transportation, and I plan to take the bike to my local dealer to have this done. I just have a few questions that hopefully can be answered.

1.) Is this a 1 day job for a dealer to do this work if I sched an appointment?

2.)I'm prob going to over pay a dealer to do this, should I look for a private mechanic?

3.)What parts would I need to have ordered that would need replacing if a mechanic/dealer does this for me?

4.) How bad is it that I haven't checked the valves yet?

Thanks in advance, and I appreciate any help at all.

[Kygirl]

There are some really good threads on this in the 2008+ technical section. I didn't do my first valve clearance adjustment until over 15,000 miles (might have been closer to 17,000, but I can't remember exactly) and while most of mine were out of spec my bike has suffered no long-term ill effects. It's still going strong with 24,000 miles on it. However, I think it's smart to follow the maintenance schedule like you are doing.

If you get your local shop to do it is should take no longer than a few hours depending on how busy they are.

The parts you will have to order/pay for will be new shims. I think the kawi shims are around $8.00 a pop?

While parts are not costly, you can expect to shell out some cash for labor as it isn't a quick ten-minute service.

I recommend doing it yourself. I had never performed a valve clearance adjustment before, but the threads on this site and my factory service manual got me through it with no problem.

[walty87]

I don't think i have the right tools for the job. I'd be down to hire a mechanic / friend and have him teach me...

[NinjaBoyEddy]

Hire the mobile mechanics on here! @alex.s
And Kevin..

[alex.s]

oakdale is so many miles away...

[Soujyu]

Originally Posted by walty87

1.) Is this a 1 day job for a dealer to do this work if I sched an appointment?

2.)I'm prob going to over pay a dealer to do this, should I look for a private mechanic?

3.)What parts would I need to have ordered that would need replacing if a mechanic/dealer does this for me?

4.) How bad is it that I haven't checked the valves yet?

Thanks in advance, and I appreciate any help at all.

1. No. If the dealer does it right, it takes about two days because the engine has to be completely cool, and that usually takes about 24 hours. You could supposedly do it in a day if you let the bike cool overnight which may be acceptable, but it would mean that your valves would have to be in spec during the inspection (which is almost never the case).

The other issue is that if your dealer has to order shims if your valve clearances are off. That usually takes a few days.

2. I don't know of your dealers, but if I took my bike to the dealers in this area, they'll both overcharge me AND screw it up.

3. You will need shims if it turns out that your valves are out of spec, a new gasket for the camshaft chain tensioner (that has to be removed and replaced as part of the inspection), and any other consumables such as oil, coolant, etc.

4. Your valves are likely to be off at this point. You can feel it in terms of how the bike runs and how it idles. Oftentimes you may think it's all right, but once you do the valve adjustment, you will feel a significant difference.

My suggestion is that you spend a few days and get the valve adjustment done yourself. If you take it to the dealer, there is no guarantee that they actually did what they say they did, because the signs of a messed up valve lash is not as apparent as something like a oil leak or something that causes your engine to no longer run.

Edit: By the way, if you have been doing maintenance on your bike on your own, you probably already have most of the tools that you need for a valve adjustment. In terms of additional tools needed, you will probably need a micrometer and a good set of feeler gauges, both of which you can get relatively easily and cheaply at a Sears store.

[walty87]

Mechanic wise the local dealer seems to be pretty good. It's just I feel they're over priced.

So just shims and that cam gasket would be the only new items that would be replaced? I talked to my dealer and they said I could order all the parts before hand (if they don't have them in stock) that way they would have them.

I'm a noob, when the valves are off spec what does this do to the bike? Compared to if they were right? How would the bike ride different?

At this time I really don't have a few days to do it myself. If I could do it in a day I may, but I really don't want to have to rush things or feel pressured if I was to do something like this for the first time. So as far as "specialty tools" just a micrometer and gauges? I know I have gauges

Thanks again

[Scattcatt]

Use these videos from the DIY thread. I had never performed maintenance on any vehicle in my life before my 250 and I got through 2 valve inspections now on her through these videos without a problem at all. Goes without saying that the first time is the most nerve-racking, the second time it was ridiculously easy since I already had an idea of what I was doing.

[Scattcatt]

Originally Posted by walty87

Mechanic wise the local dealer seems to be pretty good. It's just I feel they're over priced.

So just shims and that cam gasket would be the only new items that would be replaced? I talked to my dealer and they said I could order all the parts before hand (if they don't have them in stock) that way they would have them.

I'm a noob, when the valves are off spec what does this do to the bike? Compared to if they were right? How would the bike ride different?

At this time I really don't have a few days to do it myself. If I could do it in a day I may, but I really don't want to have to rush things or feel pressured if I was to do something like this for the first time. So as far as "specialty tools" just a micrometer and gauges? I know I have gauges

Thanks again

Personally I highly recommend doing it yourself if you're not afraid to get your hands a little dirty. The cost from the shops are ridiculous when you realize you can do it yourself by only spending a few dollars here and there on shims and the tools if you don't already have them.

It can easily be done to the point of waiting for the shipping of the shims in a single day, it's also easy to completely reassemble the entire bike within a day after getting the shims. So I'd set at least 2 days about a week apart (to account for shipping) to perform the inspection.

As far as tools are concerned, a standard socket wrench will be required to take the engine cover off and all the internal stuff holding the camshafts in there. A micro torque wrench (measuring in inch pounds, not foot pounds) will help when putting back together, and a flat head screw driver to help reset the chain tensioner should be all you'll really need.

For replacement and misc parts you'll need a liquid gasket for the head gasket, the shims if they're out of spec and the CCT gasket (I honestly have not replaced mine, I've used the same gasket for my CCT twice now, never paid attention to the fact that I was supposed to replace it but I've been fortunate enough to have no leaks. I won't forget next time!)

The best advice I can give you is to ask questions if you are unsure of anything. There are plenty of us on the forums who have done it before and are more than willing to help. The videos should be pretty clear though as the OP did a very good job at making things easy to follow.