Dealer says I don't need a valve check?

Im new here and just got a 2016 Super Tenere. It has 26,150 miles so Im thinking about checking valves. I have done all the other service on the bike. I think I can do the valve check myself but am concerned if they need adjusting. Don't know if Im ready for adjustment. So I figured I would check with a yamaha dealer in our area in Northern Kentucky to see what they would charge to check them. They told me they have never had to adjust valves on a Super Tenere and that if the bike is running smooth not to worry about it. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. I have looked at other threads on this topic but am wondering if I should hold off for now.

Simple answer: Check them!
Better safe then sorry.

I would still check them.

I once had a dealer tell me that you didn't need them checked until they started tapping. That's nonsense for a shim under bucket valve, but it is proof that the guy you're talking to on the phone at a dealership doesn't necessarily know what he's talking about. I wouldn't wait until the valves' performance starts to degrade before you get them looked at, the way your dealer suggested; that's the kind of outlook that can leave you stranded some morning when the bike won't start.

I also wouldn't put a lot of stock in their assessment that none of the Super Teneres they ever looked at needed their valves adjusted. I've been to one dealership that had never even seen one, and another where they'd only had one in the shop. These bikes aren't all that common in the wild, and I'd take it with a grain of salt if a dealership said they had vast experiences with them.

If you get them checked now, you'll at least have a baseline to refer back to on future valve checks. It'll give you a better idea of how fast the valve seats are wearing out as the bike ages.

I'd also ask the shop to write down what the measurement was for each intake and exhaust valve was, rather than just telling you "everything was good". Last time I had mine done, I asked the mechanic to fill out this form once he checked the valves:

Ok thanks. I don't know if I even trust these guys to do a check. Im going to have to see if there is another dealer near me or just check them myself. Im only concerned if they need adjusting I don't want to mess anything up.

Champ said:

Ok thanks. I don't know if I even trust these guys to do a check. Im going to have to see if there is another dealer near me or just check them myself. Im only concerned if they need adjusting I don't want to mess anything up.

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If you like - The team here on the forum can help you with photos, post, or even phone calls….
I’ll help, I know there are others……………..

Ok I will keep you posted. Im pretty mechanical so I think I can do it. Just want to make sure its done right.

RCinNC said:

If you get them checked now, you'll at least have a baseline to refer back to on future valve checks. It'll give you a better idea of how fast the valve seats are wearing out as the bike ages.

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This is my thinking and why I plan to check mine as I’m just about at 24k, so will be doing them soon.

Champ said:

Ok I will keep you posted. Im pretty mechanical so I think I can do it. Just want to make sure its done right.

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It’s pretty new to me too. Only other bikes I’ve done are my ST1300 Pan European which is rather easier to access and my old GSs which are even easier to not just check but also adjust
I also need to learn the brake bleeding sequence and this cycling the abs stuff. Got my speedbleeders to fit now too.

I’m in the middle of this right now…. My ’12 is at ~84K and I’ve got receipts from the last owner showing previous valve checks.
Mileage wise, I could have waited to do this but I wanted to know so I dug into it.
Intakes were good but both Exh on #1 were tight and a .009” feeler would not fit; #2 Exh were at the tight limit with a .009” feeler being very snug.
Shims were changed/swapped to get all four in the middle of the spec (I reused 2 shims and 2 from my Hot-Cams kit).
I had trouble getting the OEM CCT back together so I bought a Graves manual CCT to solve that problem.
I curse the Yamaha engineers who allowed the valve cover to be so difficult to get back on (and you will too).
All good except it won’t start now and I’m getting a “60” error so I’m chasing that down (TB stepper?) and I’ll probably pull the valve cover again to double check the cam timing (yes, I zip-tied everything).
I’ve done many valve checks over the years and this wasn’t too bad… biggest issue is just access to everything.
Regards,
Mr. BR

9 years of ownership, 103,000 miles, I've done every bit of maintenance on this bike from tire changes to caliper and fork rebuilds, throttle body synchs, bearing and race replacement, etc....and I still pay a shop to do the valve checks. I guess it just verges too far into "pain in the ass" territory, in spite of the fact that I've had my bike looking like this at times:

I agree with the statement to ignore the shop. Find somewhere else to trust with your bike.

Checking the shims is two parts. There’s the turning over the motor (manually) to test the gap between the cam & the lifter. You’ll need some metric feeler gauges for that.

If any are outside spec, then it becomes more technical but it’s all there in the Manual &, as people have said, you’ve got those who’ll help.
Make sure you have a good torque wrench. A 1/4” socket one is fine as you don’t need 90 ft/lbs anywhere in there.

Take it slow & easy & don’t rush hope you do it. Even take pictures with your phone before you remove anything so there’s no issue putting it back the right way.

Read through the manual instructions a couple of times while looking at the engine to be sure of what you’re doing as doing things out of order could screw it up. I’ve done it & had to get the timing back in sync with everything else.

Patience is your friend.

Bmwdumptruck said:

It’s pretty new to me too. Only other bikes I’ve done are my ST1300 Pan European which is rather easier to access and my old GSs which are even easier to not just check but also adjust
I also need to learn the brake bleeding sequence and this cycling the abs stuff. Got my speedbleeders to fit now too.

Click to expand...

Here's a little cheat sheet I made up for how to cycle the ABS pump using a jumper wire. I made it so it could be folded up really small and kept under my seat:



I made a jumper wire out of an electronic test lead from amazon. The jumper and the cheat sheet all fit in this little packet under the seat.



If you want a full size copy of the cheat sheet, I can post a PDF of it on here.

Well that dealership did you a huge favor by telling you not to take their bike there. One could guess that perhaps they don't have anyone competent enough to handle the job.

For what it's worth, I've done valve checks on 5 or 6 FJRs in the area that had all been "serviced by the dealer". One actually had the valves properly adjusted, but the cam bearing caps were torqued to 10x the FSM spec. The other bikes all had valves that were improperly adjusted, and one actually had jumped timing one tooth on the crank sprocket and the dealership insisted nothing was wrong with the bike.

I took my S10 to a dealership for the wiring recall I’ve put off for 9 years and get a valve check at 65k miles. The clown there called me and said it was running too good to need a check. I was overdue for it. I told him. I’m coming to get it. Don’t do anything. 200 mile round trip again. I’ve had pitiful service at both dealerships I’ve been to. The first valve check was at 24k ish miles. Got a sheet with only 3 valve measurements. Second check. I didn’t get anything. Both times they told me they were in spec and I got charged for a full valve adjustment. A dealership owner is no better than the people he has working there. I used to race hair scrambles with a dealership owner. Cool guy. He had a factory fresh young trained mechanic that told me my 2 stroke CR500 needs the valves adjusted because he couldn’t start iit It doesn’t have valves. I got on it after he tried to start it. Started the first kick 3 times in a row. If you don’t kick it like you mean business. It ain’t gonna start.

I've had that same response from dealers, Tenman, and I'm still not sure why. My valve checks have been in the vicinity of $400 for parts and labor, and I've heard accounts from members on here where the price was closer to $600. I mean, there has to be a reason that dealerships are so reluctant to take on paying work.

Is it the difficulty of the task? I doubt it. I'm not enthusiastic about tackling it, but there seems to be no shortage of relatively novice mechanics on here who've done it just by following the manual, the advice of others, and some Youtube videos. Surely it can't be beyond the skillset of a trained mechanic?

Is it the amount of time the job takes- time that could be spent booking other, less time consuming jobs that cumulatively pay more than a valve check? I was billed for 3.5 hours of labor on my last check in 2021, so it isn't like it's a job that ties up a mechanic for an entire day. He could have a valve check knocked out before lunch and still have time for a couple of $100 oil changes.

I suppose it could be the wealth of experience on the part of dealerships that motorcycles almost never need the valves adjusted, but how valuable can that experience be when you have dealerships telling customers that valves only need adjusted when they start marking a noise that they can't possibly make, or waiting until performance begins to suffer?

I don't think I've ever encountered this sort of outlook at a car mechanic when you're trying to have a service performed that's specifically noted in the service schedule. They seem more than happy to take your money for whatever you're requesting.

I'd love to hear the inside track on this from someone like a service manager.

I had a friend that’s a a long time car service manager. My f250 had the check engine light on for years. He stopped by 1/2 drunk one day and punch my door lock in a sequence and took one of the battery cables off and put the light out. He said if it woulda been some rich old lady at the shop. He woulda charge the shit out of her for some made up parts and labor. He’s been doing this for YEARS. He ain’t no friend of mine anymore.

I live near a bloke whose eldest son went through the process of becoming a bike “mechanic”.
It’s all services & oil changes & the like. There’s no actual problem solving or adapting something to work where parts aren’t available. It’s all order-it-in & bolt-it-on.
He was clueless about balancing carbs or what a CDI module was or even how to balance injectors.

The reason why dealers charge so much for a shim job is because they charge full retail per shim & then keep the old ones which have nothing wrong with them.

Buy a kit of shims & a micrometer & you’ll be set.

As amoral as that is, Tenman, it at least dovetails with what I expect from a automobile service center. I walk into Toyota dealership with what I imagine is the same outlook as a guy who walks into a polar bear den while wearing a suit made of meat.

The difficulty of the valve clearance check/adjustment on the Super Tenere is overblown, in my opinion. It's not as easy as an air cooled BMW boxer or an old Honda XR but it's much easier than many other bikes. The cam chain tensioner is different than most, I hate it and installed a manual one but there are lots of videos and instructions online about how to compress it and install it.

I did my fist valve check early at 20k miles before a ride to Alaska, had to adjust a couple valves at that time. I did the second valve adjustment before I sold the bike at 53,000 miles and also had a couple tight valves then. So in my case, every Super Tenere I've worked on has needed valve adjustment every time.

If you're at all mechanically competent you can do it, at the very least you can do the valve clearance check. The factory manual is pretty good, there are some things that you have to remove to make getting the cover out easier. You can replace spark plugs and air filter at the same time. Good luck.