[DAVIDHILLYER]

I will focus on the most complicated procedure, the valve clearance. I have done several "screw and lock nut" adjustments in the past, including the most recent on my Honda NC700X. I watched multiple videos on the RE 650 adjust, have the service manual and read many comments on the forum. I did notice that in several of the videos a "helping hand" appeared, so my wife was available for the procedure. I had a few mild concerns: 1) Making the 5 disconnects under the tank-With extra hands this was pretty easy. 2) Removing the valve cover- Again, with 4 hands, no problem. 3) Having to adjust all 8 valves ( time consumption )-This concern proved valid. I had to adjust 7 of the 8 (all tight).4) Replacing the gasket and cover- This proved to be the most frustrating. In the first attempt, I lay the gasket down with a little grease, then tried to place the cover on top. Couldn't make it all match up, even with help. I took both out, stuck the gasket to the cover with a little more grease and replaced as a unit. Much better for us. 5) Making the 5 reconnects- Once again, extra hands make this easy. Part 2- Notes and Summary.

[whippers]

I found the whole process pretty easy just with my two hands. Just take your time and enjoy it.  Like you all but one of my valves was tight

[Yinzer]

I used a chopstick to get to that hose release button on the fuel rail coupling.
It's in my Royal Enfield specialty tools box now.

[Locknut]

Just going to pass on some misc' items that may make some of members here do much less work doing a lash.   I Understand that some guys prefer to go the Full Monty as per shop manual, and that's fine.    IMHO it's overkill for just a lash.  My preference is to keep our hands close and personal, not reaching through framework and parts with arms spread just to do what's ultimately only inches away from your face.   Having  done lash perhaps 2,500 times on various engines, I've got my own anal retentive opinions that save time and effort.  Just passing it on for somebody's effort.  To the OP:    I only had to remove the rear two tank holding bolts, slide tank backward off its forward saddles, stuff a rolled towel up front to hold tank, place a wood piece at rear after unplugging the small vent hose.  Remove two horns.  Slide off the centered large vent hose between the horns and pull it up & out of the way.  THAT's IT.  NOTHING ELSE needs to be removed.  NOTHING.  Tilt the cover forward and out. 

There is now so much room to use either a really really short stubby screw driver ,  OR (much easier)  a short bit jammed in a section of scrap.  See photo.  The fit  is such that it will stand up unsupported on a tappet stem.  IOW's no slop.  That's handy because approx' 5 minutes rotation is about .001" .  Handy to have that much control.  I use a GO-NO-Go method like a lot of guys do on this very site, no doubt. 

First pic is "in use"  ,  second is the bit in a scrap section,  made probably in 1980.  Last pic is various 10mm wrenches useful in lash on various engines




I don't mean to preach,  but I'm just lazy at heart.  To me removing a bunch of items upstairs here is like removing the engine  hood of a car, an air filter assembly:  JUST so as  to use a 12" long screw driver to replace a headlamp.  I prefer to simply prop the hood up and use a 4" screw driver.  Just my option.

[NVDucati]

I would have preferred that RE had sacrificed some of the retro esthetics or at least moved it up a generation and used access ports.
Love your screwdriver.

[Charleetho]

@locknut Any tips on getting the gasket and valve cover back on?
I resorted to very sticky axle grease in the corners to hold the gasket in place while I moved the cover into place.

I like the tiny screwdriver. I am going to have to make one those.

[Locknut]

"Yes"  for what works for me: 
(1) Wipe clean the cover and gasket in hand.  (2) Wipe head and saddle free of any oil and sealant.  Place gasket loose on head,  this done to allow a relatively care-free handling of the cover with hands.  (3) Bring in the cover.   (Its a light compression captured gasket, so some tacky grease use is totally acceptable for a non-pressured install.)   Lift up gasket into grove,  and where it doesn't stay up a light grease wipe is ok.  The cleaner oil-free you've gotten the parts the less grease you need.   Keep the saddle plug clear of grease.  (4) With the cover now mostly in position and lowered  on the right, but being held up  on the left (a bit above the plug saddle)  ,   lightly swipe the saddle with your favorite RTV.  I prefer an oil-use black.  Use whatever floats your boat, really.  So little is needed that you can't even see any oooze later.  Lower the left , eyeball the entire perimeter, then if good,  tighten up properly. 
(5) Route that forward breather hose and install it, position tank onto front mounts,  ;lower rear of tank enough to install that vent hose, lower and install rear bolts.  Install horns.  Viola.
Remember :  You've only removed two vent hoses and the horns,  so there's not much to re-attach. 

[RalphG]

Being very old, very experienced and admittedly very lazy, I did as you did, Locknut; just moved the tank back and rolled up a towel to shove in the tank "tunnel" to hold it up enough to work under it. Once the valve cover was off, I removed the "o-ring" gasket and washed both in solvent followed by soapy water to remove all residue. 

Then, using Yamabond RTV, I glued the gasket to the cover and let it sit overnight.  A light coating of engine oil on the gasket face allowed it to slip into place without binding.  Moving the rocker arms up and down as necessary was a great help in re-fitting the cover.  I adjusted clearances to .001" greater than spec, of .004 and .008", just for a bit of "insurance". 
I generally do not exceed 4500 rpm and won't check the valves again until 8000 miles have passed. 

When the time for adjustment comes, I intend to just lift the cover and use a tool I'll make that allows me to insert the feeler gauges far enough to check the clearances without fully removing the valve cover.  If valves are out of spec, I'll remove the cover and do the adjustment.

A year ago I sold my 2016 Suzuki DR-650 "Enduro" and that bike had the SOHC valve activation with rocker arms.  At 12K miles, it never needed an adjustment.    I'm hoping I'm as lucky with the Interceptor.

Ralph

[Noelvh]

@locknut Any tips on getting the gasket and valve cover back on?
I resorted to very sticky axle grease in the corners to hold the gasket in place while I moved the cover into place.

I like the tiny screwdriver. I am going to have to make one those.

I was lucky in that my dealer did my first valve check and they glued the gasket to the valve cover with a very thin bead of gasket sealer. I have done mine twice and I did find it easy to just remove the horns and the air hose above the valve cover and is slips right in with one person.

[Locknut]

You guys are just too brilliant. 

A comment to NVDucati concerning the port vs whole cover, though:   I would normally agree 100%  ONLY if I had to genuinely remove ALL that upstairs hardware every time as per manual.  Good gads,  I'd be in a hissy-fit,   skivvies in a wad all day tantrum.   

But,  hey ,  after pondering what you opined over several coffees ,  and flexing my "CR500 many times broken fingers"  which are pained in the cold,  I'm liking the wide open real estate around the rockers.  "Oh yeah,  give it to me."  I mean,  look at that space.  I know for a fact you've got a bunch of specially bent feeler gauges and MANY MANY cuss words you've used getting to some gaps of those blind "In A HOLE"  tappets over the years.  I've been around the block a few times so I KNOW you kinda enjoyed that open space when you were there doing the RE.   Just saying. 

[NVDucati]

You guys are just too brilliant. 

A comment to NVDucati concerning the port vs whole cover, though:   I would normally agree 100%  ONLY if I had to genuinely remove ALL that upstairs hardware every time as per manual.  Good gads,  I'd be in a hissy-fit,   skivvies in a wad all day tantrum.   

But,  hey ,  after pondering what you opined over several coffees ,  and flexing my "CR500 many times broken fingers"  which are pained in the cold,  I'm liking the wide open real estate around the rockers.  "Oh yeah,  give it to me."  I mean,  look at that space.  I know for a fact you've got a bunch of specially bent feeler gauges and MANY MANY cuss words you've used getting to some gaps of those blind "In A HOLE"  tappets over the years.  I've been around the block a few times so I KNOW you kinda enjoyed that open space when you were there doing the RE.   Just saying.

You are not wrong.
Still, the fact that more than one poor soul has buggered the threads that fasten the existing cover down could be avoided with a CB350(ish) port hole.
And for the record, thanks for pointing out the fuel tank really doesn't need to be removed.

[Carl Fenn]

Well you always have to go by feel never can trust those bloody torque settings they can be a mile out, if it leaks you can always give it another quarter of a turn, once the tread is ripped out time to break out the coils.

[Locknut]

You guys are being waaaaaay too kind to the guy that does Farmer Tight with his 3/8"  drive ratchet on these little-bitty machine screws or nuts.  I prefer to laugh and point now that I'm much older and have already done my share of Heli' and T-Sert's.  I won't admit to it elsewhere,  but I've even carefully drilled a hole deeper for tapping  (after feeling mush) , then  using a custom ground "bottom tap"  with zero lead on the tip.  That was circa 1975 putting a 836 kit in a 750 Four K1.  Being an Aero' guy,  I can attest to 90% use of a 1/4" drive ,  95% of the time.  Sounds about right.  Unless you've just spent $673 for your 1/4" torque wrench , and get it calibrated every 30 days,  a delicate 'feel' with a short handled wrench , dealing with aluminum , is superior. 

For the guys about to tell me their 1/4" torquer is the jewel . . ."I'm not listening". 
Man,  the stories I can tell about guys and their torquer (and $500,000 small engines in $1,000,000 small airframes).   There's no emoji for a guy with his hands over his ears,  but I'm thinking it.

[grahamb1]

Just love all the banter between you clever guys (when I can understand it!)

[Ruddigger]

I just finished my first service, thank goodness for YouTube, as I’m not much of a mechanic. I ended up removing the whole tank after fiddling around with different methods to avoid it. Removing the tank took less than a minute, and while I had the valve cover off I gave it a polish.

Every single valve was too tight, the intakes were so tight I couldn’t get my smallest feeler gauge in there at all.

It took me about 4 hours, including a run to the store for a 14mm hex to remove the cam cover.

And my dealer wanted $650.00 to do it. What a bunch of asshats.