Cruiseman, can you please set up a poll, asking all GL1800 owners....if they do have their bike's valves checked/adjusted at the recommended interval, or do they decline to go through this suggested maintenance check?
Example, speaking only for myself (because that is all I can speak for), I made the decision back in 2003 to NOT go through this exercise, especially at the recommended interval of 32K miles.
However, I do change my own oil and filter much more frequently than most owners do, and I also have an electronic stethoscope (listening ears) to listen to the valve train, and attempt to find an abnormal noise in the valve train. (not a precise science...I admit)
Back in 2003 there was a large group of GL1800 riders in the north Seattle/Everett area, and we were all very good at comparing notes, sharing into, etc, on these newer Wings. What we found within our group of about 120, GL1800 Wings, was that those that did go through the exercise of checking/adjusting the valves, most at or close to the suggested interval of 32K miles, only an extremely small percentage found any valve clearances out of spec, and the vast majority found that their valve clearances were all still within specs. It was then decided by a large number of us...not just myself...that we would forego the suggested valve checking/adjusting interval, and wait until our engines had hit 60K miles. Of all the riders that did that, no one found any valve clearances out of specs. Of the ones that did not check their valves at 60K miles.....the remaining few decided to check them at 90K miles. I was in that group. Again, no one found any valve clearances out of spec.
Since that time, and having owned several of these GL1800 platform bikes, I have made the choice to not check the valve clearances on my engines, unless I hear a tapping noise with the electronic stethoscope.
Now, that is MY choice. I am in no way advocating that anyone else not check their valve clearances. You do what you want to do. It is YOUR bike.
But I am wondering if Cruiseman can take a poll on this matter, and see where others stand.
Example, speaking only for myself (because that is all I can speak for), I made the decision back in 2003 to NOT go through this exercise, especially at the recommended interval of 32K miles.
However, I do change my own oil and filter much more frequently than most owners do, and I also have an electronic stethoscope (listening ears) to listen to the valve train, and attempt to find an abnormal noise in the valve train. (not a precise science...I admit)
Back in 2003 there was a large group of GL1800 riders in the north Seattle/Everett area, and we were all very good at comparing notes, sharing into, etc, on these newer Wings. What we found within our group of about 120, GL1800 Wings, was that those that did go through the exercise of checking/adjusting the valves, most at or close to the suggested interval of 32K miles, only an extremely small percentage found any valve clearances out of spec, and the vast majority found that their valve clearances were all still within specs. It was then decided by a large number of us...not just myself...that we would forego the suggested valve checking/adjusting interval, and wait until our engines had hit 60K miles. Of all the riders that did that, no one found any valve clearances out of specs. Of the ones that did not check their valves at 60K miles.....the remaining few decided to check them at 90K miles. I was in that group. Again, no one found any valve clearances out of spec.
Since that time, and having owned several of these GL1800 platform bikes, I have made the choice to not check the valve clearances on my engines, unless I hear a tapping noise with the electronic stethoscope.
Now, that is MY choice. I am in no way advocating that anyone else not check their valve clearances. You do what you want to do. It is YOUR bike.
But I am wondering if Cruiseman can take a poll on this matter, and see where others stand.
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