Let’s perform oil-cooled maintenance.
If there are no issues with oil-cooled maintenance, I don’t think you’ll notice a dramatic effect.
• Engine damper wear → slight vibration reduction
• Generator damper hardening/wear → reduction of generator rattling noise at idle
• Valve clearance adjustment → checking the current state and synchronizing all four cylinders makes it easier to judge whether any abnormalities will develop around the valves in the future. The sound might get a bit louder though.
• Cam chain inspection → it’s basically self-adjusting, but it won’t tighten unless it’s quite slack. Sometimes the notch gets stuck and won’t move. We check by cranking.
• Carburetor synchronization → synchronizing all four cylinders stabilizes idle.
As time and mileage progress, things gradually deteriorate, so it’s fine to do this while you’re already dealing with oil leaks from the head cover.
This is a Bandit 1200 K6. Lately they’re so rare I wonder if K6s are the only ones left… but still, GSX-Rs don’t seem to disappear… amazing!
Just under 40,000 miles and it’s never been serviced. Well, it’s worn quite a bit…
It’s completely worn down.
In tire terms, it’s brand new.
We won’t be removing it again for a while, so let’s clean it really well.
The generator damper was also stiff and rattling. It should be a bit quieter at idle.
It’s not a visible part, but it’s better when it’s clean. I polished it.
I also removed the starter motor for cleaning and O-ring replacement.
Dust has accumulated, so we’ll clean this too. Just a quick wipe with rust preventative oil makes a huge difference.
Removing the head cover to begin valve clearance adjustment.
1 EX
1 IN
2 EX
2 IN
3 EX
3 IN
4 EX
4 IN
The cam had no scuffing at all and was making clean contact.
If used in urban areas or places with lots of traffic lights, scuffing might be more likely.
• STOP&GO repeating (oil pressure unstable)
• Engine stopping before warming up (riding distance only tens of kilometers short)
• Continuing to idle despite high oil temperature (oil performance degradation, low oil pressure)
I can’t say for certain, but touring riders who maintain stable engine speed on highways and mountain roads (with fairly high oil pressure) tend to have less scuffing and relatively clean cams.
Rocker arm design has the cam positioned high and doesn’t splash through an oil pool like direct-acting systems. When adequate oil pressure is constantly maintained, the condition might be better.
The head interior is also clean. There’s little overheating, so oil maintenance has been good. Once an engine gets dirty, flushing and frequent oil changes won’t easily remove the buildup. It requires daily care over time.
We scrub the areas where debris accumulates before putting the cover back on.
I also polished the breather cover.
The synchronization was a bit off. All done now.
