| Author | Message | ||
     Yohinan |
Hopefully someone can help me out here. I am planning on changing out the heads on my 04 XB12R this weekend. Are there any special tools needed in regards to this change? I have all the basic tools. I am from the car world so if I have a valve spring compressor for car springs will that work for the springs on my Buell or do I need to buy a specific tool for valve springs on a bike? Any other specific tools I will neeed for this head change that car tools will not work for? TIA | ||
| Blake |
The service manual should give you a good idea of what you'll need. If you don't have the service manual, you have no business performing that work on your bike. Please tell me you have a service manual.  What exactly do you mean by "changing out", a complete swap with new fully assembled heads or rebuikding existing heads or something in between? | ||
| Yohinan |
Blake, I got it all sorted out. Hopefully I will have it finished this weekend. By changing out I meant swapping the head. Basically pulling off the stock head. Swapping all the associated parts to the new head and then reinstalling. Basically a R&R of the head. PS Yes I do have a FSM | ||
| Blake |
I cannot imagine why a typical spring compressor wouldn't work, but I'm no expert. Glad to hear you have it sorted. Post pics? | ||
| Yohinan |
Blake not sure what a "typical" spring compressor is? There are at least 15 different types that I know of. I purchased a Snap On one that I thought would work ( was for import car engines ) however it was a tad too small. I was going to call it a weekend and try the next with a Jim's compressor but figured I would take a trip over to NAPA and see if they had any that would work. Low and behold they did. It is rather big and beefy and cost 100.00 but it's still cheaper than the 130.00 or so I was going to drop on the Jim's spring compressor. Plus I can use this on car heads to. Here is a link to that post with the pic. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/32777/183106.html?1142834544 | ||
| Steveshakeshaft |
FWIW, I have a typical automtive spring compressor that works fine on the Lightning and Thunderstorm heads, but the finning of the XB heads is that bit too deep for the "throat" of that spring compressor to be useable! Another thing to watch is that the XB heads use the bee hive springs so the retaining collars are smaller diameter. This can be a bit awkward given the arrangement of some typical automotive tools. I had to pop over to a Buell specialist shop to get the valve springs assembled when putting XB heads onto my '97 M2. HTH. | ||
| Yohinan |
Steve, If you change enough heads the I would highly recommend the one I got from Napa. It worked on my XB heads like a charm and I had them R&R'd in 10 mins at most. No need to pay a shop to do something that you can do. | ||
| Steveshakeshaft |
Thanks for that. Unfortunately, I live in the UK, so no NAPA over here. I suppose I could buy some stuff when I visit Florida in 10 days time for a vacation. Wife would go nuts! | ||
| Blake |
Yer coming to Floriday? Invasion alert! Invasion alert! Next year make a couple weeks earlier, okay? | ||
| Steveshakeshaft |
Sorry for the late reply Blake. I've been poorly sick. Yes, we arrive in Orlando International Airport Tuesday 4th April. A couple of weeks in Orlando and Clearwater. Just tell me about the bad timing eh! Hilarious, (not) but we'll see about next year if Buell are at Daytona I'll really make an effort to be there for 07. After missing Bonneville due to the flooding in 05 I owe myself a trip to Daytona (I'm telling the wife that it is a sort of therapy)....... | ||
| Blake |
Excellent! I hope your vacation sees nice weather and some well deserved family recreation. | ||
| Steveshakeshaft |
Cheers Blake. Third time for us in Fl so we kind of know our way around. It's a great place for a family holiday for sure. |
