Is this engine easy to service?

[lhedrick]

Time to replace the rock solid but vibration prone KLR 650, it owes me nothing.

 

The T700 looks like a possibility for me.  I want simple like the KLR.   

 

At 65, I no longer want to work on bikes any more than I need to.  I want to ride not wrench.  I like all the new bikes, if only I could get one without all the electronic junk.   I'm just going to set it to 1 mode and forget it.   I have never needed traction control in 50 years and I don't need it now.  I had a good ride on the Africa twin but when I found out how much work it is just to replace a valve shim the Honda engineers have no clue what real bike owner need to deal with when servicing their bike.  I like the Tiger and the GS 800 also.  But, they are all too heavy.  All the new hardware I am seeing look solid but no effort has been made to allow us to get too things for a simple issue.   I don't what to deal with removing 50 bolts and plastic sections just to deal with a simple thing like a vacuum hose popping off or a loose bolt when I'm 50 miles out a remote dirt road.   I shouldn't have to remove any more than 3 bolts on each side to remove covers to get to what's important. 

 

Like most I  have not seen the T700 and all the review on youtube are nothing but fluff.  Nothing about engine internals, nothing about if the bike is reasonable to work on.    I assume the T700 engine has valve shims like most engines, is it a relatively easy task to check the clearance and replace one if needed.  Please tell me a spark plug change doesn't take all day.

[Cruizin]

12 hours ago, lhedrick said:

Time to replace the rock solid but vibration prone KLR 650, it owes me nothing.

 

The T700 looks like a possibility for me.  I want simple like the KLR.   

 

At 65, I no longer want to work on bikes any more than I need to.  I want to ride not wrench.  I like all the new bikes, if only I could get one without all the electronic junk.   I'm just going to set it to 1 mode and forget it.   I have never needed traction control in 50 years and I don't need it now.  I had a good ride on the Africa twin but when I found out how much work it is just to replace a valve shim the Honda engineers have no clue what real bike owner need to deal with when servicing their bike.  I like the Tiger and the GS 800 also.  But, they are all too heavy.  All the new hardware I am seeing look solid but no effort has been made to allow us to get too things for a simple issue.   I don't what to deal with removing 50 bolts and plastic sections just to deal with a simple thing like a vacuum hose popping off or a loose bolt when I'm 50 miles out a remote dirt road.   I shouldn't have to remove any more than 3 bolts on each side to remove covers to get to what's important. 

 

Like most I  have not seen the T700 and all the review on youtube are nothing but fluff.  Nothing about engine internals, nothing about if the bike is reasonable to work on.    I assume the T700 engine has valve shims like most engines, is it a relatively easy task to check the clearance and replace one if needed.  Please tell me a spark plug change doesn't take all day.

I also admin the MT07 forum and have heard of ZERO engine failures on this engine. The engine has been produced since 2014, guys are putting some serious miles on. I know of a few with more than 60,000 miles on it. 

 

But, the airfilter is a bitch to get to. 

[lhedrick]

"But, the air ilter is a bitch to get to."  

 

That is my point entirely.   All these bikes are very close in terms of performance.  The one which is the easiest to service is likely the one which will be at the top of my buy list.  How can an item liken an air filter be difficult to change?  If a manufacturer can't that that right how can we expect them to get the really important stuff correct?  Access panels which are easy to remove are a lot more important to me than how cool the bike looks.  A cool looking bike gets me nothing  when I'm stuck by the side of the road.  Case in point.  I had a vacuum hose fail on a fuel petcock.   I could see it but could not get my hand on it to make a repair.  To get some electrical tape on it to seal the leak, I had to take the seat and a side panel off which took me an hour by the side of the road.   I should have take no more the 5 minutes at most. 

[Superfist]

2 hours ago, lhedrick said:

"But, the air ilter is a bitch to get to."  

 

That is my point entirely.   All these bikes are very close in terms of performance.  The one which is the easiest to service is likely the one which will be at the top of my buy list.  How can an item liken an air filter be difficult to change?  If a manufacturer can't that that right how can we expect them to get the really important stuff correct?  Access panels which are easy to remove are a lot more important to me than how cool the bike looks.  A cool looking bike gets me nothing  when I'm stuck by the side of the road.  Case in point.  I had a vacuum hose fail on a fuel petcock.   I could see it but could not get my hand on it to make a repair.  To get some electrical tape on it to seal the leak, I had to take the seat and a side panel off which took me an hour by the side of the road.   I should have take no more the 5 minutes at most. 

I saw a recent review where they relocated the air filter on the T700 so that it's really easy to access.  (Found it: 31 Fast Facts - Tenere 700 )

 

• " #28 - Servicing the Ténéré 700 is a convenient, yet infrequent, exercise. Engine valves should be checked every 25,000 miles while the oil should be changed every 6,000 miles. With the removal of the aluminum skidplate, the oil drain plug and filter are easily accessible. Likewise, the paper air filter element is located under the seat and can be swapped on the trail using the onboard hex key. If you ride off-road much, you will want to source a washable and reusable oil-foam filter. "

So it looks like they did make some effort towards making it easy to service common items you might do on a regular basis.  As for valve checks & adjustments or other long interval maintenance, I don't have any experience with the FZ/MT-07.

[TimmyTheHog]

On 6/21/2019 at 8:31 PM, Cruizin said:

I also admin the MT07 forum and have heard of ZERO engine failures on this engine. The engine has been produced since 2014, guys are putting some serious miles on. I know of a few with more than 60,000 miles on it. 

 

But, the airfilter is a bitch to get to. 

Filter is hard to get at?

I thought it is just a few bolts and seats, then bob's your uncle? I don't have the bike...yet...so correct me if I am wrong.

 

Between a few bikes I owned and helped serviced, the EASIEST is probably Moto Guzzi V7 I owned, the WORST is probably Vstrom my friend owned (God that tank removal was a pita...so much Youtube watching LOL)...

Edited November 12, 2019 by TimmyTheHog

[norcal616]

1 hour ago, TimmyTheHog said:

Filter is hard to get at?

I thought it is just a few bolts and seats, then bob's your uncle? I don't have the bike...yet...so correct me if I am wrong.

This is in regards to the FZ/MT-07 bike not the T7... He was just hoping it would not the same way... yes MT/FZ-07  airfilter was a lil bit of a pain to get to as the "lid" that holds down the OEM air filter has 2 screws at the front end that sit under the gas tank with only 2inches of space...this required the gas tank be lifted to reach the 2 screws... the back half of the gas tank sat over the airfilter location...

 

That seems not to be the case with the T7 as they made it easier to reach/service...

Edited November 13, 2019 by norcal616

[TimmyTheHog]

1 minute ago, norcal616 said:

This is in regards to the FZ/MT-07 bike not the T7... He was just hoping it would not the same way... yes MT/FZ-07  airfilter was a lil bit of a pain to get to as the "lid" that holds down the OEM air filter has 2 screws at the front end that sit under the gas tank with only 2inches of space...this required the gas tank be lifted to reach the 2 screws... the back half of the gas tank sat over the airfilter location...

ah...Thanks for the clarification.

[Cruizin]

I'm a fan of dirtbike airfilters. You pop open the side hatch or remove the seat and Bam, pul the filter .  On my dirtbikes, I change the foam filter after each ride. I wish the T7 was this way. I don't like paper filters when riding dirt. They clog.

[Zilvinas]

Hello, its about MT07 valve adjustments.  If you look until very end, it says that in order to replace shims cam shaft shall be removed  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVaspfR_X_c  . So, unfortunately not so simple.. afraid that T700 is same.

 

[Shaun]

3 hours ago, Zilvinas said:

Hello, its about MT07 valve adjustments.  If you look until very end, it says that in order to replace shims cam shaft shall be removed  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVaspfR_X_c  . So, unfortunately not so simple.. afraid that T700 is same.

 

Most modern Yamaha engines don’t need their valves checked until 24.000 miles so for many riders it’s not something that will come round too quickly.

[ADVUSA]

6000 mile valve checks on my KTM 690 !

I called Yamaha Motors U.S.A. today.

[norcal616]

6 minutes ago, ADVUSA said:

6000 mile valve checks on my KTM 690 !

I called Yamaha Motors U.S.A. today.

Nothing wrong with 6k mile valve checks for a brand that markets itself as "Ready to Race" vs just ride and forget the heavy maintenance checks a race bike will go thru to keep performance in top shape... 

[Zilvinas]

36 minutes ago, Shaun said:

Most modern Yamaha engines don’t need their valves checked until 24.000 miles so for many riders it’s not something that will come round too quickly.

Agree, but many still wants to keep this bike more than a few years, and more older you are faster time runs..

[Shaun]

Valve clearance checks on most modern bikes aren’t too bad in fact changing the plugs is almost as difficult and the chances are if the bikes been serviced well I.e regular oil changes the valves will need no adjustments. Most manufacturers recommend 12.000 miles for valve check and Yamaha offer the best regards mileage in between checks.

[Ten7]

320 thousand km on my goldwing and the valve clearance are still good I bet you can go longer than 24K for the tenere to we will see  

[TimeMachine]

I think we should celebrate how easy the T7 is to do regular maintenance. It has a spin on filter, single sump plug that works on the side stand, easy to access the oil filler hole, has an oil level window and air filter under the seat. The only thing that is less than stellar is the bash plate with four bolts to remove. You could do a full service in 20 minutes.

 

Compare that to some other bikes with multiple internal filters, strainers and sump plugs in awkward places. Not naming and shaming but you know who you are... 

[Dwight Cairns]

 

I've just brought a new T7 and went to local dealer yesterday to book in for 1st 600 miles service,  I ask what all was involved in the service other then the normal check over, Oil & filter, for the £130 +vat cost!!

I was told that all the brake calipers had to be stripped down & cleaned and that the bike had to be serviced again at 2500miles & again at 6000miles..

I never heard off this before and I've been biking for 30years + can anyone confirm this or is it just dealerships trying to rip us off??

[Whitey66]

1 hour ago, Dwight Cairns said:

 

I've just brought a new T7 and went to local dealer yesterday to book in for 1st 600 miles service,  I ask what all was involved in the service other then the normal check over, Oil & filter, for the £130 +vat cost!!

I was told that all the brake calipers had to be stripped down & cleaned and that the bike had to be serviced again at 2500miles & again at 6000miles..

I never heard off this before and I've been biking for 30years + can anyone confirm this or is it just dealerships trying to rip us off??

Your service book that came with the bike will have all your service requirements. Regarding the brake calipers needing to be stripped down and cleaned is pure rubbish. Oil and filter change, check and clean air filter, general check over and tighten spokes is probably all that needs doing.