Valve clearances and noise...quick question.

Well, I just put the engine back together, so I haven't ridden it yet. The noise changes with engine speed and engaging the clutch makes no difference.

It just sounds like a diesel does - rattling valves. Tell you what though, I have never let it warm all the way up. The longest I ever let it run was about a minute.

I will start it again today and let it warm all the way up...

Ok, you just eliminated all compression/ignition/transmission related possibilties, and that's good

The next one is a little more difficult.
The cams run at half the crank rpm, so does the sound match the crank rpm, or does it sound like it is half as fast?
You may be unable to tell, sometimes it's difficult.

You can also use a 2' long piece of garden hose, place one end against your ear and the other end at different places on the motor to find the exact location where the sound is loudest.

It would be nice if you could listen to another KZ1000 being started when it's cold so you would have a comparison.

Post edited by: steell, at: 2006/07/04 12:33

Just another note here on warem up. I find idling for long periods of time is really insufficient for a complete warm up. Usually 5 miles or more of actual riding does the trick. Take it for a spin around the block.