Honda Spree and Elite 50 Forums

92 elite 80 4 stroke. Starts up fine, runs fine, hits 40-45 mph. After I drive 35 mph for about 3 miles the power does seem to go down a little, still can hit top speed, just loose some acceleration. I figured this is fairly normal, cold cool engines run better than hotter ones I think. The problem is after running high speeds for extended periods of time and then come to a stop, the idle is waay lower, almost to the point of dying. Is this a symptom of a valve issue?

Greetings:

Yes this could require valve clearance adjustment. Clearances are set to spec cold. Partly this is beause a hot valve - exhaust side especially - will lengthen a tiny bit as it heats up. If clearance is insufficient, the valves leak a little which decreases compression, hence performance. Offhand, I can't think of any other reason for your issue.

Normal wear causes the valve to sink deeper into its seat over time. This "uses up" the clearance previously set. Adjustment every few thousand miles is necessary on most bikes that don't have hydraulic tappets or lash adjustors.

thanks

Wheelman-111 wrote:Greetings:

Yes this could require valve clearance adjustment. Clearances are set to spec cold. Partly this is beause a hot valve - exhaust side especially - will lengthen a tiny bit as it heats up. If clearance is insufficient, the valves leak a little which decreases compression, hence performance. Offhand, I can't think of any other reason for your issue.

Normal wear causes the valve to sink deeper into its seat over time. This "uses up" the clearance previously set. Adjustment every few thousand miles is necessary on most bikes that don't have hydraulic tappets or lash adjustors.