BMW R1200RTW Valve Check and Adjustment

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[@joeschmoe1301]

This guy is a God send!!!

[@gordonhenderson1708]

Another informative video. Thanks. I performed my first valve inspection last spring. Prior to doing it at home I paid a shop. After 120,000 km the valve clearances on my 2018 RT are still in spec, haven't needed adjusting.

[@tsconver]

You can also tell TDC by looking at the etchings on the end of the cams. It is at TDC when the etching is at 12 o'clock.

[@Hogdriver88]

Great explanation. Kind of makes the case for owning an RT compared to this job on a K1600!

[@rayweeks1056]

Great video…! Looking forward to seeing you do the valves on a 1250RT.

[@TheBMWGuy]

Coming soon!

[@checker3694]

Other than US, there are only two other countries Liberia and Myanmar that are still imperial on the Planet. The only Metric used since the inception of the United States is the Dollar, so when Americans used say to me they don't understand Metric, i remind them of the Dollar is Metric, i used to get strange looks.

[@beemrdon52]

Thank you !

[@pistolpete6321]

Excellent video!

[@TheBMWGuy]

Thank you very much!

[@thewelder9492]

Thanks for the video. This is the second one i have watched (the other being the fork seal replacement). I have watched other videos on the valve check, and its good to have different views. I will tackle this job along with the fork seals very soon on my 2018 RT.

[@TheBMWGuy]

Glad it helped

[@ScottB-NE]

Thanks for content. Would welcome a similar one on the R1250RT valve clearances. 👍👍👌👏👏👏

[@TheBMWGuy]

Coming soon!

[@jeffshootsstuff]

Very helpful. Shame that you have to take the cams out to adjust clearances now. Not too bad but way less straightforward than the older method. On my GPz1100 you could just slide the finger followers out of the way and pop out the shims. Super easy.

[@tsconver]

Also you can do it easier with the narrow and tapered feeler gauges.

[@jonpeters5194]

If the valves were on the tightest gap that was still in spec would you have adjusted them to provide a safety margin for the next scheduled inspection? what if the valves were the locknut type of adjustment?

[@TheBMWGuy]

If one or two valves were on the tightest end of the spec, but still within spec, I probably would not adjust. If three or all four were on the tight end of the spec, I probably would adjust them. The locknut style do not really have a range of clearances, instead just a value. They typically get adjusted every 12,000 miles

[@beemrdon52]

Just 1 question. Why didn't you take the spark plugs out after you took the valve covers off? Thanx.

[@tsconver]

Never have to replace the gaskets I have seen them reused multiple times.

[@johnnyblue4799]

Why do you need to set the piston on TDC on compression stroke using a zip tie? Can't you just look at the cams and make sure they're with the cam lobe opposite to the valve? Am I missing something?

[@tsconver]

Yes you can. As long as the lobes are on the base circle you can check it. If you want to check timing then you have to be at TDC using the locating tool and cam chain tensioner and then check with the alignment jig.

[@johnnyblue4799]

@@tsconver Indeed. That's what I thought also.

[@paulrenny8388]

I just put my thumb over the spark plug hole while rotating the back wheel to determine if it’s on compression stroke.

[@shakey2634]

Once you decide what size shim you need, can you just order them individually, do most BMW dealers sell them individually, or do you have to buy an assortment.

[@johnnyblue4799]

@@shakey2634 I'm pretty sure you can buy individual shims and they don't need to come from the dealer. In EU, for instance, wemoto has them at about EUR 3/piece in sizes varying by 0.1mm.

[@tsconver]

Why loose? These engines prefer to run a bit on the tight side and they are a lot kess noisy. If you run then closer to tiggt soec they also make more power and run smoother. I have seen this on a bunch of 1200 and 1250s. Also they rarley change after an initial adjuatment at 12000 miles or so.

[@stanm2.0]

Very nice....I enjoy every video you make...@stanforadventure

[@TheBMWGuy]

Thanks!