This was hashed out back in the early days of this sub-forum. There are many reports of the KLX300R munching valves at 2-3K mile intervals. Some would have you believe this is destined to be the case for our bikes too. Others (myself included) tend to believe that the KLX300Rs having the problems tend to be heavely modified enduro bikes raced hard. This is a matter on which reasonable people currently disagree.

 

They can't void the warranty for personal mods done to the bike. There is some sort of law, right Todd or Marty?[&:]

 

I paid for the extra 4 year warranty, if they try and give me any grief then I might have to unleash the power of the Deejinator, and they wouldn't want that...... trust me.

 

Yep, Harley is Just Like That. If the dealer does the work No problemo But do it yourself and ohh boy. Actually though harley is pretty good about it considering how much harleys are usually modified. I have heard stories on my sporty forum of where dealers have told people that if they use any other oil/filter but harleys it voids there warranty. What a crock of SH*T. For those of you who might not know there is a thing called the Massey/fergusen act or something like that that prevents the dealers from pulling stuff like that.

I do know though that I have a aftermarket igination on my harley that I can adjut the redline on. I have been told flat out it voids my warranty and I can believe that. Just some food for thought people.


LV

 

Well Im probably going to at least Check my valve clearences at the 600 mile mark. I'm Not looking forward to it But even though the manual says check them at like 3700 miles there are people on here who checked them at 600-700 miles and found the valves clearnces way Off.


LV

 

This is what i know about the valves on the klx300r, from personal experience from owning
a 2001 klx300r from new and also a new klx250s. still have both. the 300 is designed to be
a trail bike a lot of lowend and mid range torque it likes to be short shifted for longevity of
motor. if you are pushing it to the revlimiter all the time you will be changing intake valves
every couple thousand miles. or if the bike is heavily modded. my 300, im just now putting
in new intake valves just for precaution and peace of mind. this is do to they started moving
last fall. but they werent that bad. this is the first time in this motor and the top end is in perfect
shape. i dont know how many miles are on it but im sure it is over 6-7,000miles. but they people with the big bore kits and pumper carbs that push these bikes are the ones with the valve problems. for what is worth i would not hesitate to buy another 300r if they didnt come out with the klx250s. all of this is my opinion and info from other klx300 owners, but theses bikes are tough as nails in todays mx bred bikes.

 

My valves were off a smidge when I checked them at around 800 or 900 miles. I adjusted them and it was not hard. Checking them is very easy and I'd recommend that if you are at all concerned about it, at least check them and see where they are. If they need adjustment, you can decide then whether to DIY or take it to the dealer. But if they are in spec, just batten everything back up and enjoy your bike for 7500 more miles which is the valve check interval according to the service manual.

BTW, I did my big bore kit at 2500 miles and while I had everthing apart I decided to check the valve clearences. There were spot-on from where I adjusted them 1700 miles prior. So I don't think they are wearing or stretching at any alarming rate.

Also, you want to catch the out of spec condition as soon as possible. As long as your valves are in spec, they should wear a long long long time. It's when you run the bike with the valves out of spec - that's when they wear rapidly. It kind've goes without saying that the combustion chamber is a harsh environment and if the valves are little bit open when combustion occurs, then that's going to wear the valve seals very rapidly vs if they are fully closed. So check them valves - put your mind at ease.

 

I can't really see these two factors contributing heavily to valve wear. I think it's more likely that the people that do these mods tend to be a lot harder on their bikes, in general, and like you said hitting the rev limiter a lot, etc. Now I can see an overly aggressive CDI such as an aftermarket unit that advances the timing maybe a bit too much and/or disables the rev limiter contributing heavily to valve wear.

But not knowing the history of each bike, it's hard to make sweeping judgements. There were one heck of a lot of KLX300's sold, and are still being sold. I'd be su****ious of the maintenance on these particular problem bikes. Like I mentioned in the previous post, continuing to ride when the valves are out of spec will lead to rapid deteriation of the valves and seats. But if you keep your valves in spec, and don't abuse the engine by over revving, use too advanced timing, etc, then you should never be replacing valves before their expected time.

 

The warranty contract should specify what will invalidate a warranty, barring any statutes that vary by state. Usually if there are statutes, they are usually protective of the consumer - us. If the contract is silent on a specific issue, the dealer will argue the warranty is invalidated. Filing suit in small claims court (no attorneys necessary) will usually make the dealer to cave.