Kawasaki Concours C14 1400GTR Valve Check Part 2.2 - the cams are coming out

 I was (of course) hoping that the valves would all be in spec, but after a first round of measurements that is (of course) not the case, so this open heart surgery is going a step deeper: the camshafts are coming out. No point in getting in this far unless I sort everything while I'm in here.

Concours 14/1400GTR exhaust valves need to have between 0.19mm and 0.24mm of clearance. The intake valves need 0.12mm to 0.17mm. Looking at the notes below, I'm out of spec (tight) on most of them, making me wonder if anyone has ever been in here before. This one has 45k kms on it but it was semi-dormant when I found it. Most of the mileage was done in its first five years then it sat a lot. Alas, this is probably the case for most bikes.

Looking at this with red being too tight, white being in spec (anything on the edge I made pink), it's clear that C14s get tighter as they go: 

              Cyl 1                         Cyl 2                          Cyl 3                         Cyl 4

    EX  0.18   0.18               0.18    0.19                  0.19   0.19                0.19   0.22

    IN   0.14   0.14               0.14    0.14                  0.09   0.11                 0.11   0.12

Now that I've got a round of measurements, I'm going to do it all over again (that's what the pink notes are at the top of the handwritten bit above - the second round). Measure twice cut once and all that.

I hope to have confirmed everything this week and then I'll order shims to get everything in the sweet spot.  Or not...

It was -35 with windchill (-22C actual) last night. Will be again tonight, so I'm not going into the bloody garage!

Incredible that 5% of one millimeter is the resolution this machine works within, but what amazes me more is that even at a fraction of a millimetre I'm still sticking a bit of metal (like a caveman) in to measure these fine details. Why don't motorcycles make use of the mechanical precision used in car engines for the past quarter century and automatically adjust valves? Good question.

Like a caveman...

The middle ones are tricky to get to and the covers and various plumbing don't help even on the edge cylinders. That Moto Guzzi is looking more and more appealing, though it won't be the rocketship that the Kwak is.

Cam timing cover off to spin the motor and line up TDC for cylinders 1 and 4 which lets you check all the clearances.

Note the mark on the left side of the wheel where the cover gasket goes on - that's your timing mark.

The plumbing over the cams is something else.

The 0.127mm feeler gauge doing the business between the cam and that shim underneath. Replacing the shim with a smaller one puts the gap back in spec.

Using the bent and tapered bits I double checked each space. And will again before I commit to buying shims.

Kawasaki Concours C14 1400GTR Valve Check Part 2.1 - checking clearances

 I put together a page with the details I've gleaned from COG's documentation and the shop manual to keep track of my measurements. I've got two sets of feeler guages because I'm suspicious like that and always want a second opinion. It's particularly important in this case because having to go back in there again if a mistake is made isn't (at all) what I want to do.

With cylinder one top dead centre (TDC) and the cams both pointing out to offer access for the guages, I had a go at number one cylinder yesterday.

Cams up and out on cylinder one (left side of motor) - it took me a few turns of the engine to get it lined up right and start getting good measurements. It doesn't hurt to do this two or three times so you're sure the came is at maximum gap and you're getting good numbers.

This cover on the lower right side of the engine is removed with 8mm bolts. It's a 17mm M8 that you throw a big rachet on and turn the engine. Direction of travel is noted on the timing wheel as are marks for TDC for cylinders 1 and 4. You can do half the valves with C1 TDC and the other half with C4 TDC.

Cam timing cover came off with minimal fuss and just a drop of oil.

My suspicion of cheaply made tools causes me to have backups. In this case the tappered ones are metric first and offer a finer degree between fits.

I'll do the rest today. As many said it would be, Cylinder one appears tight. Exhaust valves should have between 0.19-0.24mm of clearance. I can just get a 0.18 in there and the 0.203 wouldn't fit in either cylinder one or two's exhaust valves.

Ran the propane heater for 20 minutes before getting started. Made for a much more comfrotable experience.

Keeping things in order - the valve cover bolts numbered and in their 'custom' holder.
 

With the forray into 'vintage' motorcycles last year my sockets were muddied with imperial and whitworth bits. They've been relegated to a lower drawer. I think I'm sticking with metric bikes for the forseable future. If I take another dive into vintage it'll be when I'm retired and have the time to navigate all the complexities. 

Kawasaki Concours C14 1400GTR Valve Check Part 1 - getting in there

It took 2 sessions about about 5 hours to get
to the point where I can actually remove the
valve cover and check clearances.

This is not the work of an afternoon. To get into the valves on a C14 takes patience. In addition to the advice about staying organized and documenting the process, I'd suggest a 'move the ball down the field' approach. As long as you get a bit more done each time you'll get there, but don't be in a rush and expect to have to come back multiple times. With this approach I didn't get as frustrated as I sometimes do in the garage. It being the middle of Canadian winter with no chance to ride any time soon helps too. Nothing stresses me out more than watching one of my few riding opportunities each year pass me by because I don't have a bike ready to go (though I hope the Tiger is).

I'm finally at a point where I can actually remove the valve cover. I won't lie. Yesterday as I was wrestling the air suction valve gear out of the ridiculously tight space I was wondering who the masochist was who designed this and had a little day dream about cold cocking them.

It's cold in the garage when it's double digits minus outside, even with the heater on, so hand cramps were an issue as I worked stuck fasteners loose. Whoever was last in there tightened the frame bolts well past spec, and even the small bolts holding in the air suction valves were a fight, having to be turned out a quarter turn at a time with a hex key.

Here's the order of operations so far:

Getting Cylinder Head Cover Access

Fairings

I've been into them before for various reasons. They're complicated, but came off with a minimal of swearing.

Once I had them all off access to the valve cover became seeable, but so is the mad amount of plumbing that surrounds them. Getting the fairings off is the tip of the iceberg on this job.

Frame connectors

There are some easy to get ones that you can remove once the fairings are off. 12mm bolts and a 5mm hex that connect the motor to the back and front of the frame. Whenever you think that's enough, Kawasaki Heavy Industries overengineered another piece. This thing really is built like a nuclear sub.

With those off I took the coolant reserve tank out of the way (two 10mm bolts). So far I've gotten deep into this with just 10 and 12mm sockets and 5mm hex bolts (not counting all the fasteners on the fairings). The mechanical fasteners are considerately consistent (unlike Triumphs). I'm going to have to source other fairing fasteners as the cheapo Amazon ones I got all broke when removed.

There are two more frame connectors (because more of everything was how the Conours was designed), one on each side and held in by two 12mm bolts and a 5mm hex bolt. Whoever did these last tightened them to within an inch of their lives, but I got them out. The three fasteners are visible once you've got the fairings off, but once you've got them out the piece itself needs to be slid out from the plastic radiator shroud. I've been warming things up with the heat gun to prevent cracking as I bend plastic and rubber things.

The right side one is easy to access and if you've taken the fairings off, easy to remove. The pipe you see left of the top arrow is the air suction system. Getting that out is a right *@&#er.

The left side one not so much. Note the heat gun blowing warm air on the rubbers and plastics to make things easier to remove (helps with the electrical connectors too of which there are many).

With the frame pieces off it was a matter of removing the pipes and connectors that crowd the top of the valve cover. It's tight in there and even disconnecting electrical components was a real struggle with my non-Japanese sized hands.

You can't fit a 3/8 rachet and bit in that gap, so the air suction valve covers (which you can't even see in this because they're  buried under piles of electronics, coolant pipes and anything else they could stuff in there), need to be removed with tiny quarter turns with a 5mm hex key. Take your time, try not to get frustrated. You eventually get in there.

The ultimate goal it to get the rubber cover over the top of the engine out of the way.

First look at the valve cover, but lots of other gubbins have to come out before I could get that rubber cover folded out of the way.

Air Suction Valve

This consists of a rubber hose going up into the airbox above and connecting not one but two air suction valves (more is always better, right?). These are held in by 5mm hex bolts that nasty to get out - so nasty that I'm heading out to Canadian Tire to look at low profile rachet options (the 3/8 bit on the rachet won't fit in there and doing these by hands is painful).

With the air suction valve(s) - there are (of course) two of them, out you can see the cover, but that cam sensor in the middle of this pic has to come out too (8mm bolt holding it it).

Cylinder Head Cover Removal

• Remove fairings
• Remove Air Suction Valve (see Air Suction Valve Removal)
• Stick Coils (see Stick Coil Removal in the Electrical System chapter)

The stick coils for the spark plugs are in there tight too and require some careful convincing to come out. I'm probably the first person in here certainly since the bike started getting underused ten years ago and possibly ever.

With the Inlet Camshaft Position Sensor removed the valve cover was finally free and came off (out the right side) revealing the fantastically complicated top end.

Next up will be turning the engine around with a rachet and getting an idea of where the valves are in terms of clearances.

Kawasaki C14 Concours / 1400GTR Valve Adjustment Research Part 2

The last post included online research on getting into the C14 to resolve an oil leak and check the valves. Inline four cylinder engines are a nightmare for valve checks with everything buried deep in the bike between the frame and lots of valves to check. Getting into this has me dreaming of a Moto Guzzi or BMW with sticky outie cylinders that make this sort of regular maintenance easy. On the upside, the C14 only needs the valves checked every 25k or so.

Of course those twin options don't have anything like the performance of the 1400GTR. I had to remind myself that this is a performance machine. I enjoy being on the fastest thing in a hundred kilometers and you have to put some time in on it to keep it purring.

The Concours Owners Group is well worth connecting with if you find yourself with-Concours (I joined and got the t-shirt). You get gems like this from COG's tech pages. Corrections to the shop manual - pretty handy!

First time valve check:

https://forum.concours.org/index.php?threads/first-valve-adjustment.53783/https://forum.concours.org/index.php?threads/first-valve-adjustment.53783/

"The job is not difficult but is tedious and no short cuts are advised." - indeed.

Shims: https://fortnine.ca/en/pro-x-valve-shim-refill about $15 each (!)

 9.48mm diameter shims

Can't buy them at the dealer which leads many people to wonder how the dealer does valve adjustments (or if they just say they do) when a job like this can cost well over a grand with 8+ hours in it.

Valve Clearance Check Video #1 from Moto-Resto Machine & Repair on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RvQjEvCSGvI?si=L56j3YAc2c4cIye7

Keep the slider handy to dodge around how his dog is doing or when he's going to get groceries and you get the whole process.

The series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvQjEvCSGvI&list=PL1oMvckfLIJGzkYHWXiDk8kN_IOBSI3jT

Chattier and off topic more than I like in a video, but he does get into the thing. Valve cover comes out the right side after removing a f**ton of bits and pieces. Bag 'em and tag 'em indeed! Looks like the radiator and fuel tank don't go anywhere (you access the top of the engine from the sides).

Lots of people saying it's time consuming but not difficult. Pace yourself and stay organized seems to be the most common advice.

• do this in stages
• don't rush
• take notes and many photos so you have an outside chance of getting it back together again
• have a big sheet to put bits on
• have ziplocks and a marker handy - bag 'em and tag 'em
• first time is likely 10+ hours, second time is half that, but after the first one they seldom go out again (!)

I'm OK if this is the only time I ever do this on a C14. 😊

Other Concours 14 Engine Technical details:

Items ZG1400CA ∼ CD, ZG1400DA

Ignition Timing 10° BTDC @1 100 r/min (rpm)

Spark Plug NGK CR9EIA-9

Cylinder Numbering Method Left to right, 1-2-3-4

Firing Order 1-2-4-3

Valve Timing:

Inlet:

Open 17° (BTDC)

Close 75° (ABDC)

Duration 272°

Exhaust:

Open 52° (BBDC)

Close 22° (ATDC)

Duration 254°

Lubrication System Forced lubrication (wet sump with cooler)

Engine Oil:

Type API SG, SH, SJ, SL, or SM with JASO MA, MA1 or MA2

Viscosity SAE10W-40

Capacity 4.7 L (5.0 US qt)

Adjustment Shims

Thickness     Part Number    Mark

1.750             92180-1212    –25

1.775             92180-0221    –23

1.800             92180-1211     –20

1.825             92180-0222 –18

1.850             92180-1210 –15

1.875             92180-0223 –13

1.900             92180-1209 –10

1.925             92180-0224 –8

1.950             92180-1208 –5

1.975             92180-0225 –3

2.000             92025-1870 0

2.025             92180-0209 3

2.050             92025-1871 5

2.075             92180-0210 8

2.100             92025-1872 10

2.125             92180-0211 13

2.150 92025-1873 15

2.175 92180-0212 18

2.200 92025-1874 20

2.225 92180-0213 23

2.250 92025-1875 25

2.275 92180-0214 28

2.300 92025-1876 30

2.325 92025-0215 33

2.350 92025-1877 35

2.375 92025-1058 38

2.400 92025-1878 40

2.425 92025-1982 43

2.450 92025-1879 45

2.475 92025-1983 48

2.500 92025-1880 50

2.525 92025-1984 53

2.550 92025-1881 55

2.575 92025-1985 58

2.600 92025-1882 60

2.625 92180-1059 63

2.650 92025-1883 65

2.675 92180-1194 68

2.700 92025-1884 70

2.725 92180-1195 73

2.750 92025-1885 75

NOTE  There are two kinds of marks [A] [B] in the shim.

Going for (yet another) fueling fix on the 955i Triumph Tiger

 It's a tricky thing finding the parts you need on a bike no longer supported by its manufacturer, but I keep getting lucky with quality aftermarket providers, in this case Quantum Fuel Systems out of California.

Ordering was easy, transport was astonishingly quick and transparent and I had the kit on hand less than 48 hours after I ordered it. I haven't had many better shipping experiences.

I went with Quantum because they had a full kit including hardware and a fuel filter (because none of that is available through the dealer). No instructions came with the kit but the pump, filter and strainer (all included in the kit) are an easy fit, especially when you've got the original sitting in front of you to work from. The whole thing took about half and hour from removing the plate it's attached to on the tank through to having it back together again.

This is where the fuel pump plate bolts to the tank.

The original pump (mounted in front), fuel filter (behind) and strainer off to the right.

Disassembly was straightforward. One of the nice things about an immersed system like this is that rust can't get at it.

The new bits installed, very straightforward.

You can see the difference in colour with the strainer. The old one was stiff as well as discoloured. With all new parts I'm hoping this magically restores the Tiger to regular fueling duties. I've seen some other comments suggesting that this is the silver bullet when it comes to old Triumph 955i fueling headaches.

It's all back in the tank again now. I'll get the bike back together and if the snow holds off take it for a spin, hopefully with a sense of resolution.

Update

Got it back together again and the new fueling bits have solved the starting problems (it fires on the button again) and it idles steadily again - a bit high even (but I'd been messing with the fuel maps to try and bump up idle speeds). I've since reinstalled the stock map and it starts and idles well.. But as with everything fueling related on this thing, one solution has caused another problem.

Previously the throttle worked fine but it wouldn't start or idle. Now it starts and idles but if you touch the throttle is stalls. My first thought is that this might be because the new throttle cable wasn't adjusted right, so I loosened it off and gave it the required slack the manual suggests. It still stalls when you touch the throttle.

The next thought was perhaps the new fuel pump and filters have messed with the throttle body synchronization (this bike is notoriously finicky about this). So, I took the fuel tank off (again - can't count how many times now) and rebalanced everything yesterday. We've got our first snows of the year now so I can't take it for a spin, but I'm hoping to have it all back together (again) this week and see if I've got a working Tiger.

If you want a sense of how perilous fueling is on 955i Triumphs, Classic Bike Magazine (my go to for genuinely helpful advice on keeping old bikes running since Practical Sportsbikes closed down and got folded into CB who now support a much wider range of machines) had a piece on the 955i Speed Triple (one of my all time favourite bikes). Page two had the enlightening piece to the right.

Fueling on these old Triumphs is a known headache. I've sold on bikes I've become frustrated with before and the problem hangs in my mind. Rather perversely, I need to figure out what's wrong with the Tiger before I sell it rather than just selling it on in this state. Not knowing what the problem is will drive me nuts. On the upside, if I become one of the 'very few people with experience of the Segem fuel injection', I'd be able to pick up a 955i Speed Triple that isn't working for a song.

Doing this after the Tiger, now *that* would be perverse!

SMART Adventures and Off Road Performance Dirtbikes

 Over the long weekend I got out to SMART Adventures again for my yearly knobbly tire exercise. If you've read TMD you'll know I've tried to off road in South Western Ontario, but got stick for riding on hydro cuts and farmland and generally got nimbied right out of dual sport ownership. SMART is my release valve while thinking of ways to escape living in the one part of Canada that doesn't make off road riding easy.

If I lived anywhere else I'd have picked up the DR650 I found on a farm a couple of years ago and that would be my dedicated off road machine. My neighbor picked up a new Tenere 700 and I've long had my eye on Honda's CRF300 Rally - both of those would do the trick, though after this weekend I'm thinking a dirt focused specialist might be the way. 

Last year's SMART was an apex experience for both Max and I as we got advanced individual instruction on the off road vehicles of our choice, I even got to ride an electric machine! This year we'd planned to meet with friends at Horseshoe Resort and that gave us a discount opportunity with SMART, so I signed everyone up for the busy Saturday afternoon on the long weekend.

I initially went out on the Kawasaki I rode last year, but the gear shifter had been banged about by a previous rider and it wouldn't go into gear, so I got to switch to a Yamaha WR250F with upside down forks, high compression and proper brakes. I'd never been bothered with any of that and always thought a trail focused machine would be what I'd get as a pure dirt bike, but this Yamaha changed my mind.

Unlike the 230 I started off on or the Honda and Kawasaki 250s I rode last time, the Yamaha demands more but rewards you for it. If you can appreciate the difference between an appliance car and a sports car you can understand the difference here too. Those upside down shocks will get you across pretty much everything with incredible feel, and the brakes are precision tools, but it was the engine that took me to my next level, and eventually let me slip the surly bonds of earth and fly (!).

Trail bikes tend to be tuned for torque low down without worrying about stalling. This higher compression motor needs more revs, but when it comes on song (the exhaust snarls when you get there), it'll pull you up any hill or over any obstacle. If you're riding over whoops, it'll get both wheels off the ground too.

This turned out to be just the bike I needed just as I needed it because I probably wasn't skilled enough to appreciate it before now.  SMART put me with Adam, the brother of my instructor from last year, who did a great job of testing my limits without overwhelming me. We covered a lot of miles through the fall woods. That's a SMART hack: if you know what you're doing say you're 'expert' on the intake form. If gets you out of the kids-who-think-they-can catagory and lets you focus on improving your craft, usually one-on-one with an instructor.

The Kwak wasn't up for it, but that gave me a chance to explore the competition ready Yamaha...

Passed these guys while out on the trail - that's the dream setup.

Adam and I got deep into the forest - he's the red smudge down the trail that I'm keeping up with (because he kepts slowing to check on me). Every 10-15 minutes we'd stop and talk about technique, and then go exercise the talk.

Everyone had a good day out. The girls got out in a side by side and discovered that off roading in one of these is well within their skillsets and not at all uncomfortable. The only complaint came from Max who wanted a more extreme ATV experience as he's now expert in that. Next time he'll be sure to stress that he wants to be in the advanced group.

That Yam is the bomb! It's on my wishlist now.