Checking the valve clearance is easy and fun. Changing the valve clearance is more involved since the camshaft(s) has to come out. My old Suzuki uses a shim on top of the bucket. A special tool levers the bucket down and the shim is replaced with a thinner or thicker shim. My old Honda uses an adjustment screw on the valve rocker. The camshafts stay in place.
Most newer bikes have the shim under the bucket, on top of the valve. All the clearances are checked and written down, the crank is rotated and done several more times until all valves are checked. If any are too tight or too loose, the crank is set to TDC, the camshaft sprockets are loosened and the cams slid out. The buckets of the loose or tight valves are taken off, the shim sizes are read, or if they are wiped off, the shims are miked, and new shims are inserted to get the correct clearance. The cams are slid back in, checked to make sure the exhaust and intake aren't switched, are in the correct time, and you're done. You definitely need the manual for this.
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