Another shim question

[Giblet]

OK, I know what to do if the shim needs to be thicker but, what if it needs to be thinner, as in my .0015 in/.038mm feeler blade won't slide between a shim & cam lobe? There is probably a very simple explaination for this but I haven't found it in any of my manuals.

[Einar J Skog]

Put on a thinner shim and measure.
You allways need thinner shims.
( as the valve head wears, the valve stem comes closer to the cam.)

[Giblet]

Duh? My dad often told me to use my head for something besides a place to put my hat :-D . Got them all measured and figured out what replacement shims I need. For some reason all the local M/C shops were closed today. Just so happens that tomorrow is July 4th and I guess those guys thought they needed a 4 day weekend too. It turns out my wife's car needed a new radiator cooling fan and a cousin needed help with his car so it wasn't a wasted day. THANKS EINAR!\\/

[jeff.saunders]

If your smallest feeler gauge blade won't slide under the cam, check to see if the shim/bucket spins. If it does, then you know you have some clearance. Assuming 0.0015" is your smallest feeler gauge blade, then you will have a measurement greater than zero and less than 1.5 thou - just assume .5 thou and make the shim adjustments.

[rustybronco]

the local m/c shops around here don't have shims in stock i had to order them off the internet i got them from jeff saunders @ z1 enterprizes they had the lowest price that i found and were shipped very fast, in my opinion you can't beat them.

http://www.z1enterprises.com

[Giblet]

Thanks for the parts resource. It would spin as easily as the others with more than .0015 clearance. My old Suzuki guru will swap them for a buck a piece. He used to be the Suzuki dealer here in Greenville (Tx) and knows these bike inside & out. I'll just need to take my calipers so I can verify what I am getting. There were 2 that were in upside down but the numbers were still readable if you held them just right. At least I know someone tried to adjust them at some point previously.

[Giblet]

the local m/c shops around here don't have shims in stock i had to order them off the internet i got them from jeff saunders @ z1 enterprizes they had the lowest price that i found and were shipped very fast, in my opinion you can't beat them.

http://www.z1enterprises.com

Should have just ordered them online. Did so Friday night. Hopefully they will be here by Tuesday.My old Suzuki guru is sometimes quick & sometimes slow. He assured me that he had "buckets" of shims in the back. And he did, just not the two I needed. He supposedly has them on the way but I ordered them from Z1 just in case. Can't knock him too much though. He's a good guy, 72 and his intention is generally to save me money. He'd rather give me advice & instruction than charge me labor.

[Nessism]

The local shops in my area had TONS of the thicker shims but NONE of the thinner ones that everyone needs. Big pain in the a$$. Good thing is that the valve train is very stable and should not need adjustment very often.

[Giblet]

Jeff @ Z1 Enterprises came through for me. I ordered the shims late Friday night and they arrived via US mail today. Got everything put back together and it seems there is much less valve noise at idle. Its late and I'm tired so I'll road test it tomorrow. Thanks again for the tip.