engine rebuild problem: valve "slap"?

well, I haven't quite figured it out yet. It's either that the marks on my cam sprocket are misleading or that I didn't adjust the cam chain tensioner correctly and the chain jumped...
I would probably have to replace both sets of valves, right? If so, then I'm looking at 30-40 dollars PER cylinder. That's just for valves. Not to mention the stem, seats, etc...

I hope we are talking about a 78 cop bike... here are two pics. First is the exhaust sprocket with timing mark and the next pic will be the rear with the timing mark.

Rear intake cam with timing mark 28 with arrow. Should line up on 28th pin counting from in front. Also, look at eBay auction: 330246811864

Those pictures should clear it up. I'll bet anything that is not the mark you used on the exhaust cam.

uhhh.... YEAH. You see in the first picture the LINE pointing basically STRAIGHT up? Yeah, THAT'S the line I was using, which means my cam was 8 links off... or in other words roughly NINETY DEGREES OFF!! No wonder the valves were totally off time. To my defense, that IS the mark that my manual said to use.
I know the valves are bent thanks to the air test... but I figured I could at least TRY and assemble the thing correctly and see if the same clicking happens...

The manual said to use those STRAIGHT LINES to adjust your valve clearances, not set valve timing. You line those straight lines up horizontally then check a valve, roll the engine and check another... I don't know as I don't use them.

If you don't follow the eBay link and get one there and replace the valves, remember that you will need to disassemble each valve train and grind the new valve to the proper length. You do this buy using a special machine which makes sure the top of the valve stem is flat... it holds the valve and spins a wheel around it if I remember correctly. You must take off enough so that valve clearances can be within the specified range. The seats need to be dressed. The old valve and new will NOT sit exactly the same in the seat. A machinist calls this issue concentricity (wow I remembered that word!). They can usually dress the seat with the last of the three cutters but some may want to do a valve job. That will be using all three cutters which cut at different angles. It might be a good time to replace the valve guides since it is at a machine shop. Of course, replace the valve seals.

I would also caution that you might want to ask the shop manager at your favorite bike shop or a couple manager where the local machinist is. Most car machine shops are kind of ham fisted with bike bits and don't do all that well... they might do a good job, but not as likely as if you use the shop recommended by your bike shop folks. There is usually only one or two decent bike machinists even in a very large city.

You'll see in the picture Clymer has in the manual it's not real clear as to what mark to use, but the picture clearly shows the cam sprocket bolt facing straight forward and the rubber damper stuff on the sprocket positioned in exactly the same way it looks in Georges picture, so the manual is not wrong unless somewhere else they show a wrong picture. Like I said, this happened to me and it's happened to quite a few others. On mine only the intakes were bent.

I emailed the Old Kaw Man to see if he had a head for sale.... he told me to just send the thing to APE as it would be cheaper in the long run.
On mine it seems like only the exhaust valves are bent... when doing the air test it didn't seem like the intakes leaked...
I'm looking on APE's site and I'm curious what service I'll need...
Performance (std size) valve job - 8 valve head?
Install bronze valve guides - labor only - 8 valve head?

so I found a guy locally who can do the job. Quoted me at 190 for labor. I'm looking up parts on Z1 and for valves alone it's about 20 per cylinder. I got new valves stem seals with my gasket kit but is there anything else I would NEED to buy? Keepers? Guides?

Yes, definitly get new keepers and guides, you might as well since its all apart anyways.

since you found someone to do the work, then let him tear it down and check it out to see what it really needs, ie guides and how many valves are bent.
in his price does that include bench shimming the valves?

Bicycle Lee wrote:

I emailed the Old Kaw Man to see if he had a head for sale.... he told me to just send the thing to APE as it would be cheaper in the long run.
On mine it seems like only the exhaust valves are bent... when doing the air test it didn't seem like the intakes leaked...
I'm looking on APE's site and I'm curious what service I'll need...
Performance (std size) valve job - 8 valve head?
Install bronze valve guides - labor only - 8 valve head?

That is what most old Kaws need. Add the valve guides and seals.

Jay