Making with the Manometer

Stripping down for service.

The new V-Strom had been set up very nicely by its previous owners, and came with just about everything I'd hope to add on to it. What it didn't come with was detailed information on when certain maintenance had been performed.

Having become quite obsessive about maintenance, I decided to put my mind at rest and just take care of things. Over the course of a month I replaced the spark plugs, chain, sprockets, tires, and air filter, synchronized the throttle bodies, and checked the valves. Between the service manual and the invaluable advice found on Stromtrooper the jobs were all straigtforward.

Gas tank removed, giving access to the air filter and rear cylinder.

Changing the air filter took a surprising number of steps, most notably removing the gas tank. This being my first bike that even has an actual gas tank, I was intimidated by this step. Luckily the service manual is clear, and it really wasn't that big of a deal. I'd already ordered a new stock air filter to replace whatever might already be on the bike, and was surprised to see a K&N had been fitted. I still intended to go back to a stock filter, but the K&N requires the removal of a special gasket that the stock filter needs, so I was forced to stick with the K&N until the gasket arrived a couple weeks later.

The K&N that came with the bike. So many bugs!

A few weeks later came time to check the valves and sync the throttle bodies. These were another two jobs which seemed intimidating at first, but turned out to be pretty easy. The procedure was mostly the same, removing the front fairings and gas tank, but this time the radiator also had to come off. This was probably the hardest part of the job, with ten electrical connections to remove.

Checking the valves was just a matter of taking the cylinder covers off, rotating the crank with a ratchet to a specified spot, and sticking gauges into a few places. Actually changing the valve shims sounds like a harder job, but luckily my valves were within spec (except one, but it was so close I'm leaving it until next time).

Manometer attached to vacuum ports, synchronizing throttle bodies.

Synchronizing the throttle bodies required the use of a manometer: a simple tool with an unfortunate name. Again, thanks to the advice found on Stromtrooper, I decided to build my own rather than buy one. It cost maybe $8 in materials, versus $100 or more for one of the commercially available models. This guide shows how to build the manometer, and this guide shows how to go about actually synchronizing the throttle bodies.

While these procedures require patience and the precise following of instructions, none of them are particularly difficult, and I recommend that owners try doing it themselves rather than taking it to a dealer. Outweighing even the large cost savings is knowing that the work has been done right and with care.