XJ 700X Valve adjustments

Ok so I got my bike about a year ago from some mechanic in LA. Wrong move, the bike is full of problems. It rode well when i first got it. Then came a bunch of problems. It stopped running and now i believe the valves are not at optimal performance. I am a college student that invested in the wrong motorcycle. But I loved riding this motorcycle and want to keep on riding!

I need a complete beginners guide to help me replace these shims.Specs, guides, videos, anything! I went to a motorcycle mechanic that couldn't help me out, their service was terrible. Any info on how to get started will be appreciated!

 

Hi, first of all, you've got a great bike there. Don't give up on it yet.
If it helps, I had hardly any mechanical background and did a valve clearance check on my '86 xj700x myself, with success.
It's not that hard, you just need patience, a bit of dedication, the skill to keep things ordered and sorted, and a manual. Seriously, get a manual.

Now, I'm still very new to this, so I'm not familiar with the different types of XJ700X's. Could you tell more about yours? VIN, year, water or aircooled?

Did I mention to get yourself a manual?

 

If it's truly an "X" it's liquid cooled with the 5 valve head. Checking the clearances isn't the hard part. If you need to re-shim (they're actually referred to as pads in the shim under bucket design) that's where the fun starts. This will require removal of the cams.

How many miles on the bike? The interval for maintenance on these is 26,600 miles. More than likely your non/poor running issues are carburetor related.

 

Here's some reading material if you haven't seen it yet.

The Church of Clean

 

Hello darthraider, it is a 1985 liquid cooled 5 valve head just like biggs mentioned. Also, which manual is it?

Biggs, the mechanic I went to said something about pressure and that that I needed the pads to be adjusted. He also cleaned the carburetors and still wouldn't start. This bike has been places, it has 66302 miles on it with no history of maintenance :cry:

A visit to the church of clean wouldn't hurt either, thanks biggs

* it is an XJ700XNC

 

You need to do a compression test and then check the valve clearance and replace the shims when the valves are not in specs.

One of the reason why your bike wouldn't start is that the compression may be too low in the cylinders. This could be caused by worn-out piston rings and/or tight valves (low or no clearance).

YOu could do the compression test and check the celarance yourself with the appropriate tools.

 

If you're lucky, your valves haven't been too tight for too long, and you will simply need to change some shims.

 

I'd love to have an X-Bike.
The first thing I'd get for it would be a Genuine Yamaha Factory Workshop Manual.

The Factory Manual includes the Owners Manual.
It also includes a comprehensive Maintenance Schedule.

You should do a FULL 60,000 Mile Maintenance Interval.
Which includes replacing the Timing Chain.

 

The mechanic I went to left the cam chain exposed.



The pads that the mechanic replaced. The pads that were installed were still not the right ones