DS525X Valve Clearance Specification
Valve clearance specification, inspection interval and the workshop check and shim procedure for the Voge DS525X (KEL500F engine), with the points where the official manuals differ.
On this page
The KEL500F is an in-line twin with double overhead camshafts and 8 valves Owner's manual p. 87. Each valve is worked by a swinging arm, and the clearance is set with a shim that sits under the arm. The KEL500F engine workshop manual marks valve clearance as a job that, for safety, should be done by a dealer only Engine manual p. 20-21.
The Hungarian owner's manual is a machine translation and its introduction names an older model (Valico 500DS/500DSX), so treat values that appear only there with caution.
Specifications
| Item | Intake | Exhaust |
|---|---|---|
| Clearance, cold engine | 0.13 - 0.19 mm | 0.24 - 0.30 mm |
| Source | 0.13-0.19 mm Engine manual p. 8. The owner's manual prints 0.16 ± 0.03 mm and the Hungarian manual 0.16 mm. | 0.24-0.30 mm Engine manual p. 8. The owner's manual prints 0.27 ± 0.03 mm and the Hungarian manual 0.27 mm. |
| Engine temperature | Cold, below 35 °C Engine manual p. 23 | Same |
| Adjustment | Shim under the swinging arm | Same |
| Shim sizes | 69 thicknesses from 1.200 to 2.900 mm in 0.025 mm steps Engine manual p. 25 | Same |
The procedure text in the workshop manual does not match its own specification table. On p. 24 it prints "EX: 0.25~0.3mm" at the first crank position and "EX: 0.15~0.2" at the second, while the table on p. 8 gives 0.13-0.19 mm intake and 0.24-0.30 mm exhaust. The cylinder head chapter table on p. 60 gives 0.13-0.2 mm intake and 0.25-0.3 mm exhaust. We cannot verify which is correct. The owner's manual agrees with the table on PDF page 8.
Inspection interval
The documents give different intervals. We cannot verify which is correct.
- Owner's manual p. 89: inspect at 19,000 km and 37,000 km. The table ends at 37,000 km.
- Hungarian manual p. 99: check every 20,000 km.
- Workshop manual p. 20: its own table inspects at 1,000 km and 25,000 km. The same page says to inspect according to the periodic maintenance table in the owner's manual.
There is no Swedish DS525X manual. The 10,000 km cadence in the Swedish DS625X and R625 manuals belongs to those models and is not used here.
How clearance is checked
From the workshop manual p. 23-24:
- Check with the engine cold, below 35 °C.
- Remove the cylinder head cover, and the view-hole cover with its o-ring.
- Turn the crankshaft anticlockwise until the "T" mark on the part the manual calls the "magnetic cylinder" lines up with the indicating groove on the crankcase cover.
- Check that the IN and EX timing marks are flush with the cylinder head surface and the punch mark faces up. If they are not, turn the crankshaft anticlockwise 360° and line up the "T" mark again.
- Measure the clearance with a feeler gauge between the swinging arm and the shim on cylinder 1 (left) and cylinder 2 (right). Record each clearance, because the readings are used to choose shims.
- Turn the crankshaft anticlockwise 180° so the punch mark on the sprocket lines up with the cylinder head surface. Measure the clearances on cylinder 1 and cylinder 2 again.
- Compare each reading with the specification. Adjust any valve that is out of range.
How clearance is adjusted
From the workshop manual p. 25-26:
- Make sure the swinging-arm shaft is in a position where it can be removed.
- Remove the socket plug bolt and its washer. Hold the swinging arm and pull out its shaft with a 6 mm bolt.
- Slide the shaft outwards and remove the shim. A magnet or tweezers makes this easier. Do not let a shim drop into the crankcase or the spark plug hole, and mark every shim so it goes back in its place.
- Measure the removed shim with a micrometer and record it.
- Work out the new shim. The manual prints the formula as A = (B～C) + D, where A is the new shim thickness, B the measured clearance, C the specified clearance and D the removed shim thickness. If carbon build-up makes the result more than 2.9 mm, the valve seat surface must be reworked.
- Coat the valve stem end with molybdenum disulfide solution and fit the new shim on the valve spring seat. Coat the sliding area, thrust surface and outside of the swinging-arm shaft with molybdenum disulfide solution, push the shaft in and fit it through the cylinder head and the arm.
- Oil the thread of the socket plug bolt, fit a new washer and tighten it.
- Turn the camshaft several times and measure the clearance again.
- Fit a new o-ring to the view-hole cap, oiled, coat the cap thread with lubricant and tighten it. Refit the cylinder head cover.
The workshop manual gives different torques for two of these parts. We cannot verify which is correct.
| Part | Value and source |
|---|---|
| Socket plug bolt for the swinging-arm shaft (M12) | 16 N·m Engine manual p. 26, as in the torque table on p. 12. 15 N·m in the cylinder head table on p. 13 and in the swinging arm procedure on p. 74. |
| View-hole cap (M45) | 18 N·m Engine manual p. 26. 12 N·m in the torque table on p. 12. |
Owner pre-check before booking
To save dealer time:
- Note any abnormal top-end noise, rough idle or hard starting, and when it happens.
- Have the bike's service history ready, including the mileage of the last valve inspection.
- Ask the workshop to record the measured clearances, as the workshop manual asks the technician to do, and to give you the readings.
Cross-reference
The KEL500F and the DS625X's KEL600 use different clearances. Don't carry values between the bikes.
| Spec | DS525X (KEL500F) | DS625X (KEL600) |
|---|---|---|
| Valve clearance | Intake 0.13 - 0.19 mm, exhaust 0.24 - 0.30 mm Engine manual p. 8 | Intake 0.10 - 0.15 mm, exhaust 0.15 - 0.20 mm Engine manual p. 10 |
| Inspection in the English owner's manual table | 19,000 and 37,000 km Owner's manual p. 89 | 19,000 and 37,000 km Owner's manual p. 89 |
Sources
- Voge DS525X owner's manual (English)
- KEL500F engine workshop manual
- DS525X owner's manual (Hungarian), machine translated
Have a logged measurement from your bike at a known mileage? Send it in.