what all am i gonna need?

i want to get around to checking valve clearances but i dont know what im going to NEED. will i need to buy a new gasket or will some gasket sealer work fine?

as well as i wanted to do clutch plates and friction plates but i have no idea what is a good brand that for a decent price and if im going ot need a new gasket for that. i have done some carb stuff but other than that im very nervous about going in to do those things considering i have not done anything but read a little about how to do them.

 

I'm in that boat with you. I'm just commenting so I'll get notified of responses.

 

I like going to Len (chacal, he runs XJ4Ever) for parts since you know compatability won't be an issue, and his prices are all pretty good. But enough of the free advertising....

There are excellent write ups for both valve adjustment, and clutch work. Both will require a bunch of shop towels. My tablet is being weird right now and not letting me add links, but if you're prepare you can do both of those jobs in an afternoon.

Hex keys for the valve cover bolts
Hammer or broom handle to get the cover off
Gasket scraper
New gaskets/pressure washers
Valve bucket tool (or a zip tie)
Long needle nose pliers
Feeler gauges

For the clutch:
Scotchbrite to clean up the drive plates
New friction disks/secondary disks
New clutch springs/bolts/washers
Oil of choice

I'm sure the regulars around here can help with anything I missed.

 

BigFitz52 did THEE write-up on valve adjusting (with pics!)

You should get METRIC feeler gauges, so you don't get lost in conversion math.

Getting a service manual - paper, or download, is worth it's weight in - megabytes ?? :lol:

And don't just buy ANY oil - - Premium MOTORCYCLE SPEC oil, or BULK DIESEL SERVICE are about the only oils you should look at.
They meet and exceed the neeeds.
Skip the synthetics too, as we drain at 2,000 miles.

(the bottle will have a motorcycle on it, and "4t" - or a semi.)

 

I like both YAMALUBE and MAXIMA, oil, as well as a couple other motorcycle oils. I stay with dinosaur oil, and don't recommend synthetic. I also don't recommend oils with detergents in them. These bikes were built for dino oil, and detergent ones can allow the clutches to slip.

YMMV,

dave

 

i have my manual for my bike. i use motorcycle oil but i may as well replace my clutch plates due to the fact that the last possible maintenance on that was in 98 (MAYBE). so who knows how old they are. i was just wondering about the gaskets really. am gonna hvae to get ahold of a metric feeler gauges probably. so far imma need gaskets for both. and get a idea on the clutch plates from chacal.

 

Detergent oils don't cause clutch slippage, and were specified when the bikes were new. Non-detergent oils for motor vehicles (including motorcycles) essentially disapeared in the late 1950's.

 

WHAT BIKE?

Depending on the bike, the valve cover gasket answer will be different among other things.

 

83 seca 900.