This was an excellent video. Very good of you to share your expertise and your experience. Big thanks from California to you!!

When using the micrometer, tighten using the smaller diameter handle on the end. This has a spring ratchet that clicks to say it's just touching. The larger handle is to release or tighten when there's a large gap.

I found this video very helpful and completed the task without any big problem. My '09 with >35,000 mi had all 4 intakes in the middle of the range-OK All the exhausts were 3.06 shims and on 3 of them I went down to 3.00, 2.95 on the fourth to get the right clearance. My wife thinks you talk like the Beatles. Thanks!

@MechitBetter

4 жыл бұрын

Glad to be of service. Its always good to know we've helped someone. I wouldn't mind sounding like The Beatles if i could have some of their money. Hows the bike feeling now you've done the job? Notice any difference?

I can do most of the regular service myself but I don't feel too confident on my skills to attempt a valve check and adjustment. I think I'll take my bike to a professional just for this job! Great video and I'm a bit surprised that you have less than 1000 subs, you deserve much more than that!

@MechitBetter

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Antonio. Much appreciated. The valve clearance job is fairly straightforward if you’re methodical and take your time, but of course it’s best taking it to a mechanic if you’re not sure. We’re getting up to 1000 subs. It’s been a long road! I guess what we do is quite niche. Thanks for watching 👍

@AntonioBarba_TheKaneB

5 жыл бұрын

@@MechitBetter I would feel better if I had the chance to work on the valves of a dead 4 stroke engine just to do some practice. Maybe I'll do that when the bike gets very old so I have less to lose if anything goes bad :)

Has to be the best instructional video I have seen, I have a versys, and watching you remove the stick coils brought back painful memories, as I had to get the Stilson on to get mine out, took me a while. Thanks, I now have knowledge of how to do the valves

@MechitBetter

3 жыл бұрын

Hey thanks! That’s great feedback. Hope you get your valves sorted and all goes well 👍👍

Give me locknut and screw tappet adjusters any day of the week. Oh and an engine i can get at.

@MechitBetter

5 жыл бұрын

Amen to that!

its 2 am i just finished this i have no clue how i did it but it is done and now my motorcycle runs SUPERB! thank you

@MechitBetter

4 жыл бұрын

Woooh! Top effort for getting it done. Its always a great achievement, once you've been tinkering, to push that start button and know its all good... And not blow up 😁

Great explanation! I don't even own this bike YET, but watched to see how hard this job might be. You guys make it look very straightforward.

This video made me decide to take the Versys to a professional for the valves - but I adore that you have a Versys 650 and a Honda VTR-1000f. I have these same two bikes.

Good video guys! I put the bike in top gear to get the cams to lign up. Saves me the trouble of getting that side cover thingy off.

Great video. This convinced me to get an NC750 which is much less of a hassle.

@Peter-un8no

3 жыл бұрын

Same here, I have the NC750X to keep for long term and even my 2008 CBF1000, although has valve shims, it's still a lot less work to service

Well done mates! Very useful and informative along with some very helpful tips for a rather labour intensive job. Cheers!

@MechitBetter

3 жыл бұрын

Cheers Kevin. Thanks for watching 👍

@KRColson

3 жыл бұрын

@@MechitBetter Listen Mate, I am about to purchase a 2020 Versys 650 in the next week or so and would appreciate your input on your thoughts on this particular bike. You seem to be very knowledgeable on your product and would be interested to know what you think. I live in Canada and what I have researched so far has indicated that this is a pretty solid machine for the money. It's the first "adventure" style bike I will own so would appreciate any input. Latest bikes were a 1985 Ninja 900 and 1984 Honda Nighthawk S. I have rode a 2015 KLR 650 and found it a little high and top heavy. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Cheers!

@MechitBetter

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Kevin. Great engines for a start. All the way through the series of revisions. A solid a reliable Parallel Twin. The main questions for me to ask are what attracted you to the Versys and what type of riding do you typically do ...or intend to do? Have you physically handled / sat on the bike yet? They are definitely towards the taller seat height, but then that's kind of the idea with adventure style bikes, to account for additional suspension travel. You can get slimmer seats and lowering kits etc if you need to. I would definitely recommend having a center stand if it doesn't come as standard, it makes life much easier. The latest ones have lots of fancy electronic options but heated grips is the only important one in my opinion. The taller touring screen is also a practical addition if it's not already standard.

Just watched this again. Really great video

@MechitBetter

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Bill. Much appreciated 👍

Great video, Gents!

Nicely done chaps, will help if I tackle my '08 ER-6f sometime soon-ish, it's just past 19k miles and is a little tappy happy, got a few other bit's need doing first, so I'll be back 👍

thank you guys!!!

gr8 job well done the lads

I'm italian and i understand everything ,great explanation,thank you

@MechitBetter

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Francesco 👍👍

WE NEED MORE TOWNMATE edit:we also love your channel :)

@MechitBetter

5 жыл бұрын

Haha. Thanks. There will be more townmate on the way. Much of it took a back seat while we did some of these preparations for our big bike euro-trip later in the summer. We also spent a bit of time getting set up for, and then going on, our little 125 adventure up to Northumberland. We'll get back on it this coming week. 👍

More Versys videos please

thank you!!

Tg i bought a dr 650,Goodness to you wow 2 take all that stuff apart to adjust. Crazy

You guys are awesome! My versys already did 95,000 kilometers, I have most of the service history but it is not complete. Already did a regular service (spark plugs, oil+filter, airfilter) last summer but I am planning to replace my fork stanchions (a lot of rusty pits eating my seals) and check my valves. I have a service manual but it is a lot more fun watching your vids! Thanks!

@MechitBetter

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jamy. Always nice to hear such positivity. My Versys is just a fraction short of 70,000 miles (112,000km... I think) Im not as certain about its service history, other than the couple of years ive had it but its had plenty of attention over that time. We did do videos for the fork removal and rebuild which might be helpful to you. I always feel a bit more comfortable tackling a job if i can see it happening. A manual is good but can sometimes make things seem harder than it is. Feel free to ask us if you get stuck, we'll do our best to help.

@jamyv7826

5 жыл бұрын

@@MechitBetter Yes, thats how I came on this channel! And I feel the same way although some how2vids are a lot more boring than yours. My new fork tubes (seals, bushings and oil) are on their way and I will definitely grab the fork removal and rebuild vid! After that I want to treat the rusty parts of the frame in some way and check my valve clearances. Thanks for offering the help and I will keep you posted!

@thangnguyen-tf4yo

10 ай бұрын

Did your versys get ticking noise. Mine has been having low volume ticking noise. I think I need the valve clearance for the bike. Please tell me know if I am correct. thanks.

11:24 nice little trick.

Your are so gentle explaining things thank you very much for a lovely video. May I ask you how long did the hole job take take care

@MechitBetter

3 жыл бұрын

Cheers Danny. Thanks for watching and for your kind comment. I’d say that if you take your time and don’t hit any major problems like seized bolts, you can do the job in an afternoon. Definitely don’t rush. Better to take your time and get it right, even if you come back to it the next day 👍

Great vid. However I'm unsure about the specifics of reinstalling the cam chain tensioner

I have extremely important question. Do you take off caps@ 2|T?

Awesome. Thank you very much. Do you think this would be similar to the 2017 Z650?

@MechitBetter

4 жыл бұрын

Hi Barry. Kawasaki do like to use same engine in different models. I know the Z650 is also a parallel twin so although it might not be exactly the same (given the 10 year age gap) the general principals should be. I'd always try to get hold of a proper manual to be sure but our video might be a rough guide / starting point for you. You thinking of giving it a go?

Guys I have another question for you. I have bought some crashbars for my V650. They have 3 mounting points, 2 at engine mounts and one at the frame. Tightened to spec, go ride, vibrates, not comfy. Asked some guys, they said you misaligned the engine in the frame. So I refitted it several times (close to 10 actually), no luck. Manual doesn't say in details how to align the engine in the frame. I tried mounting points perfectly aligned then tighten, I tried to slightly tighten bolts and let engine loose, Rev it a bit (I read somewhere it should find its place in this state). I even removed crash bars and it still vibrates. All give no luck. It vibrates from 3000rpm, making peak vibes at 4500 5000 and higher they still present. It works on neutral standing and rolling. It works clutch in or out. I rechecked every possible bolt I could find, that is not the case. I cleaned air filter and checked spark plugs. Mileage is 50 000 kms, valves are not adjusted recently. Do you have any ideas what is wrong? I hardly believe that when I loosened engine mount bolts something went wrong in the engine itself. Please help 🙏

what diameter are the shims?? Can't find which kit to order

what are shims? and are they the detrimental component in this? do i need to have replacement shims?

Me and eee. 😂 😂 😂 😂 was the funniest thing

How many miles till I do valves?

High temp grease on the plug sticks

Do you order a shim kit specific for Kawasaki versys 650. Or do you order the shims individually?? Could you please add the link Thank you

@MechitBetter

22 күн бұрын

Hi, The outer diameter for the versys shims is 7.48mm. You can buy specific kits for the bike which includes a whole bunch of different thicknesses to cover a wide range of adjustments or you can buy separately. It's obviously a bigger investment to buy a full kit but then you're probably covered for all eventualities before you even strip the bike down to check. At that point you can replace them straight away and reassemble. If you can survive without the bike for a while, do the check and then order the specific ones you need. Just be very sure you're measurements are correct. We we're lucky that the guys at NYAB (where we did the video) already had stock available to use onsite and we didn't have to order any. A company I have previously used for bike parts is Wemoto. They do list shims for the versys. Hope that helps

13:52 so only exhaust was out and intake was alright, correct ? How many miles on this bike and was this the first ever clearance done to it? Thanks for the video.

@MechitBetter

5 жыл бұрын

The exhaust ones were all too tight. The inlet ones were only just within tolerance but would have been too tight very soon so it was worth sorting all of them while we were in there. In the end we changed them all. The bike is coming up to 70,000 miles, but without any service history it’s hard to say if they’d been done before or not. Always worth checking if you’re not sure when it was done. Running with them too tight will damage the engine 👍

@benas664

5 жыл бұрын

@@MechitBetter I've just upgraded to mk2 and it only has 15k on a clock. Will crack it open when I'll do my full service. Really appreciate your videos on this. Subscribed!

@MechitBetter

5 жыл бұрын

Sounds like a good plan. Set a day aside and you should get it all done along with the service. Thanks for watching and subscribing 👍

Ahhh man, it's so much easier when others do it...I'm still annoyed that bikes need their tanks removed to check air filter... the box holes for the bolts are awesome. How long do these Versys beasts last anyway?

@daviT_con_T

4 жыл бұрын

for a looooooong time m8... imagine some friends are over 40.000 kms, and they havent done it. Mine is only 10k so i will not see this in a long time

@Fjdy1jd1

4 жыл бұрын

My 2008 Versys only lasted 21,000 miles. That was when a fool in a truck decided to run a stop sign and drive through the front wheel, ripping it out from under me, as I bounced off the side of truck.

@MechitBetter

4 жыл бұрын

😬 Hope you're ok dude. That's such a terrible situation. Do you still ride?

@Fjdy1jd1

4 жыл бұрын

@@MechitBetter Full touring gear on (thank goodness). Massive bruising and a pulled ligament in the knee. I pulled off all the 3rd-party accessories before the insurance company took it. Then 6 weeks of physical therapy. Found a 2009 Versys with 750 miles on it, bought it, and installed the accessories. 11,000 miles on it now.

I was going to buy a bike like this but changing the spark plugs is a nightmare so not going to buy one now

Are there any signs that valves come off the limit without opening the engine? thanks

@illuminaut9148

10 ай бұрын

Usually clicking noise, which is too late usually, but still better later than never. Same as, how to know when to change oil without seeing the oil or Mileage. The advice I got from Mechanic who loves bikes: I real life, valve clearance depend on how you ride the bike. If you don't want to panic over valve clearance, never drive on a cold bike. Let the bike to heat up for a minute or two, then drive. My thoughts: I'd say, if you didn't do valve adjustment, do it, but don't panic about it. Use the best oil you can afford, as a long term investment, its worth it. Let the the bike to warm up before taking off, let the oil do its job first. Rev the bike to its max from time to time, to clear carbon deposits, which happens on low RPM's. Other good quote: "You paid for the whole tachometer, so use the whole tachometer!"

Hi, I own a 2009 ER6f, I’ve just checked the valve clearances and I find that three of the exhaust valves are on the minimum clearance of 0.22mm and two of the inlet valves are, again on minimum clearance of 0.15mm. Would you bother changing the shims to give valve clearances closer to maximum clearance value? Many thanks in advance!

@MechitBetter

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Andrew. I would probably make some adjustment more to the middle of the range. Valves typically wear tighter over time so if they're currently at minimum now it would make sense to open them up just slightly. Double check clearance before bolting the cover back on ...to be extra sure. Hope that helps.

@andrewwhitwam9862

3 жыл бұрын

@@MechitBetter Thanks very much for the advice. I will change the shims to give a mid range clearance. Obviously I don’t know what the tolerance was when the engine was initially assembled and I don’t know how much more the valves will sink into the valve seats over time. I was tempted to shim the valves close to maximum tolerance thinking that I could then be sure that they would last until the next 25,000 mile check.

@MechitBetter

3 жыл бұрын

Your safest bet is to stick to the mid range. The bigger the clearance the less performance you get. You don't really need to know the figures from factory or what they might be in the future as long as they are within the correct range now. You could in theory leave them on the tighter end of the scale but you'd have to check and potentially adjust more frequently.

Excuse me may I have a question? In witch mark we place the cam chain tensioner 1/t mark or 2/t mark?

@gianniskef427

4 жыл бұрын

And a second question how much we screw the big central bolt of the tensioner?

@MechitBetter

4 жыл бұрын

@@gianniskef427off the top of my head, I'm pretty sure the chain tensioner is one of the last parts that you would refit and would not affect the engine timing in that sense, so it shouldn't make too much difference what mark, if any, is visible as you would probably have the inspection covers back on by then. The larger centre bolt is basically just a cover for the mechanism so should not need to be "monster" tight. Just be sure that the mechanism has been reset before you put it back in. Hope that helps, let me know if you have any more questions. Sorry if i missed something.

@gianniskef427

4 жыл бұрын

Mech it Better thank you very much you really helped me!! Your video has all the details to do the job right!! I’ll reset it all the way back as you did?

@MechitBetter

4 жыл бұрын

@@gianniskef427 You're very welcome. Glad to help. Hope everything goes well with the bike.

Do I need to drain my oil first?

@MechitBetter

2 жыл бұрын

No. There’s no need to drain the oil for this job 👍

Is there any link to the shim chart?

@philipjkb15

3 жыл бұрын

You can find that in your service manual. If you google it, you can download a PDF for your specific bike. Free of charge of course

Hey guys , perfect video really helped a lot . Just measured mine and got EX 17 * 17 (1) 18 * 18 (2) and IN 12 * 15 (1) 16 * 15 (2) Now only thing i need is the appropriate Shims and a magnetic tool :P Is there anything to worry about the tensioner ? any special attention to anything ? Tnx !! Ps , did you synch the TB after the valve adjustment ? i read that is a must after a valve job. Ps 2 , jyst realized i took the measurments with the spark plugs IN ..could they be wrong ?

@MechitBetter

Жыл бұрын

Glad to be of use to you. It's a good feeling to accomplish tasks like this yourself. Hope it's all gone smoothly for you.

Can I get some info on that phone holder mount?

@MechitBetter

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Jacob. Sorry for the slow reply. The phone mount is a great little purchase off eBay. An X-grip style. It only cost about £10 and includes a usb charge slot. Its wired straight to the battery but does have a tiny switch on the unit to manually disable power. It has a flexible "RAM" style, ball & socket mount to attach how/where you like it. I chose to replace one of the handle bar clamp bolts (with a longer one) to have my phone in a convenient, central position for sat nav use. I'm really pleased how well it works for such a cheap item.

Sorry if you mentioned this but what year is this bike?

@MechitBetter

3 жыл бұрын

This particular bike is a 2008 (Gen-1) but the process is pretty much the same for the later bikes too. If yours is not the same version you should probably check if there are any changes to clearance values or torque settings.

You have a phone mount that is mounted on one of the bolts of the hand;e bar clamp?

@MechitBetter

3 жыл бұрын

Yes. I had to find a longer bolt and use a spacer but it puts the holder in a much more convenient, and more central location. Keeps the phone more protected behind the windscreen and in a better position for navigation etc.

@nikolaosberatlis3942

3 жыл бұрын

@@MechitBetter which one it is and where did you buy it?

@MechitBetter

3 жыл бұрын

It was just a cheap option off eBay. Can't remember which one specifically but I was only about £12 . Well worth having one anyway, especially for longer trips.

How many miles where on the bike when you did this? Im doing it on my 15 v with 47,000 miles. Want to crossrefance the numbers.

@MechitBetter

4 жыл бұрын

Oh... I thought we did mention the milage at some point. Perhaps not. At the time of filming I believe it was something like 68-70k miles. Hope that helps.

@robertomartinez7268

4 жыл бұрын

@@MechitBetter And is that little Kawa still running fine? Kudos to Kawa! They must be made of duranium!!

What was the mileage ?

@MechitBetter

4 жыл бұрын

At the time it was pretty close to 70,000 miles on the clock. I've added at least another 3k since then. Still feeling strong, apart from an exhaust that needs replacing.

nice, is that bike any good actually?

@MechitBetter

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Andrew, thanks for the message. I think the Versys is an excellent bike. It serves me extremely well over the years I've owned it. Good torque and performance while being comfortable over long distance. Always put a smile on my face if nothing else. Are you thinking of getting one?

@andrewsoldan6050

2 жыл бұрын

@@MechitBetter yeah, cannot decide between the versys 1000s and 650 :)

@MechitBetter

2 жыл бұрын

It will ultimately come down to what you plan to do with the bike. If it's majority motorway miles, and/or with regular pillion, then 1000 would probably make more sense. Anything else I'd tend to grab the 650. My Gen 1 easily handled commuting and fully loaded touring with ease. I really like the feel of twins (insert your own joke 😉) but do you have a preference over a punchy parallel or a revvy inline 4? Decide if you enjoy a more agile and engaging ride over a smoother feel with less rider input required. I've never felt the 650 was short of power and it just works. It's also less bulk to move around; about 35kg lighter compared to the 1000, however you do get slightly bigger forks and discs on the 1000 to compensate. I believe they both have 21L fuel tank so, if nothing else, you're going to get way better mileage out of the smaller CC machine, which could be a significant detail to consider. All depends which one best meets your needs and "feels right" really. Hope that helps in some way ✌️

@andrewsoldan6050

2 жыл бұрын

@@MechitBetter thanks! I just worry about pillion comfort on 650 as I am a 240lb guy :) did you ride with pillion? 650 is kinda short.

My cams don't line up with the TDC marking on cylinder 1

@sebastianshumun928

2 жыл бұрын

What should I do?

@MechitBetter

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Sebastian. It depends how far out you are. If it's close but not quite right then it might be due to stretch in the timing chain and if the adjuster is maxed out, the chain would need replacing. It's also possible to be 180 degrees out of synch so it's worth going round again just to be sure. Does that make sense?

@sebastianshumun928

2 жыл бұрын

@@MechitBetter but could it be the chain if cylinder 2 lines up perfekt?

hi there,did you replace the cam gaskets? Also i have a versys mk2,there is no haynes manual only service manual,are you you using ER6 manual? if not where did you get it? cheers p.s ment to say good video

@MechitBetter

4 жыл бұрын

Hi, Thanks for the comment and Sorry for the delay. Didnt change any gaskets during this fiddly task. Just had to be careful when putting the cover back on. As far as i know, despite how good it is, Haynes didnt do a manual for the Versys. We were able to borrow one for an ER6 seeing as engine is the same. Did you manage to get it done?

@zombiebiker5581

4 жыл бұрын

@@MechitBetter Hi cheers for the answer,I was very unsure about valve adjustments,but now i would have ago in the future. Pity about Haynes manual,i have always used on cars,since i could drive,1983,. Just wish i had a garage,or a shed lol. Anyways thanks for the reply,vids keep it up lads.

question how old is de kawa and how manny miles ?

@MechitBetter

7 ай бұрын

Hi, The versys in the video is a 2008. At the time I think it has about 70k miles on the clock. Hope that helps 👍

@dannyvan5792

7 ай бұрын

yes thank good video@@MechitBetter

@itsagrayarea1833

22 күн бұрын

Was it the first time serving the valves on that bike?

@MechitBetter

22 күн бұрын

Hi, It was the first time that we had done the valve check and adjustment on this bike. I don't know if it had been done by anyone else before I got it. Are you trying to guage whether it's time for yours to be done?

Very good and analytic video. I have a quasteion, The diameter of the shims for Versys 650, 2007 model is 7.48 mm? Thanks on advance and keep up the good work!

@MechitBetter

Жыл бұрын

Hi. Thanks for the positive message. Much appreciated. It's been a while since we did the job but as far as I'm aware the outer diameter of the valve shims is 7.48mm. Are you planning to have a go at it yourself?

@nikitastritsaris

Жыл бұрын

@@MechitBetter Thanks for the response! I also like the way you present the working procedure. Yes, I can say I have what it needs and I spend a lot of time maintaining my vehicles myself, so its time to have a go at valve adjustment. I dont like the sound of them. The think is I bought my versys a few months now and I also have throttles issues, something like jerking, limited power while acceleration, hiccups, it behaves like the mixture is not right. I ve changed so far: air filter, plugs, stick coils, pump with filter, rectifier, cleaned the throttle plates, but the problem is there, it got smoother but still exist. They all needed replacement, now is the time for valve adjustment, fuel injector cleaning and vacuum sychronization. Have in mind the bike was unused for 3 years, so everything in her needs some love :D Any ideas?

Is it possible to take the name of the book?

@MechitBetter

4 жыл бұрын

Hi Hamed We used sections of the Haynes Manual for a ER6. It has the same engine as the Versys, it's just tuned differently.

are you based in ossett wakefield

@MechitBetter

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Mark. NYA Bikes is in Ossett, yes, but Mech It Better is Barnsley based. Are you needing some work doing?

Its a nightmare on those bike same for the honda the moto guzzi has adjustment screw no shim take like 15 minuts take out cover adjust the screw on those japanese bike you need spend 3 hours to remove everything plus measure all shim immage 4 cylinder bike 16 shim unbelievable........

Wish I seen this sooner. My engine has just gone. Took the spark plug out and its crushed on the end. Thinking it's a dropped valve. 53k bike with no history!

@MechitBetter

4 жыл бұрын

Aaargh man. I'm sorry to hear that. I'm hoping it didnt cause you an accident. Were there any signs or obvious changes before it happened? Any potential to save it or you feeling its time for something else?

@cobail1

4 жыл бұрын

@@MechitBetter The FI light come on. I pulled over, turned off then on and the light was gone. It's 16 mile home. No change in the engine but a half mile from home a grumble and blue smoke coming out of the exhaust. Freewheeled home. After watching your vid I feel confident to take the head off and have a look. I think I will put the bore scope down first to have a look.

@MechitBetter

4 жыл бұрын

@@cobail1 Ouch, that must have been a tough 1/2 mile to treck this bike home... Unless you happen to live at the end of a gentle down hill slope. Getting down to the engine is more of a time consuming job than a difficult one. A jazzy scope would be a handy tool for sure. Fingers crossed any damage isn't critical. Will be interesting to see what's gone wrong. Have you done any engine work before?

@cobail1

4 жыл бұрын

@@MechitBetter Not a lot on engines, more industrial machinery. My plan is to get the head off too see how much damage there is. I've only got one of those £6 phone scopes but it has been good for some jobs I've done. Then it's a decision - replace parts or engine!

@MechitBetter

4 жыл бұрын

@@cobail1 All that sounds like it can only be an advantage to you. Engage the mechanically inclined mind etc. Do you have the workshop/service manual? Might be a handy bit of reference material. If not, you can get one for free (.pdf version). Easiest way is to google "versys 650 manual" and scroll down to the offering from "KawasakiVersys.Com". Its spot on. With a bit of time and patience, and occasionally throwing things and yelling, I'm sure you'll have it sorted in no time. Its a great engine for a great bike so i hope it all goes smooth for you. Let us know what you find. 👍

This looks like a pain in the ass.

Harley owners rejoice.

Thanks a lot! 👍

@MechitBetter

Жыл бұрын

You're welcome! Hopefully it made sense and your mean machine is running smooth without exploding 😁