My bike is a 2005 s40 with 4k mi on it . It runs good ,but when it gets hot the valves make noise . What exactly is happening to cause it to tic rather loudly and is it normal ? I have filled the oil to the sight glass bottom on the side stand. I can't fix it myself , do you think I should bring it in ? It's not that loud but definately noticable.I don't want to damage anything . Thanks.

I think the book calls for valve adj at 5,000 miles. & Yes, you can do it,, If you dont do your own basic maintenance, youll spend so much on mechanics the bike will stop being an inexpensive ride, the $$$ you spend on tools will be saved on the first job  & then some, & yea, if youre hearing it get louder, its probably time,, after a while, they dont need adjusted so oftenb, once the adjuster tips get flattened out some & they work harden,

For a while, nothin,, theyre always gonna tic,, if you make them stop ticking, then youve got big troubles,, eventually, unless they get adjusted, the parts that come together to open them will beat themselves up & mushroom the tips ( Which is gonna happen over time , but you dont want this kind of SLAP going on), youll lose some power, because the valves wont be opening as far as theyre supposed to,, Ive heard it can cause some wear on the cam, & tappets, because they slap the same as the end that opens the valve,, & ,, others have come in here, never messed with valves & survived, because the people her can talk you thru it,, I know,, I couldnt do it when I got here,.

I think mine falls in the spoon categorey. How much should a reasonable valve adjustment cost?

thanks alot ,thats not too bad

Whats the name of the cover you have to take off to get at them? Does it leak if they don't put it back on right? The mechanic listened to it once and told me not to worry about it ,but it definately seems too loud to me.

rl153 wrote on 07/17/11 at 16:23:21:

Does this tell you something ?

Have you heard other air cooled engines running in hot weather to have something to compare to ?

Do you hear it while riding, or just idling ?

Do you have a windshield,....or possibly just added one ?

All these things make a difference.

You may not have any abnormal noise at all.
When idling hot, mine is noisy at best !
And its a lot nosier while riding after a windshield install.

When the motor on mine is cold, it sounds nice and smooth. The valves have a real light tick, you have to listen real close to hear it. When the motor is hot, especially in this hot weather  and when coming off the highway, it makes quiet some racket at idle. Almost sound like a loose tensioner. But i have the extended plunger in there already, so it can't be that. Turn it off for 10 minutes, and start it back up again, and the racket is gone.