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[windmill john]

So, we’re back to the old and true favourite, as long as you change your oil, everything else is secondary.

[Harald]

Time for the promised update.
Today I went on with the troubleshooting and found ..... nothing. The gear backlash was adjusted perfectly by the factory, the small spring and the remaining parts of the automatic decompressor were fine and investigation of the rockers did not show any abnormalities. Yes, of course, I took off the rocker arms when checking the backlash of the cam gears. So the one and only defective part was the oil pump output O-ring that had to be replaced.
As the engine was already open I installed the Carberry plate, a new gasket and closed the engine cover and rocker covers again. A new oil filter was installed and new oil of the correct grade was filled in. The drained oil looked very good and without any metal flakes or silver abrasion and was in the engine only for about 600 km, but I do not if the grade was the right one as the dealer filled it in during the first inspection. To be on the save side I replaced it with the correct one.
The engine started with the first kick and no unusual noise was audible. Of course, there was the ticking sound from the hydraulic lifters for some seconds, as long as they needed to fill up with oil. The reason for opening the engine - the ticking sound from the valves- has gone.
Conclusion: The defective O-ring was the reason for a low oil pressure, and the low pressure was the reason for the hydraulic lifters not to work correctly. So finally, all worked fine. Thanks all of you for the interesting discussion and sharing your knowledge and experience. Have a nice weekend all of you.

[PeteF]

Well that's all right then
You assume the dealer put the correct oil in. Mine didn't.

[Rattlebattle]

Glad you got it sorted. I wonder why the O ring was knackered at that low mileage? Old stock?They do tend to flatten and I always replace that one when I remove the outer cover. I find that the “ rubber” fittings on RE tend to perish. I’ve had to replace the tank vent and my breather hose is on it’s last legs but our host hasn’t had the hose in stock for some time. Good job you investigated. Personally I think hydraulic lifters are more trouble than they’re worth. No wonder Harley owners fit solid lifters. There’s something therapeutic about adjusting valve clearances, an easy job on the RE where access is simple. Oh well. If your experience has told me anything it has reinforced my view that if you want a job doing properly, do it yourself. Stuff the warranty. Hopefully now you’ll have a nice quiet engine, like mine again is.

[Wheaters]

I think the problem with vehicle dealers these days is that their old style, time served mechanics have been replaced by fitters. I’m sure it’s because we live in a mainly throw away era. Many fitters don’t know how to fix it, only how to replace it. If that doesn’t cure the problem, replace something else.

In the fifty years I’ve owned bikes, I’ve never taken any of them to a bike shop for repairs or servicing. The only thing I have had done for me is the replacement of tubeless tyres on my Honda CB750 because it has ally wheels and it really needs a machine. The tubed tyres on my Bullet get replaced by me on my garage floor.

Out of curiosity I did once ask a bike dealer how much it would cost to service my Honda. They estimated £200 plus parts. A service on that bike takes me less than an hour, most of that is waiting for the oil to drain. They mentioned that checking and adjusting valve clearances takes quite some time because it’s a four cylinder.....they obviously didn’t think I knew it’s got hydraulic tappets.

[Rattlebattle]

Yes, I concur with that. Back in the day we all serviced our own bikes through necessity. I still do, despite having modern bikes with EFI. I just learned how to do it as the system developed. Why pay a Triumph dealer £20 or more just to hook it up to a computer when I can do it for free?

[PeteF]

Quite right RB.
EFI, ABS and the rest are just learning opportunities.
And no, it's not difficult, just different.

[Wheaters]

True, it’s not rocket science. Over the past few years I taught myself about fuel injection, ECUs and supercharging. I then fitted my road legal sports/trials car with a fuelling system I designed and built myself. I used a Suzuki three cylinder engine, a VW supercharger, a Ford throttle body and ran it on BMW fuel injectors. I managed to increase the engine’s original output by 60%.

I’ve made some further modifications and hope to make it run better still; I’m hoping to get it set up on a rolling road In the next few weeks.

[Daiwiskers]

I am a dinosaur I prefer carbs points and valves that I can adjust

I love the way fuel injection and electronic ignition systems can be set up a touch richer or weaker and a bit more or less advance at a certain revs

But getting it right can be a nightmare my Harley has done hour's on the dyno getting it right, but I live in dread of something going wrong with it's brain,
It does have some sort of of mental issue it was showing 41000 Mile's when I bought it now it shows 18000 ish, a couple of years ago we left Cornwall when we got home it was showing 200 mile's less than when we set off, I just leave the time showing now not the miles, yes I do know that it has two trip counters! And no they seem to work fine it's just the total mileage that's wrong
My MOT man says it's not that unusual with bikes that have electronic speedo's

It does go well though Dai

[Rattlebattle]

For me it depends. I converted my C5 to a carb because the EFI caused a few issues and it is not possible to reflashed it. It has been said on another forum in the USA that Keihin, the hardware used on the earlier UCE models ( not sure about the Euro IV ones) own the rights to the mapping, so unlike other manufacturers there are no map updates from RE to suit aftermarket exhausts. One therefore has to buy an expensive Power Commander or similar to do this. That said there are cheaper alternatives available today such as the Dobek EJK. For me a carb is a better option on a simple single.
By contrast I bought one of the last air/oil cooled Triumph Thruxtons because the ECU is easily and cheaply (cost of a cable) remapped. You can either remap it yourself or buy one from a specialist. I chose the latter because the vendor has dyno- tested maps for all sorts of inlet/exhaust combinations. My Triumph, though looking standard, is way better fuelled than from the factory and I just hook it up to my laptop to balance the injectors, check for fault codes, test various sensor functions etc once a year. My V4 Honda just works, the latest EFI systems have the cats and sensors upstream of the exhaust can so you can change the can without trouble. In fact manufacturers often offer an approved aftermarket from new, such as the Akro can I have on my Honda. Sorry, but ignition controlled by two bits of metal bashing together doesn't strike me as being terribly accurate, especially as those who've had a twin mag with inaccurate cams will know - averaging a points setting to get the timing right on both cylinders is pretty rubbish really.
On multi- cylinder bikes it's a no brainier to me in favour of EFI. Dyno operators these days would far rather adjust a multi electronically than fiddle about with slides and jets - so would I. I've never had an ECU go wrong. The odd sensor has packed up but methodical analysis has always allowed me to find and resolve the issue.
As for valves, on balance I prefer adjustable ones but NOT shim under cam bucket ohc ones! I haven't had to do it on my Triumph yet but the problem is that if one or more shim needs changing you have to wait until you get the right shim before you can proceed. Years ago when I had a K series BMW one of the independent suppliers used to sell a tin of the most commonly needed shims, so that you could always do the job either by using one of them or swapping them around. Shim over bucket, or better still, crew and locknut are better still. I suppose that at least shim systems don't actually need frequent adjustment when settled in.
Brakes? Discs every time for me. I've never had to replace calliper seals, though I replaced a couple of master cylinders over the years. What a pain the rear brake is on my C5...