ok so just got my bike start after about a year! replaced a bat and the main fuse and she poped into life! so happy but i forgot about the loud taping noise it used to make coming from the top of the head,are these my tapits? ,you main can really here it on idle ? its never effected its performance in anyway just noisy thats all? it has done 74,000km in its life and its still going strong <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt="" title="Smile" /><!-- s --> cheers marcus
Hey Marcus, The FZR250 engine doesnt strictly have tappets in the sense that people usually refer to when they hear the noise you describe. What is most likely causing the tapping is worn out shims on your valves. Every 25,000km a motorbike needs its valves shimmed and considering yours has done 74,000km id say its likely it hasnt been done any time recently. See your local workshop or bike store for pricing, as it can be quite expensive. Cheers and good luck.
I agree with the thought; it's the technical aspect I can't agree with. The shims don't wear out; the valves and seats do. What happens is the lip of the valve distorts slightly as it gets hammered into the head 9000 times per minute. This allows it to sit higher in the head, closing up the clearance between cam and bucket. It is possible to achieve zero running clearance, but the engine usually stops running long before that. It is possible to do the work yourself. It isn't hard, just involved. Check here and at the FZRArchives.com for some excellent 'how-to' threads; the FZR400 and 600 are nearly identical in procedures.
Mine is still a little noisy after doing the shims twice. I'd prefer it silent too. Doing the shims at home cost me 30$ for the vernier calipers to measure my shims as they came out , and 3$ a shim for the 10 or so I had to replace. (go to a bike mechanic first for shims they will have 100's of them laying around, a dealer as a last resort) And don't do what I did and over tighten the cam bolts <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_redface.gif" alt="" title="Embarassed" /><!-- s --> (that will put the cost of the shim replace up a bit) if you are going to do it yourself , let me know and I'll link you to the pages that helped me endlessly. Unless you have a couple of days to use the search function.. I HATE the search !!!!! HATE HATE <!-- s:angry: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/th_Angry.gif" alt=":angry:" title="angry" /><!-- s:angry: -->
Doh! Blame it on a busy mind lol. dontz125 is correct in his assertions. I dont really recommend you try this though if you dont have much mechanical knowledge. It can be quite daunting and any mistake made is almost certainly going to be critical. If you do try it, make sure you triple check EVERYTHING before you finish.
