Just a thought. As you didn't do the work, what's the chances that your mechanic has swapped the cables over so that the self test is now going anti clockwise rather than clockwise. If you took them off and identified which one pulls on the self test, that should go over the top of the pulley to the hole on the left side of the pulley. As I said, just a thought but won't take long to find out.
In case you haven't gone through the FAQ and seen the link this may be of use - http://www.cartestsoftware.com/fz1/exupmaintenance.html
Sounds like its not adjusted properly, start the bike let idle for a few seconds, hit the kill switch and see where the pulley returns to. It should come to rest with the fork of the pulley over the hole, if not adjust it with the inline cable adjusters under the tank.
This is from Pat's site that I linked to earlier, it's quite explicit in stating that you should turn the ignition on and then off to allow for the servo to move the valve to the correct location before making any adjustments;Underneath the cover is the Exhaust Valve pulley. It is controlled by two cables. The free play in each cable should not exceed 1.5 mm (0.06 in.). That 1.5 mm is free slack, movement without any pressure at all, not as far as you can push it. Mine were very loose. The 'fork' in the pulley should line up over the hole as shown. If it does not then it may be 30 degrees or more advanced. Turn the ignition ON then OFF. The pulley fork should now be aligned over the hole. If the pulley is not lined up over the hole then the cables are very likely improperly adjusted beyond the tension adjustment. You should loosen both cables until you can manually rotate the pulley until it lines up over the hole (see below how to loosen the cables.) You should do the ignition ON then OFF sequence again to make sure the servo motor is properly zeroed. Then proceed with the tension adjustment.
You are correct Roxburd, I also thought that the instruction in all manuals are a bit unclear. Even though Pats Site does state the on/off it is easy to get mixed up in the on off and running the engine, the kill switch method is just that bit more foolproof. If it is going to take a bit of time getting the adjustments correct it is advisable on the 2003 onward models and US imports to pull the plugs on the headlights to save the battery. Just don't forget to plug them back in when finished. Very important also is to allow sufficient slack on the cables.
I had the same experience with my mechanic. After my exup value was stuck he freed it all up and felt a big difference in performance, but having read about peoples experiences with the adjustments , I looked at mine and found that first the cables were not at the correct tension a bit lose but no 7k problem and the valve was in the wrong position using Pats method. I fixed best I could and the performance increases again. I went to see the mechanic but sadly he tells me he has been fixing bikes for 35 years and has been adjusting Fazer exup value since the beginning and does not need to read the manual as he can work it out for him self and does not think it is good to have the cables to tight, and did not appreciate me telling him how to do his job.Very sad has he otherwise did a good job at a good price and I trusted him to do a good job
What mileage is on the bike?
The Mounting plate can wear on the inside and can cause side play and a bit of noise, however it does not effect the operation of the valve. Mine is worn enough and has a ridge, but works fine. (40000miles). Last time mine was rattling it was because I had to much slack in the cables.The bush in the mounting plate is very easily removed, but be aware it is pushed out from the inside. I remove them using a vice and either 9 or10mm socket (cannot remember which) on the inside and a 21 mm on the outside. Bushes are around £45 each. It will do no harm to replace it. The plate is around £125