Manual CCTs

[Pop H]

My 98 Firestorm has done a genuine 18K miles. The more I read about VTRs, the more paranoid I get about the potential failure of the original CCTs. The bike doesn't get mercilessly thrashed but I don't hang about either.What are other people's views on the immediate need to fit manual CCTs (and more importantly where to get some cheap)?

Pop H

[AMCQ46]

Take action now, or you might regret it.....I keep the standard ones but do the stopper mod, so the only cost is your time. All instructions are in the workshop section and as long as you read them through well you will have no problems at all......easy as an easy thing after too many glasses of wine

[tony.mon]

Depends on how much you like pulling a head off and replacing valves.
Not if, but when.
Bazza696 has modified manual cct's for £35 a pair.
ROAS has some for a few pounds more, and ThePont sells some on e-bay for a fiver more than that.
Finally, APE sell them at £65 a pair.

[benny hedges]

APE sell them at £65 a pair.

that would be EACH - plus postage from usa plus no doubt you will get hit with import duty, like i have been every single time ive ordered anything from america.
imo rider on a storm & the pont's work is superior to the apes.

[Miztaziggy]

Bazza sells them for £35 a pair?

I was literally just this second about to send £65 for a pair on ebay...then read this and now im wondering...can this be right?

[Wicky]

$119.95 (£74.37) For 2 with Gaskets and shipping included!!

http://www.overstockpartsgalore.com/

Still try and get UK made CCTs as it's a lottery (stealth tax) whether you get hit by import taxes

http://www.battlefront.com/community/sh ... hp?t=98263

[klx678]

For what it's worth, I make and sell the set for $73.95 usd (about £47) including shipping, but before VAT. I'm based in Delaware, Ohio, USA. Started doing the VTR set by request from a rider on The Superhawk Forum.



Now has 20mm shorter bolt on rear, front is long for access with tank on. Fasteners, gaskets, instructions, and stickers included. O-ring seal on threads that works and acorn held with jam nut to enable disassembly to replace Viton O-ring if needed.

Been doing Kawasaki for about 2-1/2 years and have several dozen in Zephyrs and others in the UK, after being egged on by a UK rider with a couple 750s on the Zephyr-Zone. They're in 18 countries so far... Pretty good for a hobby caused by APE not replying to my request for one for the 550 Zephyr. References and comments are on a variety of forums including the Superhawk forum, the (unofficial) Kawasaki forum, the Beartooth Kawasaki Motorcycle forum, the Yahoo KLX650 group, the ZL-OA (Eliminator) forum, the COG (Concours) forum, and a few others.

Feel free to PM or email for more information. I think you can do so here.

Mark

[alec]

Bazza's look original and work great, Rider on a storm's give the bling factor ad also work great, haven't seen much of roas on here lately so maybe for speedy delivery Bazza would be best one to contact, his are £35 a pair with your old ones posted back to him.

[tony.mon]

Trouble with all the APE copies like the one above is that on Firestorms you can't get to the locknut on the front one to adjust them, as the coolant pipe is in the way.
Sure, you can push past it and reach the adjuster, but it's a pain when the engine's hot, which is when you need to adjust them.

Bazza's conversion lifts it high enough to see easily; makes adjustment a doddle.

You pays your money and takes your choice, I suppose.

[AlecMorris]

Make sure engines at TDC before changing , I forgot to do this on the back cylinder and the exhaust cam slipped 50 degs which was enough for the piston to bend the valves
took it apart tonight and confirmed the worst

engine ran very noisy before I quickly shut it off, now exhaust valves wont seat, they cost a lot more than the inlet ones to.

[tony.mon]

Silver lining: it's the rear cylinder head, that's only a four-hour job including lapping and retiming.

Front one's all bloody day.

[AMCQ46]

Make sure engines at TDC before changing , I forgot to do this on the back cylinder and the exhaust cam slipped 50 degs which was enough for the piston to bend the valves
took it apart tonight and confirmed the worst

engine ran very noisy before I quickly shut it off, now exhaust valves wont seat, they cost a lot more than the inlet ones to.

Thats not the 1st post any of us wants to read, but now you are on the Forum, you will find all the info you needed in hindsight , good luck with the repair, and if you need help just ask

[AlecMorris]

My first post I know, given that everyone is sorting their CCts at some point (I was changing mine just in case after a little rattle when idling)

I thought its a good time to join and share my bad experience.

Thinking about it later its kind of obvious and stupid of me, if the piston is not at TDC (or at least the compression stroke) then the cam and valves are under pressure....if you loosen the cam chain then it will slip to the valve closed position.

.......Just one question I assume the new valves will require the usual paste and grinding to make a good seal ??

[AMCQ46]

Thinking about it later its kind of obvious and stupid of me, if the piston is not at TDC (or at least the compression stroke) then the cam and valves are under pressure....if you loosen the cam chain then it will slip to the valve closed position.

.......Just one question I assume the new valves will require the usual paste and grinding to make a good seal ??

If you have only done a CCT on a 4cyl bike, then you never need to worry about going to TDC because ther are so many oposing forces acting on the cams that they end up not moving when you slacken the tension. on the V2, it is like 2 big singles, with only one direction of force acting on the cam. So any spring force on the flank of the cam will make it rotate when you remove the chain tension................hence only remove the CCT when that cyl is in a position of no force on either exh or inlet.........and worse, that is not both TDC's, it is only the firing TDC [hence you should take the cam cover off the rear cyl so you can work out if you are on the correct TDC].

Yes you need to lap in the new valves

[AlecMorris]

Thanks