8000 mile service

[oggy]

Tappets check at 8000 as advised by the Honda manual could be construed as somewhat mercenary - in so far as presuming if you have purchased your new shiny TA from nice Mr Honda dealer, then a fair bet that you will return it to Mr Honda at 8000 miles for aforesaid tappet check - if you follow the manual - realizing more money for nice Mr Honda of course...

Normally Mr Honda's instructions can be justified, but I have yet to be persuaded on this one. Why 8000 miles?, and not say 16000? Is there any scientific argument for checking tappets at 8000? If so, then fine, and I will bow to the evidence the data points to. If not, and I suspect there isn't much, then a view would be to be aware of the symptoms of incorrect tappet adjustment and adjust if those symptoms - not the later effects I hasten to add - manifest themselves.

I guess therefore it largely depends on your abilty to recognise the symptoms and understand what is going on with your machine. If you are somewhat mechanically challenged, then an 8000 mile tappet check would give you piece of mind. If however, like many of us here, you are able to recognize symptoms of a dodgy tappet, then I think you may be able to forego the 8000 check. All this said, I do think a check regardless at some later stage would be most adviseable. Just when is a matter of debate, but not I would suggest, at 100 000 miles.

Incidentally, £350 buys some decent tools, - and lots left over for beer. Your labour, is of course, free - as is the learning experience.....

[StumpyFingers]

I did mine a the 24000 mile service and I do not think they had been done at any of the other services.
I had the bike stripped the following winter due to an electrical fault and rechecked them they were spot on where I had set them. I will now wait until I hear that tell tale rattling noise.
As for the Coolant, I changed it at the same time as doing the Valves as it meant I could remove the righthand radiator for better access.

[thekeyman]

l have to confess that l bought mine , a 2006, which had had its 16,000 miler and have not touched it since. Ok , l've done a few oil/filter changes but thats it. l use it every day around London and the occasional 20 mile run. l find that everthing is so hard to get to that l don't bother. lt took an hour to change the headlight bulb after removing the top bodywork, dash panel and fork guard, some Adventure bike!!!.That said it runs fine and is so far reliable but l have only changed the front spark plug as the rear is a strip job, okay on a supersports bike but not on a bike that you may venture into the wilds of Essex!!. As for rechecking the tappets, five hours, l have a life to live. As a footnote , on my other bike it takes ten minutes for all tappets checked and reset, five minutes to change the bulbs, any of them, and one minute to change a plug!!! . Which would you take into the wilderness?. Yep , the old Triumph T100.

[StumpyFingers]

l have to confess that l bought mine , a 2006, which had had its 16,000 miler and have not touched it since. Ok , l've done a few oil/filter changes but thats it. l use it every day around London and the occasional 20 mile run. l find that everthing is so hard to get to that l don't bother. lt took an hour to change the headlight bulb after removing the top bodywork, dash panel and fork guard, some Adventure bike!!!.That said it runs fine and is so far reliable but l have only changed the front spark plug as the rear is a strip job, okay on a supersports bike but not on a bike that you may venture into the wilds of Essex!!. As for rechecking the tappets, five hours, l have a life to live. As a footnote , on my other bike it takes ten minutes for all tappets checked and reset, five minutes to change the bulbs, any of them, and one minute to change a plug!!! . Which would you take into the wilderness?. Yep , the old Triumph T100.

If the bike is setup right in the first place then it would get you around the world with only oil and filter changes.

[T ALP]

l have to confess that l bought mine , a 2006, which had had its 16,000 miler and have not touched it since. Ok , l've done a few oil/filter changes but thats it. l use it every day around London and the occasional 20 mile run. l find that everthing is so hard to get to that l don't bother. lt took an hour to change the headlight bulb after removing the top bodywork, dash panel and fork guard, some Adventure bike!!!.That said it runs fine and is so far reliable but l have only changed the front spark plug as the rear is a strip job, okay on a supersports bike but not on a bike that you may venture into the wilds of Essex!!. As for rechecking the tappets, five hours, l have a life to live. As a footnote , on my other bike it takes ten minutes for all tappets checked and reset, five minutes to change the bulbs, any of them, and one minute to change a plug!!! . Which would you take into the wilderness?. Yep , the old Triumph T100.

Got to agree with all the gripeing about how long it takes to service alot of modern bikes, god only knows why the designers could'nt make them more accessible ----- but its certainly good for the dealers hey.
Thing is once you get into it it does'nt half the time when you're familiarised.

Re. what Stumpfingers says above, a properly set up honda transalp may get you round the world with oil and filter changes, but if you are talking the old triumph twins before Bloor came along NO! don't get me wrong here I love the old triumph twins and have always longed to own another 1970 bonnie, but unless you have spent thousands on modern upgrades no way it would do it the engineering is just too outdated ie. have you ever noticed how the triumph tappets dig holes in the ends of the valves I used to have to reset mine every 1500 mile service it went through three sets of valves and guides in 16,000 miles.

Another old bike that are easy to service are the old BMW airhead twins twenty minutes for tappets, but even alot of old bikes have something thats a real bugger to do, try getting the back wheel out of my 1982 R100RT at the side of the road ------- you would probably end up wishing you were in the shed doing transalp tappets!

Chris

[Fruit Loop]

lt took an hour to change the headlight bulb after removing the top bodywork, dash panel and fork guard, some Adventure bike!!!.

You don't need to do all that to change the bulb. see detailed instructions & opinions at Bulb Change

[trophydave]

On the other Alp forum, a reader said that the valve clearances can actually be checked by the electronic analyser that official dealers have. If so, then no dismantling would be required, saving a lot of work. Great if this is true but of course if the analysis showed that adjustment was required, then the necessary time consuming work would be needed.

Can you point me in the direction of that.I would like to have a read about it.

[StumpyFingers]

What type of electronic device would be better than a screwdriver and the human ear?
Just put a screwdriver on each tapper cover and listen, if the noise is rattly. Then that tappet need adjusting, it could save time on those hard to get at tappets.

[trophydave]

I didn't make myself clear in my post,I was being sarcastic.I cannot think of an electronic gizmo that would tell you that your valves need adjusting

[rssenna]

Just got my '05 'Alp serviced and MOT, got mechanic to check valves and it needed new back brake pads - £130.