I just had my valves adjusted at the dealer,who said that they were really loose.What would cause mine to be more loose than my friend's who bought his at the same time as me?How often should they be adjusted?Thanks

 

Couldn't tell you why yours needed adjusting first, unless you ride more than your friend or your lock down nut on your rocker arm was not very tight. As far as how often, it all depends on how much you ride. Mine is a '99, and I don't know how many times I have adjusted them. I just wait until I can hear them chatter. You can cause damage to the valve or rocker arm over a period of time if you ride with them loose.

 

Not only that, but loose valves mean that they are not opening to optimum, thereby letting less air/exhaust in/out, thus costing power! Yes, we are talking small amounts, but every bit of power helps. Valve adjusting helps keep that bike at peak performance.