Newbie about to tackle valve clearances..have questions :)

[Steve]

So I pulled the head, and the .003mm gauge did not fit in any of the clearances!

You have already been informed about the difference of vocabulary here, so this is just a reminder to watch your measurement system and the number of zeros that you use. This is important because there is a "3" in both sets of specifications and can get confusing. The specs for valve clearance are 0.03-0.08mm or 0.001-0.003", so you can see how it's easy to relay the wrong information.

steve on this site is a big shim head guy...find his post/spread sheet/zip tie method(i have never tried it) as i have the tools.

Yeah, I'm the guy with "the spreadsheet". It is a tool that will help you keep track of what you have in your engine and will help you determine what shims you might need. Look in my sig for information.

Oh, I have "the tool", too, but have never had any success using it, so I prefer the "zip-tie method".

You would think that the nose of the cam should be exactly parallel to the valve when checking valve clearance, but the book shows that the nose has to be exactly vertical or exactly horizontal when checking clearance.

Almost true, but not complete. Yes, there is a specific position, but when the cam is in that position, you measure TWO clearances. The position is outlined rather clearly in the Suzuki manual, but not even mentioned in the Haynes or Clymer versions.

.

[blowerbike]

snap!
snap!
snap!
i'm about 50/50 with the shim tools.
the stand seems to fall over half the time and snap!
i have a wedge with a knob to depress between the lobe and shim and a thin stand to catch the side of the bucket.
i also have a kawi tool that scoops the side of the bucket to depress it.
anyways i have NEVER broken a shim with all my fumble farking...NEVER.