I am adjusting my valves myself as we speak and wondered if anybody know the spec's for intake and exhaust. I must admit these are very easy to do and I am not sure I would pay someone for such an easy job. Also, is this a common oil filter or one that crosses with another bike. It looks much like my Suzuki filters but smaller like a Honda.

Thanks for the advice.

-- Adam Tromp (adamt@jakks.net), August 31, 2001

Answers

According to the shop manual the valve/cam clearances are : exhaust : 0.20 to 0.25 mm inlet : 0.15 to 0.20 mm My dealer says that this has reviewed by the manufacturer and that the clearances must be set to : exhaust : 0.25 to 0.30 mm inlet : 0.20 to 0.25 mm

I am surprised to read that several owners find it very easy to adjust the clearances. On a Suzuki GSXR for example the clearances are adjusted with the classical "screw" system. This you can do yourself because you do not need special tools or shims. For the MV and many other bikes, I am just wondering how people manage to get the shim with the correct thickness to adjust the clearance. I suppose that no one buys the whole set of thicknesses of the shims and this for that number of valves.

Succes !

-- Patrick Maes (patrick.maes@electrabel.com), September 10, 2001.

Replying to Pat's query regarding valve shims; the valve clearance on OHC engines normally close up in service as the valve seat erodes and as the opening shims on my Ducatis are hardened to a considerable depth one can grind the shims to fit using wet & dry emery paper on a plate glass sheet. If the existing shim is deemed too thin for grinding or more than 5 thous.of an inch out you can go to your dealer who should run an exchange service at a small cost per item; this certainly works with my Ducati and Jaguar dealer for my E Type, perhaps MV would do the same. Incidentally when I can no longer hear my E Type's valves clicking I know a re-shim is due - about every 40,000 miles if the engine driven on the torque rather than revved, about 20,000 for the 888 SP5 and 996 SPS although I do check the Ducatis at the prescribed intervals.

-- Francis Duguid (francis.duguid@bt.com), September 10, 2001.

my buddy machanic just did the vavle job for me. I beleive the shims are the same as the Honda ones. He has to adjust one valve and he just got some shims from his Honda dealer.

-- takie chan (tchan748@yahoo.com), October 02, 2001.

What! you say the factory has increased the valve clearance specs by .005! I just had mine done at the dealer to the original specs. Has your dealer received a notice from MV?

Thanks,

Todd

-- Todd Mazzola (tmazzola@doncasters.com), October 02, 2001.

what letter?? I live in the piece of land north of USA they call "Canada" and we don't have no MV dealer here! May be I should call the dealer in the States tomorrow! Thanx for letting me know. takie

-- takie chan (tchan748@yahoo.com), October 03, 2001.

Sorry, I should have looked closer. The change that Patrick mentions above is .05 mm which is .002 in. After talking with FBF, there is no official bulletin from MV, but they recongnize that most bikes coming in for the 1st service at 600 miles are showing very little or no adjustment needed. This probably accounts for the shift in the spec that his dealer told him.

Todd

-- Todd Mazzola (tmazzola@doncasters.com), October 03, 2001.