I need to remove the exhaust for a 2007 yamaha stratoliner.

HI. On the strat the fill plug is just behind the rear exhaust pipe about one inch or so to the rear. You need to loosen the front exhaust header nuts (don\'t remove 17 ft. lbs. ) remove the rear header nuts (these are allen style 14 ft. lbs.) pull the rear header out of the exhaust port. Use a torque wrench or they will leak. Now you have enough room to install the allen wrench into the fill plug. This plug is about 1 1/2 in diameter. It is a big pain to do. Don\'t loose the exhaust gaskets or just buy new. They are about $12 each. I have reused them just a couple times then install new.

The valve clearance is automatically adjusted be the hydraulic valve lifter. However Yamaha say there are times when the valve clearance needs to be adjusted manually. Basically to balance a pair of valves if they become misaligned (pretty dam rare) as they are operated by the one lifter. (eg Inlet pair has one hydraulic lifter and the Exhaust pair has one hydraulic lifter)

The recommend service / checking interval is 20,000 kms. (12,000miles approx) according to the manual.

I have 15800 miles on my 2008 and after speaking with a Yamaha service technician, he hasn't had one in yet that has required adjusting when he has carried out the 20,000km service. Infact he has had to adjust one as of yet even at 40,000kms.

It is a bit of a pain to do, as a lot of stuff has to be removed and the covers are a little tricky to get off.

Me, I am not going to bother until 24,000miles, as long as you change the oil and filter every 5000 miles my Yamaha guy recon it will be OK.

If you are going to do it yourself, you will need a manual as only one value has an adjuster and the other is a slipper, so they are not as easy to adjust as a pair of standard valves.

you might fix it by removing, cleaning and refitting, but if you go that far get a new gasket

this is not true I am riding the same bike with the hardcrome 2 into one side burners and love the sound and the performance