I finally got around to setting the valve clearances on my R1100S this morning. I bought the bike a year ago and have fixed quite a few things but never got around to the valves. It turns out that the clearances were too tight so I had been experiencing rough running at low RPM, exhaust pops on down shifts and a rattle if the engine was lugged. This sounds like I'm a complete idiot for not noticing it earlier, but it's my first boxer so I thought that was just the 'character' of the old bike.
Setting the valves fixed all of these issues in one hit. It was an amazing difference just taking it out on the quiet streets of London this morning.
Actually, I am an idiot for not checking them sooner. It was such an easy job.
Synced the throttle bodies and now it's smooth as silk.
Beautiful machine.
Valve clearances.
Moderators: slparry, Gromit, Paul
Re: Valve clearances.
Well done, its nice when you try some thing you think will be a nightmare and all turns out good and you've fixed it with your own fair hands. 
Your born with a certain amount of heart beats, Don`t waste them on exercise. ![[smilie=rooster.gif]](./images/smilies/rooster.gif "rooster")
04 boxer cup rep. Gone but not forgotten
99 tlr1000 (V twin) tricked.
Indian Roadmaster Elite
04 boxer cup rep. Gone but not forgotten
99 tlr1000 (V twin) tricked.
Indian Roadmaster Elite
Re: Valve clearances.
I was experiencing the same issues with my bike, have just done the rocker end float, valves, zero throttles and balancing so hopefully the trip to work tomorrow will be smoother.jonton wrote:I had been experiencing rough running at low RPM, exhaust pops on down shifts and a rattle if the engine was lugged. This sounds like I'm a complete idiot for not noticing it earlier, but it's my first boxer so I thought that was just the 'character' of the old bike
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fontana
Re: Valve clearances.
That surprises me.jonton wrote:I finally got around to setting the valve clearances on my R1100S this morning. I bought the bike a year ago and have fixed quite a few things but never got around to the valves. It turns out that the clearances were too tight
Shimmed valve clearances can tighten, whereas "nut and bolt" tappets tend to do the opposite and open up.
A local rider I know has a Honda Blackbird he's owned from new, with nearly 140,000 miles and he's never checked the valve clearances.
It still sounds like a new bike.
Re: Valve clearances.
It could have been that the previous owner just set them incorrectly. Stranger things have happened. All I know is that I couldn't get even a 0.1mm feeler in the exhaust valves before I adjusted them.
I came at maintaining the R1100S after doing extensive work on an old R80 over the past year or so. I very much was learning as I went along when I striped that down and rebuilt it, fortunately I didn't make too many irreversible mistakes along the way! They are such beautifully simple machines, with very few moving parts, that it was a perfect way to understand the fundamentals of motorcycle mechanics.
All that learning has come across to working on the R1100S now, and it gave me a great deal of confidence with tackling the more tricky stuff on the R1100S.
I came at maintaining the R1100S after doing extensive work on an old R80 over the past year or so. I very much was learning as I went along when I striped that down and rebuilt it, fortunately I didn't make too many irreversible mistakes along the way! They are such beautifully simple machines, with very few moving parts, that it was a perfect way to understand the fundamentals of motorcycle mechanics.
All that learning has come across to working on the R1100S now, and it gave me a great deal of confidence with tackling the more tricky stuff on the R1100S.