Plain bearing question(s)

[Guest]

Ok, I have my '82 GS750 engine torn apart and when I pulled the cases apart I was happy to see the main bearings in good shape. The rod bearings are worn and scratched, getting new ones.
I have been trying to check main bearing clearance with plasticgauge. So, I dropped in the crank laid on the plasticgauge and put the bottom half on.
The first time, I only used the bigger bolts that go on either side of the mains, and the two in the middle showed under one thou and on the ends they were 2.5-3 thou. So I did it again, this time using a lot of the littler bolts as well, and clearance down to 2 thou and under.
Do I REALLY need to use ALL the bolts on the cases (like 2 dozen) to get an accurate measurement?
The bearings in the middle look most worn and measure under one thou.

[Steve]

I have never used PlastiGauge on a bike engine, but I believe the priciple would be the same as a car engine ...

ALL bolts should be tightened just as they would be when the engine is ready to run.

When you you try on a new pair of shoes, do you bother to lace them up?
Kinda the same principle.

.

[bwringer]

Uuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhh...

If the bearings are worn, the clearances will get bigger, not smaller.

Something ain't right here, either in your technique or your thinking.

Also, it's VERY easy to confuse mm with inches -- make sure you have the correct measurements straight in your head.

[gearhead13]

I am not confusing mm with inches.
I redid the measurement after cleaning/scraping all mating surfaces and the middle two bearings have tighter clearances than the outer ones for some reason, idk.