Hi,

Bought my bike at 5,000 miles, just hit 9,000.  I'm trying to learn how to do a valve adjustment on my bike, as I'm due for one.  I don't really know what a valve adjustment is, or why I should perform one, it just says that I should do it in the manual.  I want to keep up on the maintenance for my bike, but I don't really have much mechanical knowledge and I'm learning as I go.

How can I tell if I need a valve adjustment, what does it do, and can someone point me to the right direction (or hell, even the right page in the Clymer) to perform one? I was going through the Clymer and I honestly didn't know which page was the starting point.

FWIW, I have a 2006.  

Thanks.

If you read that & want to make sure you get it or dont quite understand, come back & reply here. We WILL talk ya thru it, just do a little reading first & get as much of it in your head as ya can, then we can help a little easier,
Tools youll need.
10 mm end wrench
a set of feeler gauges
offset screwdriver

antisieze for bolts going back together.


Iver modded mine so the seat is held on by allen heads, so I dont remember how a stock seat comes off..
10 mm socket? I know youll need that for the tank,

Okay, IM tired,, others will pop in & add.

I AM a mechanic, but I have ( well,, Had) no motorcycle experience. It took me forever to do the first valve adjustment. I was sooo careful. I checked & rechecked everything,,BUT, I Didnt screw it up. I didnt have a jam nut back off after 200 miles,

& every time I did the valves, I was on edge, until I had 3 or 4 times under my belt,Noiw, If I do the valves, I just do it, Not scared, just step by step, no reason to check & recheck,
If youre just starting out, Take your time, walk away, think, run thru the steps, recheck things, KNOW its right,,its okay to be slow, its not okay to not be thorough & careful. Its not okay to screw it up.