valve shim question

[mc guy 66]

i have a 1982 gs 650 gt it has 49000 miles on it.its starting to make a little valve noise so im going to check them and adjust has needed.my question is when i order a shim kit which one do i get?on bike bandit there are 3 kits you can purchase one is 8.90 mm od, one is 7.48 mm od,and the other is 9.48mm od.which one of these do i order and what does od stand for? each kit has 30 shims in them.if anybody know anything about ordering shims or a better place to get them and what size i need i would appreciate the advice thanks and have a good day

[SqDancerLynn1]

That does not sound like the right kit. Probably for a later GSXR type with shim under bucket

Check this out http://www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=154

[cowboyup3371]

You'll want to check them first so you know exactly what you need before you go buying anything. You really won't know what clearance you have until you measure them and then figure what you will need from there. Get yourself a metric feeler gauge and other tools as needed such as either the valve shim tool from Z1...http://www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=1696 or a couple of zip ties.

Two other notes for you though...Check out the shim club listed under GS Services and look for Steve on here (that's his username as well). He'll probably be along later to offer his spreadsheet and I highly recommend you take him up on it.

[Steve]

You don't need ANY kits.

Measure your valve clearances, check the shims to see what you have, you will then know what you need.

There is always a chance that you can move some of your shims around to minimize the number of shims you need to buy, there is no need to buy a whole kit. If you do need to buy shims, they are available at Z1 Enterprises for about $5.28 each. Or you can look up the GSR shim club to see what is necessary there (I don't use that service, so I don't know).

To help you determine what shims you actually need, I offer an Excel spreadsheet that will do the math for you, as well as provide a record of your service. See the end of my sig for details.

.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Yes, if you want a whole "kit", then the link Lynn gave you is the one. These GS bikes use the 29.5 mm "Outside Diameter" shims. But the thing with the kit is that you won't be able to use about half of them because they are already too large for the clearances in your engine.

I have always measured my clearances, inventoried my shims, and kept records on Steve's handy spreadsheet. That way I know what my clearances are, I know what shims I have installed, and I can "guesstimate" what shims I may need for future valve adjustment. Then I order a few ahead of time.

If the valves have not been adjusted in a long, long time then you may need to swap a lot of shims. I had to swap 5 the first time I did mine. A couple of them I had to go down two sizes because the clearances were that tight.

The last time I checked my valves I had to change only two. (I really had to change only one, but I changed the other a little ahead of schedule.) But the two checks before that I didn't have to change any. If you keep up with all the regular maintenance the engine will tend to stabilize and the valves clearances will not change dramatically between checks.

See the Valve Adjustment guide on my website for more information. It should answer most, if not all, of your questions. You'll even find the "zip tie method" there.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[mc guy 66]

thanks for info i understand what to do now

[Steve]

... i understand what to do now

Oh?

I haven't seen your request yet.

.