My cam cover gasket leaks like a siv so I'm going to order a new one of those as well, I assume the stealership is the only place for that.[/QUOTE]

Have you looked at BikeBandit? I bet they have it.

 

The KLX250 is a shim UNDER bucket design. You have to take the cams out, lift the bucket up off the valve stem and get to the shim underneath that bucket. The cam lobe hits the bucket, not the shim.

The first diagram is of a Kawasaki KZ1000, showing shim OVER bucket. Top, first part, 92025/a~x






The second diagram is the KLX250/300, showing the shim UNDER bucket. The shim is the second part down, 92180-a~t






And some bikes have shims AND rocker arms. For example, the Kawasaki ZRX1100/1200. They have shim over bucket and the cams actuate a rocker arm that hits the shim. The design is easy to change, since the rocker arms will slide sideways when pushed that way, exposing the shim, which can then be changed out.

I did 7 valve adjustments on my 2005 ZRX1200 in 70,000 miles. Nice design. No cam removal needed.

 

The basic reasoning for shims instead of screw/locknut adjustments in a valvetrain is that they will take much more abuse and keep an adjustment longer than screw/locknuts will. Look at most any bike with screw/locknuts and the adjustment intervals will be shorter (most of the time) than shims. Yamaha has had a great shim under bucket arrangement system that on a lot of their models can go 26,600 miles before the first CHECK, might not even need to be adjusted.

The KLX250/300 rev's pretty hard and high up in the RPM's, so screw/locknut rocker arms won't cut it for long.

Want screw/locknuts, get a KLR250...

 

Well this is starting to look a lot more hardcore than I was thinking. Pops said the wrench only charged him for one hour of labor to do his, it was less than $100, so maybe I'll just save some lunch money and take it in...

 

Its truley not that hard. Just pick a good weekend with no time limits. It takes just your basic tools, torque wrench, and gap clearence shims. The cam bracket even has numbers forged into it so you know the order of tightening down bolts. First time may take you 3 hours to do. But afterwards, it may take less than 1 hour. I've done mine over 6 times in the last 5k miles. Practice makes prefect.

 

Did you look at NoBrakes posting on doing the valves?

https://www.kawasakiforums.com/forum...?t=3146&page=2

Go to post #20 and look at the pics and read it. Between it and a shop manual and a few tools, it'd be a piece of cake, assuming no one has ever threatened to weld your toolbox shut! j/k

You really can't assume a shop will do it to your liking, either. Some shops are great, and if you can trust them, go for it. But, if you don't know them well, they may not do as good a job as you would do.

YMMV

 

You look down your nose at me all you want, mate...but just because something is the older design, doesn't make it the inferior one. I still see newer 4 strokes with this design. It might be older, but still is, or recently was in production.

Ok, so maybe its been proven this shim system goes longer without maintainence, but I would rather have something thats a snap to do that needs done more often than something you have to dread. I think alot of you guys just pretty much accept defeat with this turd like a battered wife and maybe think you deserve it so you go along with it. Like how they changed the chain adjuster to the bolts from the snails. There is only one person that ever said in real life or on the net (that I have heard) that he liked those, and that was Iowa guy, and we all know he's not all there. There are pros and cons with everthing, but the pro for the adjustment bolt over the snail are so insignificant its not even worth considering putting those stupid bolts on for.

I feel the same for shims, if the adjusted kind can't take the revs...then dont make the damn thng rev so high. XR's are a superb bike, they had them, and they work.

God, I can't wait until something better comes along so I can sell/trade this turd.

 

Well the disadvantage to the snails, to my knowledge, is when the chain falls between clicks. It forces you to run the chain either too loose or too tight, whereas with the bolts you can get it dead-on and just adjust as you go.

I wish this bike had the kind of valve adjustment where you just turn the screws... my dad thought it did, but apparently he was wrong. I'll be taking it in to the shop soon as I save up some money.

IDK that I dislike the bike enough to call it a turd, but I've got the major itch for a ZX-6R... I ride far more slab than dirt... I just don't wanna take that hit of trading this in and trying to sell all my mods over the net

 

Like I said...the pros of the bolts don't hold a candle to the cons of the snails. That is so immaterial. Adjusting a chain isn't a machining job where you have to be within so many thousandths of an inch. I think you'll find if your in that inbetween stage and you look even closer at your specs of how loose the chain can be youll find one click or the other acceptable chain tension. Thats just so extremely silly that Kawasaki did that. Its just almost "special" its so dumb.

I agree with you and your dad, it needs screws on the valves. if its current design with revving doesnt suit...like I said, change it to more like that of an XR or something................. End of story.

I'm sorry for being so irritable about this but I'm getting so tired of this bike. I think next week I'm going to go around to some of the shops and see what they have in stock and what they would give for a trade.... I don't know. Maybe look over those WR's again.

I disagree dude, this bike is most definately a turd. I have to rejet the pilot jet again and I am dreading being forced to disassemble 20% of my bike to do it. That's pure plain and simple nonsense in every way. I wouuld never recommend this bike to anyone.

If your completely new to riding, or use to riding these kind of bikes and your happying with its power delivery than thats ok...but thats a very small percentage of people. Hell, even from the factory you have to rejet. It needs a 120-125 depending on elevation just to start with. And in alot of cases, like mine, you have to remove the 38 pilot and put in a 35. But now that I got the pipe on, I need to put the 38 back in and now I have to play the guessing game of how many turns to put it. If 3 out with a 35 is too little...maybe 2 out with a 38 ? I dont know. What a pain. I yern for the EFI of the WR and new CR's.

 

Sounds like you simply did not know what you where buying. This bikes is built off an old MX design. The chain adjuster and valve shims are just like almost all other MX bikes made to this day. Maybe you should research what you buy before buying it.

Also, I think your blowing the valve adjusting way out of proportion. Its really not that hard if you have all the tools and know how to use them. Also, every dirtbike I have ever owned I had to pull the seat and tank to get the carb. If you want something really hard to work on get yourself a bike with a multi cylinder engine. Then you will get to jet several carbs then sync them. You will be dreaming of the good ole days with the KLX.