BlueChips84

Always enjoy his videos, very well done. This one really had me eyeing a scout as a smaller, lighter move from my RSTD. Only down side is that the closest Indian dealers to Ottawa are in Toronto and Montreal...

Correct, it gets trapped between the backside(top) and the valve seat in the head, holding it open. Should I try and do a video or pictures of the process when my valve shims arrive?

I have seen this trick mentioned briefly when doing some researched but the replies were mostly along the lines of it being sketchy or difficult. In fact it works very well and I have used this trick on both my FJ600 and now my RSTD. Use a good thick ziptie and there is no risk of it getting cut by the valve. The method I use is this: 1) Bend a heavy(thick) zip tie to 90 degrees by pinching it with pliers, make sure that the short leg is 1-3/4" long to reach the valve. 2) Turn the engine over until the cams are pushing down the valves and insert the zip tie with the stem

Little update, Turns out that the head bolts can be tightened with the cams in place. Figured this out AFTER pulling the rear cams🙄... Anyhow, pull the rubber plugs on top of the cam caps and then turn the engine slowly until the through holes in the cam shafts line up with the holes in the caps. At this point, you can pass a long 8mm Allen key bit through the hole and start torquing. You'll only be able to do the front or rear cam at a time, so to tighten evenly you should have to turn the engine over a few times by hand. I would say most of the bolts took about 1/4 turn be

Already had both of those out, still had the chain taught but figured it out. probably caused the initial problem though before I removed the rearmost one.

Never mind, I figured it out! Combination of the valve springs pushing the cam shafts in opposite directions and the loosened chain folding over and binding down in the crank case. Backed if off a bit while taking out the slack and it moved freely after that. Something to be mindful of for anyone playing with the camshafts in the future. Cheers, Aric

Okay, bit of a conundrum here... I'm working on re torquing my my head bolts on my 2007 RSTD as there was an expired recall on this model year and I have been getting oil weeping from the head gasket but no coolant mixing. Turns out there are bolt clearance holes in the cams to tighten the heads so removal was unnecessary but nowhere in the manual or online mentio ed that... Anyhow, I had the cam chain tensioner out(the one in the middle of the engine on the front bank) and this gave me enough slack to lift the chain with my finger but as soon as I let it go, the chain

Oh, I'll be leaning on you guys if I get in to trouble, that's for sure. I find the quickest way to learn is to get in a bit over your head from time to time.

I already have the gaskets ordered and will see what shims need replacing if any before making a move for the kit. May be able to make a deal with a mechanic down the road from me, have exchanged shims before. As for the tool, I'll take a look at the design and see if I can just machine one at work. I have lots of time since there are no students around at the university... anyone have a drawing?😉

Sadly, I am not talking about the valve cover bolts. This one particular year has a recall for head bolt torque being too low. Unfortunately it expired in 2017, so now it time for brain surgery on her. Worst part will be pulling the cams to get to the bolts and then re timing everything. So far, no other issues other than some oil weeping from the head gaskets. No oil in coolant or vise versa, although I will drain and replace both over the winter. Only had the bike a few months, love the power and comfort. Was thinking of selling it after trying out the cruiser thing

Now that the weather is looking pretty consistently cold, I have the RSTD jacked up to start work on torqueing the head bolts. Hopefully this stops my oil leak. On the plus side, I'm hoping to get my 9yo son involved to get some father son time in!

Update on the recall: I got a response from Yamaha Canada confirming the recall but the rep said that the cutoff time was 2017. And even then, being a US bike it would have had to be done by a US dealer. So, I guess I get to learn how to pull cams to access the bolts. Ordered my new valve cover gaskets ahead of time, and going to measure valve shim clearances while I'm at it. If I need to order a kit, they are 25mm shims right?

Checked my VIN, came back as being covered by the recall. Big BUT though... I'm in Canada and the bike is apparently a US bike(explains the odo being in miles🙄) so the vin does not come up in the Yamaha Canada database, so dealer is unsure if work is covered. Sent an email to Yamaha Canada to see if the work can be covered here. Waiting on a response but not holding my breath on a 13 year old bike.

Thanks for the info, I will inquire next time I am by the dealer, maybe tomorrow. Is there a way to look up recalls or service bulletins on these bikes?

My first thought would be a stuck float in a couple of the carbs. Don't turn over the engine with the plugs it or it may hydro lock and cause damage! Need to turn off the peacock, pull the plugs and turn it over to get the gas out of the cylinders, then start to get at the carbs. Are you sure the gas was flowing out of the exhaust or just running along it? If it was coming out the exhaust, it may indicate some valve clearance issues as well, but that's just a guess.