Triumphrat

Anchorbend · 05-18-2007

What amount of time does it take for an experienced mechanic to perform a 12K valve adjustment on a Bonnie? Local counter guy made it sound like an overhaul. Didn't get a chance to ask the mechanic. Might have to go to an independent, $12.00 hr. labor difference. Looking for a comparison. Thanks.

ohiorider · 05-18-2007

Depends. Here's the procedure (roughly)
- pull fuel tank
- remove cam cover
- rotate engine to align cams per Service Manual
- measure gap between low section of cam lobe and tappets
- if everything is within spec - perhaps an hour's time - maybe an hour and a half if mechanic is slow.

If shims require replacing under one cam, I'd add another hour per cam for a good mechanic.

Total job:
Worst case, maybe 3 - 3.5 hours
Best case, maybe 1.0 hour

My .02 worth.

Anyone else - is my estimate close? I think so, but if not, please say so.

Bob

mecscc · 05-18-2007

Not having done it I can't comment on the time required, but be careful taking it to an indy mechanic. I have a truly great indy mechanic that I use but he has no experience with the new twins engines, has no specific tools for the Bonnie and if I use him basically he told me that some of the time he charged me would be for his training. At least he was honest about it. If it comes around in the off season he said that he would cut the labor cost, but now, in the busy season he has to make his money while he can and can not afford to discount his labor, nor would he be very bright if he did.

So, since I am at 8000 now and will hit 12000 well before winter I imagine I will have to use the dealer. Bummer. But................

Monte

sweatmachine · 05-19-2007

It sounds scary.

It isn't.

If you understand how to time an engine (read the manual, you can learn), you understand NOT to drop anything down in the cam chain nether-regions, can use a feeler gauge, and have basic math skills you can do it yourself.

It isn't magical, like Bob said, remove all that stuff, measure lash, replace shims if necessary.

The biggest pain of it is that you don't know which shims you'll need until you pull all the out of spec shims, measure them with a micrometer, do a little adding/subtracting, and then order them. Your dealer may or may not stock them, so you might have to wait for the shims. It seems like my dealer can get anything within about 3-5 days.

My recommendation is that you do it yourself if you plan to ride the bike a lot of miles every year, or plan to keep the bike for many years.

BTW, here's a pic I took this afternoon:

That thar be my freshly rebuilt and timed motor. :-D

more to follow...

mecscc · 05-19-2007

Man, Sweat, that looks absolutely pristine! Good on you. Can't wait to see the other pics. Your patience always amazes me. When I was doing my own wrenching my impatience was my biggest enemy.

Hey, YOU are a great mechanic. Keep in mind that what looks really simple to you might seem pretty daunting to someone else, or like me, having "been there, done that" for many years I am simply not interested in learning to do it on my current bike. When I was young and totally broke there was no issue. Now, for some of the more involved things, I am willing to trade some $$s for time.

Monte :-D

sweatmachine · 05-19-2007

Thanks Monte.

This is the deepest I've ever been in a motor, I don't know about the "great mechanic" designation just yet.

I have 2 manuals and a torque wrench. I always figured with a motor manual and enough time I could build just about anything, but the trick is you have to read them...

Oh and the broke part...let's just say if I couldn't do it myself it wouldn't get done.

Ah heck I enjoy it a lot....

:-D

[ This message was edited by: sweatmachine on 2007-05-18 22:32 ]

ohiorider · 05-19-2007

The only other thing I would add is .... if you're going to do it yourself, and you have the shop manual, you might want to sit down with someone who understands engines and ask them "why" the manual says what it says. It's really a comforting feeling if you know why you're doing what you're doing. D***, I confused myself with that last statement!

Also - nice surprise from the local dealer. He's willing to swap shims (mine for his) instead of charging me for new ones at approx $7-8 per shim.

Bob

Anchorbend · 05-19-2007

Thanks for the input. Unfortunately, by the time I gather up the tools and hustle down shims, if needed, I would rather have somebody with experience do it. The local Indy I was thinking about seems pretty well versed, his shop does a lot of road racing, Ducati being the favorite bike. He told me he has about $2000 tied up in shims alone plus the latest Dyno setup etc. Been around a while and isn't a Harley guy. I will probably go to dealer this time since the bike is still under warranty and they do run a quality shop.

CAPTDON · 05-19-2007

Pats Big Bore Install @ Triumph rat.net. Gives a photo step by step ?

Granitsky · 05-19-2007

I just did the 12k mile service on my bonneville today. It was easy; even the steering bearings weren't that big of a deal. I would suggest that you try it yourself if you have the time. It really didn't take that much time and it saved me a lot of money.