[Siamese]

I'm in the midst of doing my 300 mile service on my bike.  I'm curious...how tricky is it to get the rubber gasket to stay in place when you put the valve cover back on?  On the 350 it's kinda tricky, and some black silicone sealant helped. 

[twocoolgliders]

It is tricky, but completely do-able with patience and care.

Putting goop on works for some, but I don't....it just makes a mess, and not needed.



BC

I'm in the midst of doing my 300 mile service on my bike.  I'm curious...how tricky is it to get the rubber gasket to stay in place when you put the valve cover back on?  On the 350 it's kinda tricky, and some black silicone sealant helped.

[agagliardi]

Be prepared for some  " sailor language". That gasket is a pain in the ass. For me, it would easily slip out of place. I did use a little silicone sealer on the " half moons".  One excellent bit of advice from one of our members, which I will use next time, is to rotate the engine as needed to move the rocker arms out of the way as needed for movement of the cover . There is minimal space, which is part of the problem. One member advised using grease to keep the gasket in place on the cover during installation. That was a disaster for me- made a slippery greasy mess. Listen to the Grateful Dead during the job to keep you in a peaceful state of mind!

[Wrenchjockie]

Clean the valve cover with contact cleaner. Use a little Krazy Glue.
done.

[YellowDuck]

Clean the valve cover with contact cleaner. Use a little Krazy Glue.
done.

exactly, just glue the gasket to the cover.  I used RTV.  I honestly have no idea how anyone does this efficiently without gluing it.  I did it the first time but just about lost my mind.  Glued it the second time and it was easy peasy, and held well enough I didn't have to reglue for the third time.

[Siamese]

Okay, I figured it was gonna be tricky. 

Some excellent ideas!  Thanks for the input. 

Right now, the tank is off.....that was easy.  And the valve cover is off and received a polishing.  On my Hunter 350, I was able to remove the little cover from the side case (to rotate the engine) by sticking one of my nut drivers in there, but that trick won't work on the 650.  So, a 14mm hex bit should be arriving today so I can proceed to the adjustment phase. 

[YellowDuck]

Okay, I figured it was gonna be tricky. 

Some excellent ideas!  Thanks for the input. 

Right now, the tank is off.....that was easy.  And the valve cover is off and received a polishing.  On my Hunter 350, I was able to remove the little cover from the side case (to rotate the engine) by sticking one of my nut drivers in there, but that trick won't work on the 650.  So, a 14mm hex bit should be arriving today so I can proceed to the adjustment phase.

That's how I do it too but I mean you can turn the engine with the rear wheel if you have a center stand.  Remember to pull the plugs and put it in top gear.

[Siamese]

Oh, that's how I advanced the engine on my Guzzi V7...rotated the rear wheel.  Thought about doing that on the RE, but figured what the heck, get the tool. 

[whippers]

Just put sealant on the half circle that’s all you need. Take your time and make sure the gasket and cover are seated properly. Just hand tightened the fasteners as others have reported shearing them off if torqued. It doesn’t need to be very tight. Start and check thoroughly for any leaks over the few days.

[Siamese]

Well, I guess I'm being a lame azz on this adjustment.  I fiddled with it some more, and finally ended up putting some gray Permatex gasket stuff in the groove in the valve cover, and laid the gasket in there.  Going to let it sit overnight to cure.

Tomorrow, I'll wiggle the valve cover into place, put some sealant on the half circle thing, position the cover, and put the bolts in.  Hope this plan works.  It's pretty much what I did on my Hunter 350. 

NOW...here's the thing.  For the most part, the valve adjustment is easy.  Take the tank of, adjust the tappets....no sweat.  I watched several videos for the valve adjustment, and NONE of them made any mention of how tricky the gasket is.  They show them wiggling the valve cover into place in just a few seconds, and presto, they start tightening the bolts.  They edit out the hassle part.  Or they go directly from adjusting the tappets to tightening the bolts without even showing them wiggling it into place.  What gives? 

[whippers]

Well, I guess I'm being a lame azz on this adjustment.  I fiddled with it some more, and finally ended up putting some gray Permatex gasket stuff in the groove in the valve cover, and laid the gasket in there.  Going to let it sit overnight to cure.

Tomorrow, I'll wiggle the valve cover into place, put some sealant on the half circle thing, position the cover, and put the bolts in.  Hope this plan works.  It's pretty much what I did on my Hunter 350. 

NOW...here's the thing.  For the most part, the valve adjustment is easy.  Take the tank of, adjust the tappets....no sweat.  I watched several videos for the valve adjustment, and NONE of them made any mention of how tricky the gasket is.  They show them wiggling the valve cover into place in just a few seconds, and presto, they start tightening the bolts.  They edit out the hassle part.  Or they go directly from adjusting the tappets to tightening the bolts without even showing them wiggling it into place.  What gives?

I don’t know. I found the hardest thing was getting cover out. Didn’t have any problem with the gasket. Next time I’ll remove the horns

[Hoiho]

Well, I guess I'm being a lame azz on this adjustment.  I fiddled with it some more, and finally ended up putting some gray Permatex gasket stuff in the groove in the valve cover, and laid the gasket in there.  Going to let it sit overnight to cure.

Tomorrow, I'll wiggle the valve cover into place, put some sealant on the half circle thing, position the cover, and put the bolts in.  Hope this plan works.  It's pretty much what I did on my Hunter 350. 

NOW...here's the thing.  For the most part, the valve adjustment is easy.  Take the tank of, adjust the tappets....no sweat.  I watched several videos for the valve adjustment, and NONE of them made any mention of how tricky the gasket is.  They show them wiggling the valve cover into place in just a few seconds, and presto, they start tightening the bolts.  They edit out the hassle part.  Or they go directly from adjusting the tappets to tightening the bolts without even showing them wiggling it into place.  What gives?

I leave it on the head - don't have to reseal the half moon, don't have to fight gravity.  Turn the motor to gain some wiggle room for the cover and shepherd the gasket into the groove with a long skewer. It's a phaff but not that hard..

[Suncoast]

One other thing to keep in mind when doing the valve adjustment is DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN the valve cover bolts they are shoulder bolts and will and have broken on a few bikes when the owners tightened them to full spec.

[NVDucati]

I leave it on the head - don't have to reseal the half moon, don't have to fight gravity.  Turn the motor to gain some wiggle room for the cover and shepherd the gasket into the groove with a long skewer. It's a phaff but not that hard..

Ditto.
I also just lay the gasket on to the head.Lay the cover on the gasket and then use the end of a plastic zip tie to "tuck" it into place.

[Siamese]

Whew...finally wrapped up my valve adjustment.  Thanks for all the responses and input.

I ended up laying the gasket on the head and setting fire to my bike. 

Correction....I ended up laying the gasket on the head and using one of my wife's knitting needles to coax it into place.  Now I know what to do 6,000 miles from now.  The other thing I'll do is to have more light.  I had good overhead lights in my garage, and the door was open on a sunny day, but it was still difficult to see how the gasket was fitting with the crappy flashlight I was using.  A nice, small bright flashlight should be a big help next time.