valve clearances checked and fixed!

[Guest]

Finally got in my gaskets at the local bike shop so into the valve cover I went. Here is what I found. My smallest gauge was .04 so I marked those as OOS and replace the shim.

Intake, .04, .06, .04, .>04
Exhaust, >.04, .04, >.04, .05

I was able to move around one shim and get the intake to .06. Off to the shop to change out the others.

They want 6 bucks for a swap and 15 for outright buying. This seem high to anybody else?

Thanks for the good info on the site guys, helps me out everyday through the search!

[TheCafeKid]

Finally got in my gaskets at the local bike shop so into the valve cover I went. Here is what I found. My smallest gauge was .04 so I marked those as OOS and replace the shim.

Intake, .04, .06, .04, .>04
Exhaust, >.04, .04, >.04, .05

I was able to move around one shim and get the intake to .06. Off to the shop to change out the others.

They want 6 bucks for a swap and 15 for outright buying. This seem high to anybody else?

Thanks for the good info on the site guys, helps me out everyday through the search!

DOES seem high. Swap them if ya can. For future reference, Z1 carries brand spankin new shims in sizes from 3.0 to 2.15 for around 5 bucks each.

[Ghostgs1]

Join us in the shim club, it is working pretty well and not costing me a fortune. Ray

[dr_fosg8]

Thanks for the invite Ray. If I get some extra shims I will send them your way and join the club, but right now the only ones I have are the 8 that came with the bike.

[PaulC]

If I remember correctly from a year ago my dealer wanted $2-3 to swap and $4 to buy.

[doctorgonzo]

Probably need to revisit in a couple thousand miles. Those .04 will be ready. Keep track of your shim sizes and you'll be able to order the next smaller size for those before you tear the cover off.

[bwringer]

Suzuki shims usually run $10 - $12 each to buy, and the aftermarket (K&L) shims sold by CRC2 and Z1 are $5 each.

I haven't found any shops that will swap around here, and NONE of the Suzuki dealers within 200 miles of Indy stock shims.

Good thing I live 20 minutes from CRC2...

[Steve]

Yeah, those prices seem a bit high, but not really unexpected. The last time I went to get shims for my Kaw, they were $6 to exchange, $12 to buy, and you would be buying from their stock, which were not necessarily new. This is the same stock that the mechanics would dip into when they needed to change shims on a customer's bike. Nothing wrong with used shims, mind you, but there is no need to charge 'new' prices for them, either.

Keep track of your shim sizes and you'll be able to order the next smaller size for those before you tear the cover off.

You want a nifty way to keep track of your shims and your clearances? Send me an e-mail (click on my name for the address) and I will send you a copy of my Excel spreadsheet.

125 (registered) users so far, I think they are all satisfied, because nobody has said they didn't like it.

.

[ned37]

i just bought a new 29mm shim from my local kawi dealer for $6.50. a lot of kaws use them.

[bwringer]

i just bought a new 29mm shim from my local kawi dealer for $6.50. a lot of kaws use them.

They are the wrong shims for Suzukis, though.

Suzuki GS shims are 29.5mm in diameter.

Get the right shims in there pronto before it spits one out. That gets real messy and expensive.

[SqDancerLynn1]

DO NOT try and use the smaller Kawaski shims... Unless you want to rebuild your motor

[martinfink]

When I re shimed 2 of the valves were 2 tight and I did not want to wate so I clamped the shim is vicegrips and used the side of my grinder and took it down alittle slowlyand did not let it get hot and it worked . rough I know but it worked for now.

[dr_fosg8]

Cover gaskets?

Let me ask this. Do you guys, or gals, change the cover gasket every time you check shims? If the gasket doesn't tear can you reuse it? I might have to invest in the real gasket for next time. I can't do 30 bucks a pop for a cardboard gasket, ouch!

Anyhoo, got my shims and the OOS ones are now 2 valves 0.06 and 1 valve 0.08.

Now...if that darn stator and regulator would just show up I could get riding!

Best, Parker

[TheCafeKid]

Yeah, those prices seem a bit high, but not really unexpected. The last time I went to get shims for my Kaw, they were $6 to exchange, $12 to buy, and you would be buying from their stock, which were not necessarily new. This is the same stock that the mechanics would dip into when they needed to change shims on a customer's bike. Nothing wrong with used shims, mind you, but there is no need to charge 'new' prices for them, either.



You want a nifty way to keep track of your shims and your clearances? Send me an e-mail (click on my name for the address) and I will send you a copy of my Excel spreadsheet.

125 (registered) users so far, I think they are all satisfied, because nobody has said they didn't like it.

.

Oh? Well I will be the first. It SUCKS. Hey, I always wanted to be the first at something. It doesnt suck. At all. Its actually probably the single most helpfull computer based tool i have for working on these things. Well, next to THIS PLACE

[TheCafeKid]

Let me ask this. Do you guys, or gals, change the cover gasket every time you check shims? If the gasket doesn't tear can you reuse it? I might have to invest in the real gasket for next time. I can't do 30 bucks a pop for a cardboard gasket, ouch!

Anyhoo, got my shims and the OOS ones are now 2 valves 0.06 and 1 valve 0.08.

Now...if that darn stator and regulator would just show up I could get riding!

Best, Parker

If you can get it off in one piece, and it wasnt leaking before, chances are you CAN probably use it again. I have had partial good luck with getting them off in one peice. Twice ive pulled off a 750 cover for this purpose. Once it ripped, once it didnt. the one that didnt is still on there, and not leaking a drop.