Joined the Club! (Cult?)

[2LZ]

I got it home and put it on the rack in prep of the valve adjustment. I pulled the plastics and got the tank loose. No big deal. Then the fun started.

The upper radiator bolts are not easy to get at, especially the left side. Who in their right mind ran that wire harness right there, between the hose and the screw head. If I ever pull the hose, I'll re-rout it.

Even with the radiators loose, it's no easy task to get to the front valve cover like others have said. I ended up running a long wobbly in from the front. Anyway, I got the valve covers off and the motor on TDC so it's ready to set valves tomorrow night. I'm really amazed at how much stuff they cram in such a small area that you need to work around. I can imagine that half this schmise is gone on the carburated version of these.

While I had it apart, I pulled the tank float and as predicted, it was at about 65mm. I decided to lower it to 35mm instead of 30mm. I wanted an extra 5mm just in case. Gas stations aren't on every corner on Volcano. ;-)

Can't WAIT to get at those rockers tomorrow night! Should be plenty of cussing on the exhaust side.

[rtking]

2LZ - just have an adult beverage of your choice nearby. It's a challenge the first time, but it gets easier the subsequent times as you learn tips/tricks. My advice is to adjust both intake and exhaust valves, then turn the motor over by hand several times and then re-measure the valve clearance again as a double-check.

[BlackBike]

Originally Posted by rtking

2LZ - just have an adult beverage of your choice nearby. It's a challenge the first time, but it gets easier the subsequent times as you learn tips/tricks. My advice is to adjust both intake and exhaust valves, then turn the motor over by hand several times and then re-measure the valve clearance again as a double-check.

As 2lz explained, called it the secret handshake after learning and completing a task.

[2LZ]

Well, I got the valves completed and fired the motor last night after work. I'm happy to say that three of the four were set at exactly .08 mm, oddly enough. I had to adjust one exhaust valve as it was a tad tight. I found it odd that spec is supposed to be .04-.06 (per CSC tutorial) and these were set at .08. According to Spud, this is NOT a bike that CSC had prepped since it was "first shipment" so this is what the factory had them set at. Mind you, I only have 110 miles on the bike so they hadn't moved much, if any.

If you recall, I ordered a r/f blinker a week or so back, as mine was non-functional. It arrived quickly and I installed it. Last night, when I was enjoying an adult beverage after the valve adjust, I thought I was seeing an optical illusion. From a short distance, my new blinker looked longer than the original on the left side. I whipped out a tape measure to prove myself wrong and sure enough, the original is about 3" long....and the new one is 3/4" longer, albeit the same diamond shape. WTH? I'll contact CSC today and see what's up.

[dpl096]

Congrats on the successful valve job That is weird about the turn signal length. I measured my 2016 R/F and the actual light itself is 3 3/4 so there is apparently a difference in model years.

[2LZ]

Originally Posted by dpl096

Congrats on the successful valve job That is weird about the turn signal length. I measured my 2016 R/F and the actual light itself is 3 3/4 so there is apparently a difference in model years.

Ok, so apparently the 2016's have longer blinkers? I hope I don't have to buy a second one to "balance my mojo".

[Ron B]

So how big a PITA was the first valve adjusment ? I have one comming up in about a 100 mi. Any shortcut tips? Oh yeah, if you would have had a couple more they would have looked the same!

[2LZ]

Originally Posted by Ron B

So how big a PITA was the first valve adjusment ? I have one comming up in about a 100 mi. Any shortcut tips? Oh yeah, if you would have had a couple more they would have looked the same!

As a first time RX3 valve adjuster and someone who loves to wrench and has been wrenching for about 50 years, and especially loves to wrench on bikes, I have to say that the RX3 is far more fun to ride than wrench on....but I guess that happens when you cram a ton of wiring, fuel injection schmise and liquid cooling with all its hoses and stuff into a tiny little area. Of course, I'm not as nimble and the eyes aren't as good as they once were either.

Hints and shortcuts? Once you get the plastics off (there's two hidden Allen bolts on the inside), take a fluffy bath towel, fold it up and put it where the seat went and just roll the tank on it's side (float plate up). This will also give you access to bend your float wire and tighten the bolts on the pump. Don't over-tighten and squish the rubber washers.

Once the radiators are loose (the top bolts suck), bungee the right side radiator to something out front of the bike to hold it forward.

Take your .08mm feeler gauge out of the holder and use it singly. There's no room for the holder on the exhaust side.

Go to HFT and get yourself the wobbly extension set that also contains the 1/4" drive stuff. These became invaluable. The intake cap bolts are easily accessible but the exhaust cap bolts aren't. Go in from the beak with the long 1/4" drive wobbly to get the port side bolt and use a 1/4" drive ratchet and socket to get the starboard side bolt.

Check them closely. I only had to adjust one tappet. Other than that, valium, band aids and a ton of patience. Load an ice chest full of beer for the "after adjustment celebration".

[maxhdrm]

Ron B - just put "Valve adjustment" in the search criteria and you will get quite a number of threads that discuss the topic. Lots of great tips, descriptions of good tools to use and helpful dialog. It is worth your time to cruise the threads, there is a lot of good info there!

[Ron B]

Already did my float fix and did the lay tank on the side also. so other than a bunch of stuff in the way its just a normal valve adjustment thats time consuming ?

[2LZ]

Originally Posted by Ron B

Already did my float fix and did the lay tank on the side also. so other than a bunch of stuff in the way its just a normal valve adjustment thats time consuming ?

Pretty much. Nothing special other than hand cramps.

[Jay In Milpitas]

Some folks have praised a gauge of this type, saying how the stiff body makes it easier to work the gauge portion itself in to the gap: http://www.cscmotorcycles.com/FEELER...ps57-80526.htm

[maxhdrm]

I bought one of the CSC feeler gauges but I was disappointed when I went to do my valve adjustment. The CSC feeler gauge is a .03mm/.08mm but the recommended tolerance setting in the adjustment tutorial is .06mm, so I had to go to HF and get a set of feelers that included a .06mm gauge.

[2LZ]

RX3 Update:
Well, I just hit 350 miles. I racked up about 230 miles between yesterday and this morning, just riding all the backroads around my local area. It's a nice mix of roads, from pavement to dirt and everything in between. Tons of hills and ridges to go over, and canyons with lots of twisties so it's a real "bag of trail mix" for breaking in the RX3.

I think I have the rear shock pretty close to acceptable. It's now bouncing and reacting in concert with the forks, so that's a plus. I don't know about the rest of you but my shock was set for Andre' the Giant.

All in all, I really like the bike a lot, so far.
Pros:
It's a steel for the money, even if I would have paid full price, brand new, out of crate. For what you receive for the $$$, I don't think you'll find a better bike value on the planet.
The bike feels much larger than it is, which adds a real sense of security, especially when you go blowing into a questionable corner on a road you haven't been on before.
Now that I have the rear shock balanced with the forks, the frame geometry really works. It doesn't matter if I'm straight up cruising, or as deep as I can toss it into a tight corner, it reacts exactly the same in both positions and everything in between. The bike is extremely tossable and a blast to ride.
Even the stock tires work very well on both dirt roads and pavement. I have yet to once feel skittery on any surface I've ridden.
The clutch is very predictable and smooth. The tranny shifts with nice clicks and neutral can be easily found from 2nd gear, every time. Hey, some bikes just hate finding neutral from 1st gear. It's just the way it is, especially when the oil's hot and thin.
For a thumper, there's very little vibration to either the hands or feet.

Cons:
Since the bike does feel like a bigger bike, I have to continue to remind myself "it's only a 250, 2LZ...". A person spends a lot of time shifting. This isn't really much of a 'con', but the bike fools you by its heavy, secure feel and you expect more grunt when you roll on the throttle. A 400 in this bike (or some performance mods like a remap and pipe) would be the perfect ticket.
The engine is mechanically noisy....like my old Ironhead kind of noisy, especially when it's hot. This really bothers me and it's something I need to get over. I'm running 15/40 diesel oil for break-in. I'm hoping after 500 miles and I switch to 20/50 synthetic, it will quiet up a tad.
The stock seat could be used against ISIS to gather vital information. Even my old chopper pad was more comfy....but I was also much younger then. Fortunately, a quick stop and dismount for no more than 5 minutes to use a restroom and one recovers very quickly....making it a very "humane" torture device. An Air Hawk is in my near future.

I have to say, this RX3 is a HOOT! I can now see why people say that with all the great bikes in their stable, the RX3 always becomes the "go to" bike. My poor Q has been neglected....and it's a very nice bike!

[Ron B]

I called CSC and talked to the mechanic and he told me to go ahead and switch to the full synthetic at the 250 service. I asked what he recomended and of the 2 one was what I used in my ultra classic (castrol 20/50 full synthetic designed for harly on the front). after about 75 miles I couldnt believe how much it quieted down and the shifting got smoother. I have no problem finding nuetral. Congrats on the tag btw.