Yep, stuff rags in there. I dropped a shim last time and spent 20 minutes fishing that blasted thing out.
http://www.motosportz.com/HVA-SS/HVA-SS-Home.htm Kelly had a kit of shims but seems to be out at the moment. 2.10 to 2.35
I found this place awhile back. http://www.chrome-addiction.com/p-h...-235mm-948mm-od-682090-10160702.php?r=froogle
Any advice on reaching TDC (with confidence) on the 630? I rec'd my shim kit and hope to go at it on Wednesday or Saturday. For convenience/ease I like the idea of the straw in the hole but want/need to feel confident that I am on the right stroke also, and truly at TDC. Thanks! Eric
In the above photo it's also easy to see that all four cam lobes are up. Anywhere close to that is close enough, it doesn't have to be exactly TDC, just when all four cam lobes are off the followers/valves.
Don't these bikes come with Castrol full synthetic from the factory, why go to dyno when synt is better? Also since is factory filled that way.
I did the first change at 240, then a full oil and filter change at 650 per the manual with maxima 4T 20-50 which is a high quality petro based oil with a jaso rating. Hours running is now at about 24 so would probably have been fine to go full syn but thought I would wait 'till about a thousand miles. Castrol full synthetic is a group IV base stock anyway. The full PAO synthetic like amsoil can create a problem with rings seating properly, so I've always just run a petroleum based oil like Delo 400 or Rotella for ten or fifteen hours on all my new motors before switching them. Hard to find those in 20-50 weight now, so went with the Maxima. With such short OIC's it's not an issue anyway, and I know I'll get a good ring seal. Once I feel the motor is fully broken in then everything gets an Amsoil product. Their 4T oil for motorcycles is unsurpassed - have you (or any readers) seen the full report? Can dig it up if interested. That's just the way I do it.
Oil is a very heated topic. Cars, bikes, lawn mowers, you name it. I use Rotella T6 Synthetic in everything I own, which is labeled as a diesel oil. It's cheap, I change it often (my last oil change on the 630 was after a whopping 700 miles), and it works great. I say, use what you want. Just don't use anything that has additives that will make your clutch slip, and change it often. It'll be fine.
Bought a 2011 SMS630 9 days ago, already at 400 miles. Looks like I'll be checking/adjusting valves soon. Seems pretty straight forward but anybody have a workshop mnaual? Also anybody have warranty issues with doing you own maintenance. I hate the idea of somebody else touching my engine, especially the newest rookie at the dealer.
PM Sent for shop manual. You shouldn't have any warranty issues wrenching on your own vehicles. No shop has ever touched a bike I own from the moment I take it off of the showroom floor. I have never owned one long enough to do any serious engine rebuilding or anything like that, but I'm willing to try when it becomes necessary.
Sounds like you could be getting close already, I'm going to bet you will be the internet pioneer for a 630 rebuild anyone else near 10k?
At 10K to 15K miles I would sure pull the jug off and measure the ring gap. Cheap and easy to do, and it's common that's the wear item in any top end. Plus you get to check for any other wear oddities, and check valve sealing while it's apart. Once you get the valve train off it's just like the old 2-strokes we used to rebuild all the time. If you calculate average running speed at 25mph (you may have a better idea of your actual, but that's pretty common) 10K miles is 400 hours. You might get to 500 or 600 hours without checking, but I would certainly expect to tear into it by a thousand hours. Just thinking outloud here. I would also expect engine life to be in the two thousand hour range, possibly 3K, based on my experience with modern four-stroke outboard motors. The Kymco motors are calling for rings, piston, and big-end bearings at 60-70 hours. But then they are conisdered race motors so extra wear is expected. All good reasons why good oil and frequent changes are so highly advisable. A clean air filter too.
What are you aiming to accomplish by measuring the gap? Cylinder wear? Without measuring the initial gap, there is no real good way to do that, as wear that'll result in a major change in gap will also be blatantly apparent on the cylinder. A leakdown test can tell you if you are still getting a good seal, both rings and valves. If you wanted to be anal and check for wear, there are awesome little cameras that can do that nowadays. Not being confrontational, just curious as to why you'd start by pulling a motor a part when the same things can be checked without all the work.
For referernce I had just about that amount of miles on my TE510 and more hours than you and that so called "race" engine never even required a valve lash adjustment from the day I purchased it. Still ran strong when I sold it. I would expect the 630 engine to be capable of double that easily. Key for longivity is clean oil and air filter to minimize any dust/dirt instrusion. My concern with the stock 630 air box cover is that the snorkle directs all air flow to only 15% of the air filter surface area. This causes the need for frequent cleaning. If the air flow and be directed to a larger surface area, cleaning frequency may be minimized somewhat. The EHS racing airbox screen may negate this by spreading the air flow to a larger percentage of the air filter.
Let me preface by saying I am not a professional motor builder. My experience comes from owning and working on dozens of motorcycles over more than 40 years. If you have a different recommendation from a professional builder then I would certainly have to concede to that. The initial ring gap is the factory spec. In my experience rings wear at a much greater degree than cylinder wall. But yes, you certainly would want to measure the bore for wear as well, taper, out of round, etc. When rings wear the gap opens up, and they can get thin at a point around the circumference creating a greater risk of breakage. And you'll get oil blow by thru the gap. It's a great time to check for carbon build up in the grooves as well. Yes, a leak-down test will certainly tell you if it's holding. If it's not, can you tell if it's valve wear or rings? One could also wait 'till they find oil consumption. Hard to tell if it comes from valve guides or seals, or rings though. I have no experience or knowledge of awesome little cameras. I'm old school! If you can tell motor condition from a camera then that would make a lot of sense. I don't put that many miles on a bike per year, so ten to fifteen thousand miles is probably likely five or six years for me. At some point in there I would probably just pull the cylinder off to check everything. If the rings are worn and everything else looks good, putting in a new set of rings is an easy way to extend the life of the top end. If there are lots of other issues then they can be addressed.
I've had the same impression. After my first good ride in dust, I noticed that all the air seems to penetrate the filter in one spot. What is the point of a square foot of filter material when the snorkel design pushes all that air through a single 2"x3" spot? While there are those baffles in the inside of the cover, the filter material pushes right up against the filter opening, making the baffles moot. I don't think it's an issue of not getting enough air to the motor...it's an issue of pushing all that air through a small filter area.
