GS 8 valve adjustment tips

[Guest]

Bought a Motion Pro Suzuki valve adjustment tool and a shim kit. First valve
adjust on the project bike (1980 GS1000L). I had checked clearances with
my trusty old set of Craftsman feeler gauges. Clearances on all valves were
too skinny to allow my .051mm blade under the cam lobe on all valves. That
is the thinnest blade on my set and is fine for doing Z1 or KZ900/1000 valve
clearances where the smallest clearance is .051mm.

Sorry, I do this in metric...

Tip 1.
Anyway, had to buy a BIKEMASTER brand set of feeler gauges from eBay as
one of their sets has .03mm and .04mm blades... the two blades are like
paper and care must be taken so as to not bend and ruin them when in
use.

Tip 2.
The K&L 29.5mm shim kit has two each of a variety of shims. The kit comes
in a nifty box with shim sizes marked (although they are marked incorrectly) and
includes two each of the following sizes:
2.30 2.40 2.50 2.55 2.60 2.70 2.80 2.85 2.90 3.00

Not sure if you have ever adjusted clearances using shims but the 2.80, 2.85,
2.90 and 3.00 are unlikely to be used. Most factory fitted shims are 2.50 to
2.70 on shim over bucket valve trains. Since you will be using SMALLER sizes
to get the necessary clearances as the valve seats wear in, you will be better
off buying some 2.40 to 2.70 shims... My valves had likely never been clearanced
and were all in the 2.80 to 2.65 range so I needed and will need to buy additional
2.55 and 2.60 shims. I couldn't swap around and get all clearances within
spec and won't be able to until I get a 2.60 in my fingers.

Tip 3. After you change a shim, roll the engine over so the cam lobe depresses
the shim you just changed out. It will squish out the oil between the bucket and
shim and make you clearance check meaningful. If you check after just tossing
the shim in the bucket. it will show a lot less clearance with the oil under the shim.

Tip 4. Record current clearances after checking and rechecking and what shim you
have in. This will save you time next time you do this job.

Hope this helps someone...

[cowboyup3371]

Thanks Geol; you can find instructions on valve adjustments (http://members.dslextreme.com/users/...lve_adjust.pdf) and many other tips at Basscliff's website - http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/. Additionally, the shim club run by Ghostgs1 is useful for changing out the shims and it's free. Finally, email Steve (name and username) for his valve adjustment spreadsheet to help record your change information.

[bwringer]

This is one of those times when a little patience pays off. The K&L shim kit at around $120-$125 is very expensive for the few usable shims you get (you're very unlikely to ever need the 2.70 and larger on a GS) plus it skips several sizes. It's a starting point, but not a very good one.

The best starting point would be to see what shims are in your bike during the first valve check, figure out what you need then and there, and also make some predictions -- the exhaust shims, for example, tend to lose clearance faster. Take that same $125 or so, do a little pondering, and you could order 25 individual shims (they're $4.83 each at http://z1enterprises.com ) in sizes that you'll actually need. Hit up Harbor Freight for a nice plastic compartment box and a sharpie and in a few days you'll be set for the foreseeable future.

[1948man]

-- the exhaust shims, for example, tend to lose clearance faster.

Nice to know.

[geol]

This is one of those times when a little patience pays off. The K&L shim kit at around $120-$125 is very expensive for the few usable shims you get (you're very unlikely to ever need the 2.70 and larger on a GS) plus it skips several sizes. It's a starting point, but not a very good one.

The best starting point would be to see what shims are in your bike during the first valve check, figure out what you need then and there, and also make some predictions -- the exhaust shims, for example, tend to lose clearance faster. Take that same $125 or so, do a little pondering, and you could order 25 individual shims (they're $4.83 each at http://z1enterprises.com ) in sizes that you'll actually need. Hit up Harbor Freight for a nice plastic compartment box and a sharpie and in a few days you'll be set for the foreseeable future.

I figured out that the shim kit wasn't a great idea AFTER I bought one. I have since bought a handle ful shims in more useful sizes and have a good stash of shims now. I also sent a note to Z1Enterprses.com where I bought the kit and K&L telling them that their selection doesn't make much sense.

[Ghostgs1]

The K&L kit is what it is. Jeff also sells the box empty and you can buy individual shims to suit your needs. You might find the Shim Club beneficial.

[tkent02]

The Shim Club rocks!