My 2000 Kodiak's now 3 1/2 months old and I want to adjust the valves. The shop manual says to remove the front rack, fenders, and undo some wiring in order to get to the engine to adjust the valves. Has anyone done the valves on their Kodiak and was is as big a task as it appears in the shop manual ?

 

Yes you do have to remove all the hardware to reach the,motor.

 

Where did you get the shop manual? I have been looking for one.

 

I spoke w/ a Yamaha Mechanic friend of mine and he said they haven't needed to adjust the 00 Kodiak's valves. I know mine aren't clicking at all at 800 miles.

 

Um my bayou 220 is 8 yrs old and it's never had a valve adjustment. My engine makes a loud clicking/ticking sound that has almost turned to a rattle, i thought nothing of it though because many people have said that All Kawasaki engines have a ticking to them.. I'm not sure if I need to or not.

 

You can reach the intake valve under the tank. You can get to the exhaust valve by removing the right front wheel and shock. It's tight but if you are skilled it can be done.
You need to be experienced at this type of thing and have the proper wrenches for the valve adjustment procedure.
I checked mine at 75 hours and they were dead on.
The Yamaha dealer told me that for a few years now, the Yamaha's have been shipping with the valves seated properly and the valve and seat materials are of much better quality. Un-leaded gas has made a major improvement in valve train and spark plug life as well.
But it is good to check it.

 

Monk01,
I ordered the Kodiak shop manual from my Yamaha dealer. I ordered it when I got the quad in mid June and it was backordered for about 6 weeks. Finally I did receive it and it should now be available from your Yamaha dealer. Seems like it was around 50 bucks but it's a genuine Yamaha book, not aftermarket..

 

My son bought a 1996 Bayou 400 and the engine ticked noticeably. I adjusted the valves back to the tight side of the spec (both had opened about .005") and the engine now runs as good as it did but it's nice and quiet. I think it's a good thing to do.

 

Thanks for the input. I owned a small engine business for years and will be able to do the valves thru the wheel area. Mine has a very small ticking when warm and the valves are not off by much if at all, but I just wanted to make sure. This is my first quad and I love the Kodiak. Thanks again.