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Posted by kw-retrorider
- November 11, 2018, 13:59:45 PMTfrank59 - To answer your question....you can wait another year. Here's another view....
ok....so what ratman would say notwithstanding, let me share my experience on my first 800, which was a 2002 I bought with 10K miles on it. I was aware of the service manual recommendations and am old enough to have experience on cars that you routinely adjusted valves on...everything from air cooled VWs to anything British....so I wasn't afraid to do it (although I had never worked with shims)...until I read you had to pull the engine out of the frame to accomplish this.
While that is what the manual says, I found out and ratman was one who confirmed it could be done insitu but was tight. There are a few videos on this sight that show how. In any case, I kept riding and vacillating. Some said they had them checked and they needed no adjustment. Someone at a Drift-In said "these bikes" are spiritual....don't take a wrench to them...they just run.
In the end, I waited until 22k miles, took it to the dealer, because it was time for tires, etc....and after all that, no adjustment was necessary, although they checked. I rode that bike until my accident last November and it had 30k miles on it.
I replaced the 2002 with a 2005 with 10k miles that now has 13k miles on it.....and you can't even hear the valve train compared to the 2002. Needless to say, they are fairly bulletproof and I am not thinking about valve clearances any time soon.
Same thing happened on my W650...at 18k miles, they were checked and needed no adjustment. So I think the Kawasaki product is good and the service interval conservative.
The decision is individual, but there is plenty of data out there that says it doesn't need to be done as often as recommended.
Ride on!
Posted by CARPE DIEM DRIFTER
- November 11, 2018, 13:13:32 PMTfrank59, I am by no means an expert motorcycle mechanic. I was an auto mechanic back in the day of points and condenser ignition systems. I think the video with the engine out of the bike best represents what needs to be done. I used video information like this along with a shop manual. A digital or dial caliper is a must along with feeler gauges. Perform the valve adjustment on a stone cold engine (sitting at least 8 hours after last run) to get the proper results. The rear valve cover seems like there is no way it will come off and out, but with some gentle wiggling and finesse it will. The cams do not have to come out. The rocker arms are side spring loaded and will slide to one side to allow valve shims to be removed. You will not know which shims you will need until you get in there and measure valve gaps as you engine sit now. I suggest a complete valve shim kit to save grief and aggravation down the line. I used a kit made by "Hotcams"; part number HCSHIM02 that fits our 800 Drifter engines. Lots of shims left in the kit, but ready for the next time. Always glad to share any knowledge that I have. Hope this helps. Happy Drifting, CDD
Posted by Tfrank59
- November 11, 2018, 10:36:30 AMHere are a couple of Youtubes on Vulcan 800 valve adj. One of them warns about not doing this, which I saw a while ago and pretended it couldn't happen to me...denial! 
Let us know if you think either of these shows the right way to approach it, or maybe somebody has a better demo video? I know on the one vid the guy has an unfair advantage--motor's out of the bike!
Posted by Tfrank59
- November 11, 2018, 09:25:20 AMCDD thanks for your replies. Hope we can bother you a little more since you are now the experienced one on this. to get the shims out did you have to partially remove the cam? As I recall with my KTM there were two ways to attack it -- that was one, and I can't remember the other. My KTM had very critical specs as it was a racing engine and I recall checking the valves a few times (every 15 hours) and letting it go when it was just .001" out of spec. 
. Also, what was your source for replacement shims, a Kawasaki dealer? Thanks again.
Posted by CARPE DIEM DRIFTER
- November 11, 2018, 09:13:06 AMTfrank59, I had not considered the exhaust valves seating harder than the intake valves. Good point. My take is that the spec is in thousandths of an inch, which seems minuscule, but can mean a lot in performance and longevity of an engine. I enjoy working on and getting to know my Drifter as much as riding her.
greenbarn, I know that it took me several leisurely hours but I am also a slow and methodical person when it comes to mechanics. My best advice is to tuck some clean shop rags into the open engine cavities below the rocker arms before you remove the rocker arms. The shims are oil sticky one moment and slippery as can be the next. This was one of the best tips I had gotten before I started the valve adjustment project.
Posted by Tfrank59
- November 11, 2018, 08:37:06 AMCDD, I think the way it works on exhaust valves is not that they stretch but at they Hammer themselves into the seats and therefore decrease clearance. But yours is a good point that when clearance is lessening it's not going to make an increasing ticking noise, it'll probably make less.
Posted by greenbarn
- November 11, 2018, 08:02:28 AMLike many of the rest of you, I have never checked mine either. It's still "on my list" (has been for a couple years now). From what I remember Ratman saying it isnt' so hard that it should be a daunting task- just one more thing on the list that hasn't made it above the line yet.
Do you remember how long it took you CDD? to take of the covers and check the clearance? Seems like a couple hours is what Ratman told, but can't remember for sure.
Posted by Tfrank59
- November 10, 2018, 23:16:19 PMThanks for that feedback. I'm not crazy about the idea of shims either buying them or replacing them, but are you saying for one thou out of spec you went ahead and changed shims? I guess you're hearing from my lazy side.
Posted by CARPE DIEM DRIFTER
- November 10, 2018, 23:01:37 PMI checked and adjusted valve clearances on my 800 Drifter at 5000 miles. All were out of spec by a thousandth or two from the + or - allowable gap. Here is the interesting part, intake valve gaps were wide while exhaust valve gaps were tight. I assume that the exhaust valve stems must have stretched. A tighter than spec valve gap will not give you a tic or rattle indication that adjustment is needed. Our 800 engines are almost bullet proof, but I am a big fan of preventive maintenance. Peace of mind has value. My 2 cents. Happy Drifting, CDD
Posted by Gregpaulc
- November 10, 2018, 21:39:52 PMI am wondering the same thing. I've got 15 thousand on my 2000 800 drifter. I bought it with 11 thousand. I've always heard a lil ticking in motor.
Posted by Tfrank59
- November 10, 2018, 14:21:37 PMI have a confession to make--I have never checked my valves. If Ratman was still around he would ream me good. I got almost 20,000 on the bike that I put on it so I'm coming up on 24000. The funny thing is I don't really hear any noise from the valve train, some very light ticking noise but that's always been there. Please advise. Do I have to get in there and check it or can I let it slide say another year?