Valve Train Noise

[Sraposo]

I'm experiencing valve train noise..
This not supposed to look like this, right?
Shouldn't all those tappets be sitting on the closed valve the same way right? Valve seats??

https://www.flickr.com/photos/195966292@N04/shares/S37Y83

[DAVE BRADY]

Hi Sraposo,

There will always be some variation in how the adjusters sit against the valves.  As the valve is opened the adjuster will sit almost square on the valve.  Your adjusters do look a bit used so perhaps some new ones will give a more uniform appearance.
A65s do tend to have quite a bit of valve train noise.  This, to some extent, is down to back lash in the gears driving the cam and the design of the crank cases which serves as bit of an echo chamber.

Dave.

[Spaceman]

The bottom of the adjusters has to be curved because the angle they meet the valve stem at changes as the valve opens. When the engine was new, everything probably aligned very well but after 50 years and, either due to valve seat wear or a bit of re-cutting, one valve in the pics may be protruding upwards a bit more than the other causing the geometry for the two adjuster to appear to be slightly different. However, it is nothing to worry about

[Sraposo]

Thank you both for replying I'd like to add more details.
I have one other piece of data to consider. When i first got the bike running the valve train was quiet. (I bought the bike not running)
Once it got hot i noticed a head gasket leak around the cylinders. Pulled it apart to find there were two head gaskets, don't ask me why. So when i put it back together i of course went with a single gasket. Upon starting it back up the valve train started making a very loud sound. Shut it down, and disassembled and found no damage of any kind anywhere. Checked valve to piston clearance no issue there. Just to see if i screwed anything up i put it back together with TWO head gaskets like i found it, and viola, no noise. That's what sent me down the road with coil binding. Installed the proper springs with one gasket and the noise is present again although slightly softer. It's at this point where I'm stumped. I can see that 1mm difference causing a geometry issue and the adjusters did show that to be true in regards to their height in the rocker after setting the clearance. I showed these pictures to a coworker who builds harleys and he is inclined to think the valves are sitting really deep in their seats. Something is definitely off, just not sure what this is supposed to look like as i am new to the BSA life.. lol..

[Spaceman]

From what I can see, there is nothing wrong with the configuration of the adjusters - the lock nuts do not appear to have reached the limit of the threads on the adjusters and they appear to protrude below the rocker arm by a reasonable amount.

The clue to the problem probably lies with why the head was fitted with two gaskets. Two possible reasons come to mind: the first is that the head is distorted and someone has tried to seal it with a thicker gasket; the second possibility is that the head has been skimmed and the only way to restore the push rod / rocker geometry was to thicken the gasket.

It would be interesting to know if you can hear any strange noises with the rocker cover off while kicking over the bike with the spark plugs removed?

[Sraposo]

Quiet as field mice when just kicking it over. I tried that as well. I am in the process of tearing it down to do a full rebuild. Is there a way to tell, a measurement perhaps, to see if it has been plained to far. The two head gasket solution is not one i am fond of. Perhaps a thicker base gasket on the cylinder when i reassemble the engine would be best.. open to any and all ideas. 

[Spaceman]

I think it should be obvious from the condition of the mating flange on the cylinder head if it has been skimmed in the not too distant past. It would be worth checking the flatness of the mating surface by fitting the head without a gasket and then checking for any gaps with a feeler gauge - from memory, up to 5 thou gap is probably ok but significantly more might b a problem.