exhuast valve gets tight after 300+ miles

gt_two_bradley · #1 06-30-2008, 11:29 AM

Hi I have a 74 ironhead sporty that after 300+ miles my front exhaust valve gets tight. The rest of the valves seem fine. Do I need to take this apart to possible fix this issue? Not sure but could worn tappets or bent pushrod do this? Bike will run great but after 2 fills I get some backfire and find the valve tight. Any ideas? I would like to save a big tare down for after the summer riding. P.S. I have noticed when adjusting the valves the back exhaust is very tricky to stay at the up most spot. When I reach the top it is very quick to fall right down. This makes it very hard to get that front valve adjusted. &nbsp\\;Could there be problem with my cams? Thanks Gary

lucky23 · #2 06-30-2008, 12:30 PM

i have a similar problem with my '70 XL...

piniongear · #3 06-30-2008, 10:06 PM

Put your stand under the bike and raise the rear wheel off the ground.
Put it in 4th gear.
Now use the rear wheel to advance the engine forward. You want to raise the rear exhaust valve to the highest point to adjust the front exhaust clearance and vise-versa. Ditto for the intakes.
The wheel should give it enough drag so that it does not roll off the high point. If it still does, heck, just tie the brake lever down. That will hold it!............pg