how to check valve clearances??

[Kitten Tooth]

ok, i am so sick of this practically brand new motor just sitting in my shop, doing nothing. I've just been too lazy to mess with it due to my KZ1000 needing work and this cafe racer project i have been busy with.. As most of you know, the motor is out of a 1983 GS300L and it currently has 0 miles on the whole top end, unless you cound turning it with a rachet as i was putting the pistons into the jugs and doing a rotation after i got it timed.. all thats left now is to adjust the valves to the proper gap. I bought some bladed feeler gauges from harbor freight tools and i went to go and do the job. I went to slide the gauge in between the top of the valve and the rocker and i found that there is no room for the gauge to go in there... can i just chop off a section of the blade i need and use that? or is there a special set of gauges i can get that will fit in there? the gauge wont clear the gasket surgace for the valve cover.. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks guys,
KT

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Perhaps you can use an angled feeler gauge set? I'm sorry I don't have a valve adjustment guide for your engine, but you can get an idea by CLICKING HERE.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Steve]

BassCliff has a manual on his site for the 2-cylinder bikes.

I just looked in it and saw that they use rather flexible feeler gauges.



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[John Mellencamp]

Does the zip tie method work for these twincams because I have no luck in trying . What exactly does the ziptie do stop the valve moving up?

[BassCliff]

Hi,

The "zip tie method" involves sticking folded zip ties into the cylinders, between the valve and the valve seat, so that it holds the valve open. This gives you enough clearance to pull out the shim.

This whole procedure is unnecessary for the 4-valve-per-cylinder engines. Besides the fact that there are no shims, it would be more difficult to stick two folded zip ties in the cylinder to hold open two valves at the same time.

For your reference: Zip Tie Supplement (by Mr. Matchless)

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Steve]

Does the zip tie method work for these twincams because I have no luck in trying . What exactly does the ziptie do stop the valve moving up?

"These twincams"? You must be new to GSs, they are all twincams.

The folded zip-tie gets placed between the head of the opened valve and the seat in the cylinderhead. As the cam is rotated so the lobe is pointing away from the valve stem, the valve is prevented from closing all the way, giving you plenty of clearance to pull the shim.

Note that this is only necessary on the bikes that use shims. The picture I posted above came from the 250/400/450 book that is posted on BassCliff's site, but it shows screw-type adjusters and four valves per cylinder. That is definitely on a newer bike, not sure why it's in that book.

CAUTION: Use a zip-tie only a limited number of times. It will certainly last for a couple of adjustment sessions, but maybe not much more than that. To make it easy, just use a new one every year.

I have a couple that I carry with me and have helped several GSers learn how to do their valves. One of my zip-ties got used on at least six bikes and split on the last one. No problem, I just pulled out my other one. Most of us can certainly afford to 'waste' a single zip-tie for a good cause once a year.

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[John Mellencamp]

I wish there was no shims on my bike I would have done this already with the screw and locknut type . Unfortunately the GSX250/400EZ and US GS 450 models all use the shim type . I guess I need some beefier zip ties as mine are only a couple of inches long . Also I`m scared of the tie getting cut off and ending up in the engine so I`ve broke down and bought the Suzuki tool for the job but still expect quite a fight when I recieve it

[herostar]

I use a piece of speaker wire instead of a zip tie...

You can use pretty much anything that's softer than the valves/head