First time shimmer (is that even a word?)

[Guest]

Hey everyone,

Ok, so I've been doing some reading (Thanks to Mr. Basscliff and his fantastic walkthrough) and I think I'm going to try my hand at shimming my own valves since I've managed to eventually succeed at all my other projects for the bike. I did have a few questions though:

Since I've never done this before, the process is basically going to be to open the bike, check the clearances, note the current shims (somehow excel sounds like a good resource for documentation) and then figure out which ones I'll need to order (if any) to create the proper clearances I need to get the bike back in spec?

I have the Clymer and Haynes manuals so I figure there's adequate supplemental information in them to make an informed decision on what I need parts wise?

I've seen some mention that I can 'order ahead' for the next time I shim. How will I know what I need in the future if this is my first time and I'm not sure how long it's been since the last adjustment or will I likely have to wait until next time to get a trend?

Thanks for all your help. This truly is a great community!

[hikermikem]

Send Steve an e-mail & he'll send you his wonderfull excel spreadsheet designed for just this task:

woodin.s@gmail.com

Word of advice, don't rotate the motor without any shims in the buckets!!

You will most likely find that you can swap out shims between cylinders to get the clearances you need, thus reducing the number of shims you actually need to procure.

Good luck

mike

[MisterCinders]

Unless the tappets are different on your bike, I found the special tappet tool ($15 from Z1 Enterprises IIRC) much easier to use than the "zip-tie" method for getting the shims in/out of place. YMMV

Also, check the Suzuki service manual for measuring valve clearance. For my bike (1978 GS750 8-valve), Clymer's had a different method and sequence for measuring valves, and the clearances were not accurate. The Suzuki manual shows how to do the valve check with far fewer turns of the engine, and yields far more accurate measurements.

HTH

[BassCliff]

Hi,

I've seen some mention that I can 'order ahead' for the next time I shim. How will I know what I need in the future if this is my first time and I'm not sure how long it's been since the last adjustment or will I likely have to wait until next time to get a trend?

Here's what I do.

I have inventoried the shims in my bike and also keep track of the clearances. Let's say for example that most of my clearances are in the .07-.010mm range but I have one or two that are only .04 or .05mm. I know I may have to replace those two at sometime during the next valve check or two. If those two shims are, say, 2.55 and 2.60mm then I will order a 2.50mm shim. I know that I'll be able to move the 2.55 shim in place of the 2.60 when I have to. Of course, if one valve moves but the other doesn't, you may not be able to swap shims around to your advantage. So having 2 or 3 of a particular size may not be a bad thing.

Once you've done a couple of valve checks, and keep your oil changed regularly, you may find that your clearances will stay very stable and not move much for long periods of time. Out of the last three valve checks I think I have swapped only three shims.

Z1 has the best prices on shims. Don't order a whole kit. Order just the ones you think you'll need.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff