Can you confirm these Valve Gaps?

'82 XJ550 11k miles

#1 Intake 0.10mm Exhaust 0.10mm

#2 Intake 0.07mm Exhaust 0.13mm

#3 Intake 0.08mm Exhaust 0.15mm

#4 Intake 0.10mm Exhaust 0.15mm

Well, I guess you couldn't really confirm them, unless you actually measure them yourself, but is it reasonable to expect the gap to decrease over time?


Thank you in advance!

 

That's exactly what they do.

They should get tighter; if one suddenly loosens radically then something bigger is wrong. The "wear" in the system is the valves pounding themselves into their seats, causing the clearances to decrease.

Those look almost identical to what I found when I cracked my '83 for the first time at 7100 miles (when I got it, untouched.)

No surprises there. Just a prime example of why it's so important, especially when you take over a neglected bike. If never touched, you were 8000 miles overdue for the initial check. Good catch.

 

Perfect, because Len has my Shim Bucket retaining tool in the mail


Now just to get those shim numbers.

 

Your valve clearances will get tighter as you get closer to the scheduled maintenance mileage.