Aprilia Falco Valve 20,000 Mile Clearance Check
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Rechecking the Clearances
As my Falco approached 20,000 miles (18,600 to
be exact), I thought I'd check the clearances again. I only did
things with two minor differences this time around:
- I didn't remove the tank.
Not needing to remove the tank for any other purpose, I worked
around it. To make room, I removed the single swivel bolt in
the back to allow the back of the tank to be lifted up a few
inches (use a towel or something to prevent scratches). The prop
rod doesn't lift very high, so I tied the front of the tank up
to the rafters. There was plenty of room for tool access.
- I rotated the crankshaft with
a socket instead of bumping it with the starter.
This is safer and I had the 14 mm Allen socket this
time. Don't rotate the motor backwards though (I believe
it rotates counterclockwise, but you can bump it with the
starter to check--before you put an allen key on it!)
Thankfully, all valves were in spec this
time. I give the clearances here in inches because those
are my finest feeler gauges.
| 2000-1/2 Aprilia Falco
Valve Clearance Specs and Measurements |
|---|
| Valve
Type |
Valve
Location |
Acceptable
Clearance |
Front Cylinder
Measurement (my bike) |
Rear Cylinder
Measurement (my bike) |
| Intake | Gear
side | 0.005-0.007
in | 0.0065 | 0.0065 |
| Opposite Gear | 0.0060 | 0.0055 |
| Exhaust | Gear side | 0.009-0.011 in | 0.0095 | 0.0105 |
| Opposite Gear | 0.0105 | 0.0105 |
The last 9,000 miles or so the front valve
cover has been seeping oil a bit. I found the hard to torque
bolt in front was looser than the rest. This time I cranked
on it a bit. The other bolts are easy enough to get a torque
wrench on. The result was that it leaked even more. It turned
out that the front gasket was not seated properly. Two things
I did to fix the problem:
- Use gasket tack to stick the front gasket to the valve
cover while you manuever it in place. There are many manufacturers
of this stuff. It is a sticky sealant that doesn't ever harden,
and still allows the gasket to be removed intact. I didn't use
tack on the head side except for the small area where the sensor
wires pass under the cover. For the rest or the contact area,
I just spread some wheel bearing grease as a lubricant.
- You can remove the plastic lower bodywork that wraps around the oil
cooler, and the plastic cover that shields the front pipe and horn.
Once you do this, you have a clear view of the front of the
valve cover and can inspect and adjust the gasket if necessary.
This takes no time at all to do.
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