Valve Check & Adjustment | Royal Enfield Himalayan

[@tedpellerin55]

Took me 5 yrs, but I finally bought one. Awesome. Only my. 11th bike at age 66. Thanks for a great video.

[@danny-li6io]

I love how modestly skeptical and humble your presentation is here, instead of the cocky know it all mechanic. I’m very intimidated to try this procedure but I’m going to watch this video several more times and just start out with removing my tank and putting it back on. I’m pretty sure I will be able to tackle this in the coming weeks, even though I have zero mechanical skills or experience. Great comment about going slow and being patient because I tend to work myself into a hurried frenzy. Thank you!

[@lesagehibou1178]

Nice job! I don't have the Himalayan but in the last 2 years I watch thousands of video...and I am convinced...this will be my bike! Greetings from Italy

[@piper87c]

I love my Himalayan

[@davidireland6952]

i gave up 1000cc bikes and bought a new 2021 Himalayan. i love it!! such a characterful bike which you just chill on and enjoy the riding experience 👍 my first lifelong keeper bike 😁

[@Dave-in-France]

Hi there, just a small piece of advice from a Himi owner. If you do decide to buy one, the Himi engine is quite stiff at first and takes several thousand kms to loosen up, but it's really worth the wait. I've got 8000 kms on mine (2022 model euro 5) and she purrs like a kitten now. Dave

[@cow77cow]

Just did the same, picking up mine on the weekend.@@davidireland6952

[@iainrutherford184]

Great share. I'll be using this in the future. Only 50 miles on the clock, but love getting prepared 😊

[@davidireland6952]

dude..Royal Enfield state to turn the crankshaft clockwise only in case you loosen the bolt 😁 Good job on the valve clearances though! as a first attempt 😄 good instructional vid for first time peeps to try their own adjustments and save money 👍 at 3000 mls my valves were way too tight (did the dealer even look at the valves at 300 mile service?) I would sooner have a slight tapping on the top end (as in the higher end of the valve clearance setting) than a quiet hard on valve 😁

[@EastCoastLessLethal]

I was saying the same thing

[@brendanesposito]

Super informative and comprehensive tutorial. Excellent work. The only thing I have to add is make sure this whole process is embarked upon when the bike is dead cold. First thing in the morning is good.

[@Chad-wb7du]

Great job, I knew you could do it! I had the same thought with hearing tapping noise but that’s how it’s supposed to be- remember loose values are happy valves. And thank you for remembering to take off the fuel line BEFORE taking off the tank. Too many guys try to lift up the tank before that and snap off the plastic connector on their fuel pump. Also just another tip - your check engine light might come on because the fuel pump was disconnected. So you can either reset the check Engine light or disconnect your battery before starting the job.

[@On2Feet]

It was a bit stressful at times, but I actually thoroughly enjoyed going through the process. I think it helped that I did the Trail 125 first too. Frustrating to deal with the crash bars in the way, but I dealt with it. As you note, I erred on the side of "a bit loose". I took the bike down on a 100+ mile ride this past weekend and it ran great. I almost feel like it had a little more pep in its step (but it's probably just in my head).

[@nicolaf970]

A nice and clear to understand video showing how the tappets are adjusted, these engines are well designed and easy to work on if you have the right instructions and basic tools like you showed people. Well done and thanks. 👍🏻

[@advmike]

Thanks for this video. Picked up my Himi this weekend. Already at 150 miles. This will help me for my first service, probably in the next couple of weeks. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@dylanborlace1]

I saw a video where a guy put his bike in third gear and while looking through the hole he used his foot and turned the rear tire to move the engine. Keeps you from having to take off that side cover that you had trouble with. I’ll be doing my second service soon and am attempting it myself this time.

[@davidireland6952]

i never thought of doing that! brill comment! 👍 i have just done my clearances at 6k miles..gonna try that at 9k miles 😁

[@On2Feet]

Wow! very interesting idea! I like it and will definitely try this on the next valve service!

[@danielben-avraham1539]

@@On2Feet Also pick up the narrow set of feelers recommended in the RE service manual. Done valves and engine rebuilds all my life, and seldom do you see a case where you really need special feeler gauges, but British bikes and vehicles in general have always been different. Your standard gauges will not allow you to get a true reading and that will give you noisy tappets. I'm saying that from personal experience. As an FYI, the Himmy seems to have been more about design and beauty than function. When the artists over ride the engineers you get function and beauty over reliability. Uncomfortable yet stylish seats for example. It is the old idea of Honda being the frumpy bike that lasts forever and Kawasaki being the stylish, fast fuel guzzler with a short lived engine. Honda was designed well within engineering tolerances for long life, and Kawasaki tended to always squeeze every drop of performance out of the metal and engineering design, shortening the life of the engine. Kind of like burning the candle at both ends. The Himmy as with other RE models use old simple technology which vibrates and vibration destroys metal. That is why a Honda Gold Wing engine will go 500,000 miles before needing an engine rebuild and the old Harley Electra glide needs a rebuild after only 60,000 miles. The RE is like the Harley in that the vibration of the LS or long stroke single cylinder design makes for a fuel efficient but shorter lived engine.The other problem with the Himmy is the crazy but stylish tank bar assembly. It is mounted over the engine and all the vibration runs up the assembly and since it is at an angle, and all the lights and instrumentation sets out at the end of the fulcrum design, it amplifies the engine vibration and shake everything mounted to it apart. I suspect that the Scram was created to eliminate the problem and save the 411 design when the new 450 would come out. I have a Himmy 2021 and like the bike, but I do all my own maintenance and the simplicity of design makes a rebuild cheap and easy. I recommend downloading both the RE Himalayan Vehicle and Engine service manuals if you have not already done so. They are in PDF and free online. It took a little searching but I found them. They will tell you the specific required tools and such for the job.

[@MrISabier]

Clear and expert video. As a Himi owner, I learnt a lot. Thanks for putting this together!

[@daveinwla6360]

setting the crank to top-dead-center is not critical because the "heel" of the cam lobe is circular where it has constant clearance with the tappet while allowing both the intake and exhaust valves to sit shut at the same time (during the latter part of compression and the early part of combustion). You can check this yourself by measuring the tappet clearance over the more than 10° spans either side of TDC.

[@danielben-avraham1539]

I agree, the lobes on the long stroke cam are egg shaped with a long closed duration on the heal of the cam. Very different than for instance a Ninja or any other high performance short stroke which has a much more rounded cam to provide longer duration of the opened valve. Each stroke is much quicker on the Ninja, so the closed time of the valve is much shorter. But with the LS411 as long as both valve tappets are loose at the same time, you will likely be in the ballpark. Basically the same idea as the old Willy's Jeep long stroke. Slow, powerful, and very forgiving and easy to repair.

[@aktrapper6126]

Great job and very good demonstration. the Exhaust valve will make a little tapping noise but it expands a lot more then the intake and once at operating temp you will not hear it.

[@Harley-man-usa]

You could put bike in gear and spin rear tire to turn crank and align timing marks

[@coreyuhrin2395]

As a mechanic that was a great explanation

[@On2Feet]

Thanks man...I'm definitely a newb. Apparently according to the Himalayan service manual, I was turning the crank in the wrong direction (should be clockwise I guess?). I was just going off of the guide that another user made, so will definitely be more careful with the next adjustment.

[@saikatdas9122]

Hi, Thank you so much for the guide. Today, I have adjusted the valves, the clearances are 0.08mm & 0.23mm respectively. Thankfully, I bought a feeler gauge set that have 0.08mm & 0.23mm. I checked twice, rotating CLOCKWISE only as per manual, that the Piston reaches TDC (checking with a Pencil inside Spark Plug Hole and feeling with hand when it is lifting till TDC) and T mark in the Hole matches well. But, you supposed to be while inserting the feeler gauge inside the gap, make sure you lift the tappet with finger till top, otherwise the tappet has a tendency to fall and thus your gap may be higher than the actually set. That's why you faced tappet sound even after adjusting carefully. I did like the above, lifted the rocker arm/tappet with finger, inserted the feeler gauge, when I felt it is stuck or difficult to slide through the gap, I set the gap, tighten with 10mm spanner & later with 10mm ratchet, fixed it, shut it, put all back together, and voila, it started with very smooth sound.

[@pdx650]

On2Feet, Thank you for recording and sharing this video and the pdf file for the process of valve adjustment. If I may add, the other way to check for TDC is to look through the spark plug bore. Shine a light inside the bore. Same thing, though; one time the piston will be on the exhaust stroke, the other will be on the compression stroke. Plug the spark plug bore with your finger and rotate the rear wheel while in 1st gear, to rotate the crankshaft. If you feel pressure on your finger covering the spark plug bore, you will know you are coming up on TDC (all four valves will be closed. Aren't there 4 valves though?

[@YellowroadsterJ200]

Good video thanks. New to the Himalayan, so a job I will need to do at some point in the future. Something I noted though was that you are turning the motor counter clockwise and while it obviously takes no effort, is there a risk of loosening that nut on the crank. An option might be to put the bike in gear and turn the back wheel to turn the motor over, which is what I do on my old Triumph. Good showing how to remove the tank, which is something I need to do to replace the tank breather which is perished, so looks like I can just lift the back of the tank to gain access.

[@danielben-avraham1539]

I just did my valve adjustment yesterday and used the wide standard feeler gauges that on2feet used in the vid and it was difficult to say the least. There is a reason RE recommends the tapered or narrow gauges. The hole and angle of the valve and tappet face require an approach scraping the bottom of the hole while bending the feeler tip upwards. Very awkward. Nearly impossible to do correctly with the wide feelers. I found that out the hard way. After adjusting the first time the engine had loud tappets. So I went back in and discovered that the width of the feeler and the angle of insertion was causing the tappet to feel tight when it was not. It was giving me false readings. So I ended up having to force the wide and stiff feeler down with one finger to get the correct angle, and then the pull became smooth and accurate which allowed me to tighten the gap of the tappet. My recommendation is to not try doing the tappet adjustment with anything other than the narrow or tapered feeler set. Much, much easier and accurate and the engine will be much quieter while being truly within specs.

[@chrisshelly1265]

Tip: Crush washers are available from aftermarket companies by size. I believe mine were sold by motion pro. 12mm copper crush washers are common on most brands and used on brake line banjo bolts.

[@SlowRiderDucati]

Awesome. Thanks for walking us through this. I have a 2022 green camo Himalayan going to adjust the valves and add the USB charger and additional power lead for adding accessories up front. I like how you ran the power cable under the tank.

[@be_early2024]

Great example of learning and showing; very much appreciate it!

[@alexmacdonald258]

You did an excellent job here-very thorough, well planned out, and well videoed. Except for the counter clockwise crank turning, As Mr. Ireland mentioned below. Otherwise, excellent!

[@On2Feet]

Thanks! Yeah everyone has noted this about the direction. The instructional book let I used to make the adjustments (linked in the comments above) specifically instructed to do it counterclockwise. It's not the service manual though...so whoever wrote it got it wrong apparently. I'll definitely do it the other way next time. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@alexmacdonald258]

@@On2Feet I've seen their parts manual have the wrong part numbers listed for things, so it could be something in the translation!

[@simonmills2375]

Excellent, planning to do mine this weekend. How does the algorithm know to pop up this video just when I needed it. Too scarey, great vid cheers fom NZ. Oh and by the way I am an ex trained mechanic, you did it right and explained it very well.

[@inkpaint]

Thank you! I just did this service and you covered every question I had.

[@On2Feet]

Nice! Despite using a guide to go through the process, many have indicated I turned the crank in the wrong direction (counterclockwise). I suppose you could also just spin the wheel too.

[@aBluegrassPicker]

Handy tip - If the tank is near empty, it makes removal easier.

[@On2Feet]

I always seem to plan for big maintenance when the tank is more than half full! Doh!

[@0910davey]

Thanks for taking the time to do this. We will have to do it at some point on my son's Himalayan.

[@richardshilling2958]

Great choice of bikes there. Exactly same as me. Love my Himalayan and my Ct. Great video

[@robertstern5764]

Nice Job!👍😃🇦🇹

[@TictacAddict1]

Stop searching, you've found the best video on the internet for this task. The work starts at 1:40.

[@welldeckdiaries5610]

Brilliant This have given me the confidence to do mine Just got to order the adjustment tool

[@On2Feet]

The exact tool is the 10mm/3mm version

[@krazeekalvin]

Glad that you cover your sparkplug opening and are using paper towels. Had seen a few oops I dropped something become a major issue finding it's way into the engine. As for the paper towels, wood fibers compress unlike cotton fibers from a rag.

[@mathewharwood]

You can put the bike on the center stand in 1st and spin the rear tyre instead of removing the crank case 👍

[@Fender5621]

Most excellent instructional video. This is my reference.

[@On2Feet]

Thanks! Apparently despite following the linked guide...I was supposed to rotate the crank clockwise instead of counter ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@petemesquite3432]

I’ve seen other videos saying to rotate the crankshaft clockwise rather than counter. Does it matter? Thanks for the videos and encouraging the average guy to twist some wrenches.

[@rensfunhog]

Very good video, but I didn’t see a link from the gentleman who put together step-by-step instructions.I feel comfortable following your steps more more revising can’t hurt. Let me if I missed that. Thank you

[@On2Feet]

Thanks Perry. I put the link in the description, but it's kinda of hidden. Here is a direct link: drive.google.com/file/d/11XjER4U84p15ON1eS1QAowVwUnVVNa7W/

[@yolandalindsay8368]

You always have a wrench to rotate your engine. Put the bike in gear and rotate the rear wheel to your heart's content. Most valve clearances increase as the engine moves to normal operating temperature, others decrease, none remain the same. It is better to have loose noisy valves than to have tight ones. Too tight a valve will show up in the sound of the engine idle and the valve will eventually burn, to cause that cylinder to loose compression. A loose valve, on the other hand, will only be noisy, as it reduces engine performance & fuel economy. The purpose of valve clearance is to insure that the valve closes.

[@aboutye]

Hi just came across your video - I believe that TDC is not the T mark but the line below it!

[@guillermocatalan8793]

Sorry to tell you but you should have been turning the engine CLOCKWISE, as described in the workshop manual.

[@alanhesketh9265]

The workshop manual is wrong. Look at other videos on the subject.

[@Sherlock_Ohms]

Thanks for the video. I will be doing this in the spring. The tappet tool you linked says 3.5mm inner but your text says 3mm. Just wanted to make sure its correct. Thank!

[@On2Feet]

I see that now as well. I honestly can't remember now...but will go back and see specifically what I used.

[@On2Feet]

Probably easiest just to order this set of three, then you're covered: www.ebay.com/itm/203108926128

[@claudio.2534]

Exelente video muy bien enfocado exelente edición..quizás demaciado hablado saludos

[@VLK-73]

Nice video! Would getting the rear tire off the ground and sticking it in 5-th gear while turning the tire be able to give you the same results inside the witness hole, without even having to take out the crank case cover?

[@nelsdude]

Great vid!! Just brought my 22 Himmie home from Vegas on Friday. I live in St George area. Cheers & Thanks!! BTW...Do you have a link for the valve tool, spark plug gapper, and gauges?

[@On2Feet]

Spark plug gap tool is just motion pro brand. I thought I put a link for valve tool on eBay in video notes, but if it’s not there I’ll dig up where I got it. I think I got the feeler gauges at autozone,

[@aaronrumsey8151]

So grateful for this video. I have the givi bars, will I need a special socket wrench to fit in behind them?

[@aaronrumsey8151]

Never mind I found it in the thread

[@ferrydewit3416]

Great video!

[@aakeon9149]

i got the tapping noise too 😢

[@guyonacub4335]

If you check inside the valve covers you will find they have printed inside which one is inlet and exhaust

[@bennymanfrost]

Thanks so much for this video and the time you took to put this out! Just to clarify, is it a 10 mm looking nut and 3mm adjuster for the tappet tool? The link for the tool on eBay says it's a 10 mm and 3.5mm. The 9mm had a 3mm I believe. Thanks again!

[@On2Feet]

Yeah, the ebay listing shows weird values. I can't remember which I ordered to be honest. I thought it was the 10 though.

[@allentumminello2343]

Thank you,

[@peterhobbs7609]

Great job

[@peterhobbs7609]

I watched this again and I have upgraded this from great job to super great job!, cheers from London across the pond

[@On2Feet]

Thanks so much Peter. I definitely am not a mechanic, but slow and careful is the name of the game. The user guide that a fellow Himalayan owner put together was very helpful for sure.

[@ingmarnoteboom]

Sorry to say but there are two things to get correct here and you got both of em wrong. First, it's clockwise, not counter clockwise! Second, right after the intake valve closes your piston is at the bottom not the top! When the valve pops back up you almost immediately see the T in the viewing port, you are not at TDC! You need to rotate the engine some more till you see the T for the second time.

[@gadafthegreat]

No you are wrong. It is counter clockwise. You are looking at an outdated manual for an older year bike. Hope this helps!

[@allans7281]

Great video it's about 400 bucks for a valve adjustment that's enough motivation to learn how to do it yourself 😳this is easy to follow along. There was some talk about turning the engine clockwise that had something to do with the torque of the bolt any issue with that? How long have you had the bike and do you like it? thx

[@GG-ub4ej]

If your worried about the top dead center mark not where it should be you could check by watching the piston from the spark plug hole. I have no experience and am no expert, just a thought.

[@chris2realnice229]

Followed you link for the valve adjustment wrench. You stated it was 10 mm with 3mm inner. Yet the link only offers it in 10mm and 3.5mm inner. Did you make a mistake on the inner size or is the supplier possibly out of the 3mm inner size? Thanks great vid!

[@On2Feet]

Yeah...others have pointed this out as well. I don't know why the sites list different inner diameters. I bought the three-piece kit, and they all look to have the same inner diameter and the one for the himalayan works just fine....but I can understand your hesitation. If you want to be absolutely sure, you could always order the tool from Hitchcocks...but it's a lot more expensive (accessories.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/accessory-shop/tools-engine/38888). This link is definitely the one I ordered from ebay...and the tool I used in this video came from this 3-piece kit: www.ebay.com/itm/203108926128

[@gadibob]

Hi and thank you for your excellent video! Can you say the length of Crank shaft socket you used to rotate the engi (I also have givi crash bar...) Thank you for your great help

[@On2Feet]

Yeah...I had a real problem with this. I ended up using a specific combination of a Home Depot 1/2" large socket wrench with an 18mm socket. That specific combination gave me enough depth to reach the nut, but also work around the crash bars. I had to make 3 trips to the store though.

[@gadibob]

Thank you for your reply! Can you please tell how deep the 18mm stock market is?

[@On2Feet]

I believe this is the socket I bought from home depot: www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-1-2-in-Drive-18-mm-12-Point-Metric-Standard-Socket-H2D12P18M/202934318 Here is a link to a picture of it. It's total length is 4 cm: imgur.com/a/nQwFOjT

[@gadibob]

Thank you! Your the best ( I'm not from USA so no home Depot), but you give me grate information and help. Thank you.

[@guyonacub4335]

That's a great help Now I know it's 2 revolutions and then check the tappet is loose Thank you very much

[@enfieldlover8145]

i'm literally just watching another video that says 'turn clockwise' :) yeah, most of video say and do clock-wise. may I ask what source/manual told you to go counter-clock?

[@On2Feet]

I've seen several comment on this. I suppose I did it backwards and will need to check on this. I was going off of a guide a fellow enfield owner put together (see description in video), so it could be wrong. If the official service manual for enfield says clockwise, it's probably right. I was also going counter-clockwise based on the fact that my other bike counter clockwise

[@Rappeletje]

you should turn it clockwise instead of counter clockwise. for the most motorcycles it is indeed counter clockwise but the enfield has other treads. you could losen the bolt otherwise

[@On2Feet]

Yeah many have noted this. I was simply following the guidebook I linked in the description and not the official service manual...so didn't realize this. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@kevincraig8257]

you maybe should have checked initial clearance didnt look like you loosened them over .001 Ive noticed these engines rattle from the get go maybe its the piston clearance RE sets them up at but they dont seem to get quieter at running temp if anyone knows what the rattle is I'd like to know thanks

[@dougritchie4625]

tappy valves are happy valves.

[@velocityblueranger3799]

Did you not torque the nut down?

[@SophisticatedBob]

You rotate the crankshaft clockwise my friend...not counterclockwise.

[@On2Feet]

Yep...everyone has been correcting me on this. I was simply going off of this how-to guide (which apparently is wrong). Incidentally, every bike I've ever had it's been counterclockwise. kzbin.info?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbTh3V202bFd4Mzk1VmNSNmhUZXhaX2hIN2hwZ3xBQ3Jtc0tsdnYxaFpGM3JBS21WY01YYjU1ZHVOdkIzWlNVWDgzVnRnQmZaN0FPdnAtdXZkVE9wUG0tOVpEaWJPdHNtb0F5bEd0MUVrSjMxbUMtMnI0cGQ0djVGY1VTSWg3OUNPN05LVFNjWUV0ZFBiaTh6end5SQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fdrive.google.com%2Ffile%2Fd%2F11XjER4U84p15ON1eS1QAowVwUnVVNa7W%2F&v=jq_yUP4fA8k

[@Chris64France]

Good job! Nevertheless, this engine is very noisy. We can hear a cranky noise when we accelerate (around 3500-4000 tr). It's disturbing. Many user wonder why... because a lack of power or some people use a camshaft without decompressor...If you have an idea.

[@TheSaltyCpl]

Are you sure you turn the crank counter clock wise? Not clock wise? Some other videos say NOT to turn counter clockwise

[@On2Feet]

I’m not. I was using a step by step guide that someone else put together, so it could be wrong. I have been meaning to get a copy of the RE service manual to settle this question once and for all.

[@TheSaltyCpl]

@@On2Feet well, if your bike isn't broken by now it guess it's all good. Thanks for an awesome video

[@Bombhead1964]

⁠@@TheSaltyCpl Do NOT turn it anti clockwise, it has a standard thread, you run the risk of undoing it. Put the bike on the centre stand and put it in 5th and turn the back wheel to turn the engine ( with the spark plug out )

[@peterc2248]

Are you sure you rotate the engine anti-clockwise?

[@On2Feet]

Yes sir. Counter (or anti-) clockwise indeed.

[@Chad-wb7du]

This is correct

[@daveinwla6360]

@@On2Feet - Check "Himalayan valve adjustment HD 1080p" at channel "Spydie". Somewhere he found a spec that said to turn it clockwise to avoid loosening the nut on the end of the crank.

[@davidireland6952]

no, should be turned clockwise via R.E. instruction, incase you loosen the bolt

[@chuckwilliams6294]

@@daveinwla6360 True, but if you remove the spark plug, it would be virtually impossible to actually loosen or totally remove the crankshaft nut.

[@randygravel2057]

A almost empty gas tank helps