do i need to remove the motor or unbolt it to swap out the cam? or even if i dont have to is it one of those things that it will make the job so much easier that it is worth the effort to pull the engine? i'm just doing the cam. also about how long does this take?

 

It would not be worth it to remove the motor. It is not a problem to install the cam with the motor in the bike. It may even be easier.

I would say set aside 4 hours to do a cam change. It's not too tough if you have a service manual.

 

You do not need to unbolt the motor. To make things easier though, make sure you have everything there needed to do it as in Yamabond, assembly lube and specialty tools. What cam are you putting in?

 

just the stage 1 hotcam i bought it a few mounths ago and wase't sure if it would be worth doing by itself. so i wated till now and thougth why not? so i put it in tonight about 4 hours with a break for dinner. i think i spent i hour trying to adjust the exhaust valves. (what a pain) which brings me to my next question is there a easy way to do the exhaust valves? and what does everyone gap theres at?

 

The exhaust side sucks. Take a small feeler gauge and recheck it a couple times. I have seen some people remove the oil tank, but I never have. Make sure you reset those valves after break in, they will loosen up.

 

thanks i'm going to do that tonight. i also think i made a tool that will work better than a pair of needle nose plires; ill let you know how it works.

 

why would you have to reseat the valves? and why would you even have to adjust the valves? should they arelreayd be at the factory settings? i dont know thats why i am asking......

 

Everything changes when a cam or any valvetrain part is replaced. That is why valves have to be reset.

 

Are you saying Re-seat? Because there is no reason to re-seat a valve unless the springs are changed. if you are taking a cam out and putting a new one in i dont see any reason why you would need to re-seat the valve...now unless the valvetrain is different on a bike them from the motor on a car. when you remove a cam the valves dont move becasue the valve spring retainer keep pressure on the spring which in turns hold the valve in place. So I disagree with having to reseat the valves. Now unless you are meaning something else..... then cool. I talked to a yamaha mechanic and he said chane the came and run it for a while and check the clearances. he said also that the valves dont have to be reseated unless the springs are changed... anyone else agree?

 

OK, I see where the misunderstanding is here. What I am saying is that anytime there is a valvetrain component replaced, the clearance between each valve and the rocker arm needs to be reset. Not the seat.