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After a friend reported a cam wear problem found on investigating an increasingly loud ticking noise at 19000km, I thought I'd check mine. Obviously not even due for the first clearance check at only 17855km, and just starting to show wear on three out of four intake lobes:( It can just barely be felt with a fingernail or the edge of a fine feeler guage.
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starting to show wear on three out of four intake lobes
Speak with your dealer and show them the photos and a table of the clearances for both heads. At that mileage, the clearances will have moved immeasurably under normal circumstances.

In my experience, BMW Motorrad Australia will do the right thing and support their product. Is the other side OK?
 
Speak with your dealer and show them the photos and a table of the clearances for both heads. At that mileage, the clearances will have moved immeasurably under normal circumstances.

In my experience, BMW Motorrad Australia will do the right thing and support their product. Is the other side OK?
Yeah, I hoped I'd get a positive response too Mark, but no. I spoke to the dealer's service department, who asked me to send some photos and a letter of complaint. I sent half a dozen high res photos showing both sides, and a table of measured clearances, with what I believe to be the beginning of wear on three out of the four inlet lobes, with the real key here being that it isn't all four, and not visible at all on the exhaust cams, so surely can't be 'normal'. But the response from my local dealer was that the photos were reviewed by a 'BMW Master Technician' and that it is 'normal wear'.
The best we could agree on was to keep an eye on it and take it to them for assessment if it worsens.
So the result of all that is that I'll take the cam covers off every oil change and probably in between and have a look.
I'm planning a multi-state trip in March, pandemic and work both permitting, and am now lacking some confidence in the bike...

The same dealer (only one in the state) is managing the repair of a friend's bike with worn cams and already approved it, his is far worse and inarguable though.

BTW - All clearances were in spec. One inlet valve is near the upper limit for clearance, interestingly it's the one that shows no wear!
 
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I wouldn't hesitate to take your trip. That issue is not going to leave you stranded, or cause any other issues in a few thousand miles, since all your clearances are in check. Valve clearances tend to shorten, as valve seats wear. So having that one clearance on the high side, is way better than on the short one, and not an issue... but I'd adjust them all at the middle at the first interval.

Another approach to get the cams replaced would be to tell BMW to supply them, and you'd install them yourself. How much are they new, by the way?
 
I wouldn't hesitate to take your trip. That issue is not going to leave you stranded, or cause any other issues in a few thousand miles, since all your clearances are in check. Valve clearances tend to shorten, as valve seats wear. So having that one clearance on the high side, is way better than on the short one, and not an issue... but I'd adjust them all at the middle at the first interval.

Another approach to get the cams replaced would be to tell BMW to supply them, and you'd install them yourself. How much are they new, by the way?
Thanks for your reassurance. As you say, it's unlikely to leave me stranded, I'm more likely to get stuck somewhere with a COVID isolation or quarantine order! Being a paramedic, work is looking a bit nuts, so my trip might need to wait anyway.
Given that the clearances are all in spec, I do plan to adjust them all to the middle, but being where they are now very close to the first official check interval and with my planned surveillance of the 'wear', I'll let it go until either: 1, they measure out of spec, because why not measure them if I'm looking at the cams, 2, the cam wear becomes obvious and it goes to the dealer or 3, another 10,000km.
I don't know the price of the cams, but my friend was quoted approx $750AUD per camshaft. BMW are replacing both of his intake and one exhaust cam plus cam followers and total job quote was near $5k with labour. Pretty easy job to for me to DIY if it came to that, but shouldn't need to.
 
“Valve clearances tend to shorten, as valve seats wear.”

From my experience with the LC, the clearances are very slowly increasing (will be checking them soon, just short of 100,000 km). Maybe camshaft wear? 🤪
 
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