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I was showing my pup Austin how to adjust valves a few years ago. I told him you want it to feel like it would if you put it near the spine of a phone book, closed it, then pulled the feeler gauge out. He said, "Phone book?"

Well , I haven't had them checked with The Bureau of Weights and Measures..... but I am satisfied with the results. They are all SnapOn brand. P.S. I do hope you are BSin' me.

Your readings "go off fast" because they are never correct the first time and here's the reason why. This is what a set of rocker arms look like at 40,000klm on a well looked after V11 sport engine. What are the chances of an accurate valve clearance check repeatability when the rocker pads look like this and the feeler gauge blade straddles this wear area when you check the clearances? You wont actually get the gap where the pad face meets the valve but some sort of average between the unworn and worn spot which will be less than where the valve stem meets the rocker pad on the wear area. So set your valves to 0.15 and end up with around 0.2-0.25 or so. Next time you do the clearances you have the gauge slightly off centre and on the worn area only and bingo a totally different reading and you scratching your head about clearances. You either need to use the feeler at the wear point or replace the rockers. It's a common issue. Pointless analysing Gauge "feel" until you've dealt with this.

Golly. The easy answer is GO-NOGO. Insert the one you want for spec, then try to insert the next size up. If your spec goes and the next doesn't, you're there within a half a thousandth. Besides, there's more difference in 'factory' and 'RaceCo' spec than you can error at any given point. Don't overthink it. My engine is much happier with the hammering elves in the valve covers than the quieter factory spec, too.

My personal method on valve clearance adjustment : tighten the adjusting screw until the feeler gauge will not move , Loosen the screw until the feeler gauge slides out , holding the screw in place then tighten the adjusting nut until it is snug AKA not coming loose . then I am happy.

Naaa. It was perfectly safe. No spring-loaded tension set to explode across the garage or anythinglike that. Biggest risk was a bollocking from the Mrs for spending the entire weekend in the garage. ;-)

It's a different one. I took the first out to NZ (as a family we alternate between there and the Isle of Man). This one was bought a year ago from a dealership in Wales based on photos and a video. It was supposed to have been fully serviced but clearly wasn't. I'd only done about 700 miles on it but being a year figured it was time for annual maintenance. Salt air could be an issue as I'm on the coast but my garage is dry and warm (contains the house heating system) and my other bikes show no corrosion. The outer surface has cleaned-up well on the stainless wheel. The splines are in good condition. As I said I suspect the grease takes the path of least resistance so rather than being forced down the splines it escapes through the hole beneath the UJ.

Certainly nobody had taken the trouble to grease it despite assurances. And the outer needle bearing in the bevel drive too hadn't been checked because it too was rusted-up. Otherwise the bike seems good.

@KINDOY2 while we're on Neil Young.... EDIT: silly motorcycle, but I like the song.

Seems like a great band, @docc, but I couldn't listen to it. Someone needs to tell the sound guy that the red lights at the top of the level meter shouldn't be on all the time...

How accurate are the feeler gauges you use anyway? Was there a metrological check included with them? I think they are mass produced so the entire procedure is kind of relative anyway. Its rather an approximation exercise. Not withstanding the temperature at which you are using them. Usually, properties are measured at standard conditions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_temperature_and_pressure Lol....

I noticed how rusty the surfaces of the swingarm bearings are, as well. Life in the salt air of the Manx Sea, @Molly ?

Celebratory beer... Had to look a the manual's drawing to appreciate how releasing fluid would find its way to the splines. Removed the grease nipple and put loads of WD40 in that way. Reassembled my contraption, heated the heck out of it, and it finally let go.