Is this part plastic or metal

I just took my valves apart from the head. Are the valve guides made of metal or plastic? I found some "Berrymans
Chem-Dip, says it cleans all kinda parts, carb,pistons,etc safe for aluminum...So I need to know what the valve guides are made of. This berrymans says it's not good for rubber or plastic. Thanks in advance! :blink: :blush: :silly::woohoo: TODDSTER

Valve guides are made of steel or brass:)

well the seals on top of guides are rubber if thats what you're looking at.:laugh: remove the rubber seals before they melt into rubber ooze inside your guides .clean up your valves on a wire wheel then take one of them and stick about 3/4 back in the guide same way it came out and try rocking it side to side,if theres any side to side play its time for new guides check all the guides this way.

Hey Plummen, quick question on that. Is a steel wire wheel ok or should I be looking for a brass or bronze wire wheel?

the valves are steel you aint gonna hurt em,for the aluminum parts a brass wheel/cup would be nice

TODDSTER; The 650SR-D1A uses the same valve stem diameter and guides as the Z1A if my memory serves correctly. I don't have the 650 FSM in front of me, but I do have the Z1A's. The specs are as follows:
Valve Stem Bend: .002 inch
Valve Stem Diameter: Standard Intake: .2742-.2748 inch
Service Limit: .270 inch
Standard Exhaust: .2738-.2744 inch
Service Limit: .270 inch

Valve Guide Inside Diameter: Standard: .2756-.2762 inch
Service Limit: .280 inch

Valve/Guide Clearance: Standard Intake:.0008-.0020 inch
Service Limit: .004 inch
Standard Exhaust:.0012-.0024 inch
Service Limit: .004 inch
What this all means is that there must be running clearance between them and this clearance will be felt as side to side motion when checked as described earlier in this thread. The trick is to quantify the clearance. The FSM recommends using telescoping gages/micrometers for the guides. I'm betting you don't have these tools. I recommend taking your parts to a bike shop that does head work and have them measure everything. If you are doing this work on the cheap, you can buy steel plug gages in increments of .0005 inch from mscdirect.com. I think they run about 4 dollars each. Get a class ZZ, minus tolerance, .2800 diameter gage and if it fits in either end of the guide, they are worn past the service limit. Even if they measure good, you still need to verify the clearance by measuring the stem diameters and doing the math. Good luck and ride safe, Steve

Disclaimer: The above should not be construed as fact, only my recommendations based on my memory and the wrong FSM.

ok let me rephrase my answer,any noticable major movement its time to change em out.its just a basic go or no go way of checking them if you have access to machinist type tools by all means use them !:laugh:

Thanks all who replied. I'll take em to a good friend of mine who does head work, he has the stuff to check all the tolerances, I'll just take my Clymer Manual that has the clearance spec sheets in it to make sure we(he) gets the right specs on the measurments. At least I can soak & clean everything up before I take it up to have him measure everything. That was why I wanted to know what the valv sleave was made of. I'll soak the head in Berrymans part dip. Has any one ever done that to clean a head up & if so how did it work out? Thanks again & sorry for the long winded post. you guys really are amazing. TODDSTER