Vulcan 800 Valve Adjustment - How To - Engine in Bike

How to measure and adjust the valve clearances on a 1995 - 2006 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 VN with the engine in the bike.
Seat removal: 00:43
Fuel tank removal: 01:14
Speedometer removal: 02:07
Spark plug removal: 04:30
Valve cover removal: 07:33
Intake removal: 10:45
Finding top dead center: 12:21
Valve clearance measurement: 14:28
Shim removal: 16:51
Shim measurement: 17:15
Shim installation: 18:31
Specs: 20:02
Shim kits are available on Amazon.

[@LeondriverFR]

Best Video about valve adjustment on a VN 800 so far. Really good job.

[@Altair-jc]

Eu comprei calço na maior medida e fiz uma ferramenta caseira para ajustar cada calço na medida de acordo o calibre de admissão e escape. Usei as seguintes medidas nas disponível nas lâminas do calibre, no caso 0,10 para as válvulas de admissão e 0,15 para as válvulas de descarga. Dê uma olhada no meu canal para ver a ferramenta que desenvolvi

[@justintime2993]

I used a flathead driver that has magnet tip to put the shims in. Seemed to work best. If you drop shim in the dish. Don't worry. It's shallow n easy to retrieve.

[@harleyflower8557]

Very good video buddy very informative and great instructions

[@suzyfan]

This is a very good video. Easy to follow and well explained. Good job!

[@travispratt6327]

Omg the rear valve cover is the most annoying thing in the world… I unscrewed the choke handle assembly and disconnected the coolant hose and another hose. Still was a complete pain… I’m sure getting it back on will be just as fun. They could have made that much easier for something they expect you to do every 6k miles…

[@jbtricklerc]

Just wanted to say thank you for the video. I just did mine today. Between your video and a thread on the Vulcan forums I found the process to be straight forward and not as bad as I thought it would be. The hardest part is that rear valve cover. It's like a Rubik's Cube to move it the right way to remove it but everything went back together much easier and faster.

[@eng0605]

Great video Thank you

[@car5car5]

Thanks.

[@AdamMalcolm96]

Didn't make it easy, did they. Starting to understand why the shop wanted 300$

[@friendlyneighborhoodbikeme8535]

He didn't pull the cams or buckets or shims. He only did about 1/2 the work, video should be named how to measure valves and shims

[@rossadamson4664]

Very helpful cheers

[@brianfinucane8155]

Great video, look forward to seeing more on the vn800

[@roscoefields-li9cs]

Am i missing something.....did all the steps, but my spark plug tubes are pressed inside the rocker covers & the covers will not slide off.

[@justintime2993]

Is there a ceal that needs to be replaced for the valve covers when doing this?

[@WisconsinTroutFishing]

No, unless you bust them accidentally. They are very thick rubber gaskets on the head cover. Happy wrenching!

[@jasonvoorheis1984]

Thanks. Helped me figure out simple things I had questions about, like can I rock the cylinder back and forth to get top dead center, and not introduce something like back lash?

[@friendlyneighborhoodbikeme8535]

Rename your video "how to measure valves and shims" because you did not do a valve adjustment

[@VndNvwYvvSvv]

Only the first time is short. Afterward, there is very little wear so the service interval is longer

[@Altair-jc]

Parabéns amigo vai ajudar muito

[@muhammettokay3026]

Hello my friend. First of all, thank you for sharing this information. My engine is kawasaki vulcan vn400. Is this information you shared the same for my engine?

[@lycogala1843]

I'm afraid I am not familiar with that motorcycle. Although there will be similarities shared amongst all OHC V-twins, the process will not match exactly, and the specifications for the 400 will almost certainly be different. Should you attempt a valve adjustment, I predict that with a little knowledge you shouldn't have too much trouble.

[@Mikel34629]

I consider if I still wont this bike. So much work and it's every 6000km. That's madness it should be an automathic regulations as it was i previous models of kavasaki

[@azaar184]

6000 miles

[@travispratt6327]

It’s 6k miles but I think this is like racing or extreme conditions… they always put the absolute minimum a wear part would last under any conceivable conditions for the service manual. Heck they say change all your brake, throttle and clutch cables and lines every 2 years… aside from using it as a saltwater submarine I can’t imagine anyone’s actually doing that.

[@MrMickmenPL]

Can someone explain to me how does the too low clearence on valves affects the engine performance? And what is the difference whe you have too high clearence?

[@Ozmandius]

too low of clearance can lead to the valves staying open and letting hot combustion gasses by, which will lead to your head melting away. Too high of clearence can lead to excessive wear due to the speed of things being a sort of ramp up and ramp down thing, the bigger the gap the faster things are moving once they come into contact.

[@Grizzlytactics91]

so...just so im clear here. this is a bike that in order to do engine repair on, you do NOT need to remove the engine??

[@kawi-cory1482]

U don't have to on many hikes u just have to be willing and mechanically inclined enough it's not too hard

[@mickymondo7463]

Always aim for the larger side of the clearance, so on this bike aim for 0.25mm EX and 0.15mm IN if you set the clearance to the minimum then it will go out very quickly, it is better to have a slightly larger clearance than tight, and as a rule clearances only tend to decrease as the valve reccesses into the seat, if the clearance increases over time then there is a serious wear issue somewhere along the line.

[@WisconsinTroutFishing]

Having put more than 100K on 2 800 classics, the shims do not wear significantly. On all specified changes, i think I need 2 shim swaps pver all the miles. I used synth oil. Happy wrenching!

[@crazymodelgarage6438]

very informative video mate, so this bike dont have any adjustable screw ? i have thu buy a lot os those shims?

[@lycogala1843]

No adjusting screws unfortunately. I purchased a Hot Cams "shim kit refill pack" 9.48mm O.D. x 2.10mm - 2.35mm containing 5 of each size. It worked well for me.

[@azaar184]

Nice work

[@JustRay627]

What does the adjustment improve?

[@lycogala1843]

Adjusting valve clearances is periodic maintenance. There are various symptoms and consequences of improperly adjusted valves, not excluding engine damage.

[@dan1769]

Need to change the top both engine gaskets.. This tutorial is pretty much the steps to get it done?

[@lycogala1843]

For your valve cover gaskets yes. Why do yours need replacement?

[@dan1769]

@@lycogala1843 oil leak.

[@lycogala1843]

@@dan1769 I'd first check to make sure it's not coming from one of the lines going into the air cleaner box, that's a pretty common spot for oil to leak on these. Also make sure you've emptied the little oil catch bottle near the bottom of your rad.

[@dan1769]

@@lycogala1843 Thanks...I will.

[@tonyhddodge4282]

Did the bike come from the factory that way and did it seam to be running right? If yes and yes I would have not done anything. Just me.

[@lycogala1843]

The bike did not come this way from the factory. The valve clearances would have been in spec. Valves open and close thousands of times per minute and slowly beat themselves further into their seats, tightening clearances. Some engines are more prone to this type of wear, the 800 being a good example. It's not uncommon to see relatively low mileage 800s with engine damage due to this. More modern valvetrain designs, including those which have been used in car and truck engines for a long time now, do not require adjustment.

[@tonyhddodge4282]

@@lycogala1843 You never had an engine that was not in spec from the factory. I have had several. You are 100% correct on the rest of the statement and the video was nicely done. Thank You.

[@VndNvwYvvSvv]

@@tonyhddodge4282 On a Kawasaki motorcycle? I don't believe you.

[@fallenx9057]

You sir are a hero 🫡😂 no but seriously, thank you