Servicing
Valve Clearance
Ignore all of steps 5 (5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3) if you have the front drum brake model.
5. To remove the valve cover you first need to remove the air box (see picture below) attached to the valve cover (its on the top of the engine, left side)
5.1 Slide the rubber air pipe out of the metal hook on the bikes metal frame (underneath the petrol tank).
5.2 Remove the two main bolts (10mm) attaching the air box to the valve cover.
Alternative Picture 1 (air box removed)
Alternative Picture 2 (valve cover with air box removed)
5.3 Remove the two 8mm bolts attaching the air pipe to the top of the valve cover (pipe has a rubber washer),
slide air box + pipes away from valve cover / bike.
If the spanner can not grip,
try a better quality spanner or warm the bike up and then try (let the bike cool down overnight again before checking valve clearance)
or remove the petrol tank & use a socket / may need an extra thin extension shaft (a socket will grip the nut far better and tighter than any spanner).
To remove petrol tank
Make sure petrol on/off/reserve tap is off & detach petrol fuel hose from petrol on/off/reserve tap
remove left side panel of bike, unclip right side panel where it clips in to petrol tank
unclip petrol tank electrical connection and un hook wire from the bikes metal frame
remove seat (2 nuts underneath rear mud guard on the sides), remove bolt holding tank, remove tank by pulling it towards rear of bike and up
Both the 10mm bolts in 5.2 and the 8mm bolts in 5.3 are identical sized threads and length.
I had real trouble getting a spanner to grip the 8mm bolt in the middle of the valve cover.
So I put the 10mm bolt from the right hand side of 5.2 in its place (10mm is no trouble with a spanner).
I put the 8mm bolt in the hole the 10mm bolt came from, I was able to use a 8mm socket (I had to use the extension shaft and adapter in the socket set to reach).
The 8mm socket gripped the 8mm bolt perfectly (be careful not to over tighten since you have far more leverage than with a spanner).
The 10mm bolt might be technically called a 10mm Hex Flange Bolt M6 x 16mm (thread needs to be on the entire length of the bolt). 16mm is the thread length.
Step 6 (back to main Valve Clearance page)