Seth
Member
What a timeless and helpful thread. May it always be alive. If that rubber mat is for noise control it is getting gutted asap!
I'm putting it back together and I will ride it a few more times and check it again. It looks like a major pita to adjust clearances. I might have the dealer do it even though I bought a shim kit.
Why go to all the trouble of assembling/disassembling again? Why not just shim the valves now? The hardest part of the job is the part you've already done - and will do to put it back together. The actual shimming just takes time, attention to detail, a small torque wrench, and a magnet on a stick.
I slightly prefer removing the engine for this job, because it does make the shimming procedure much easier, but people without a lift table and the special engine holding bracket will be better off doing it your way (moving the radiator).
So it's worse than that, the intake range is .08-.12 mm. The exhaust is .13-.17mm. That's .04mm. The shim increments are .05. What a crock. Anyways I did the clearances.
Good question, but, No. Shims really don't wear to any appreciable degree. However, valve faces and valve seats do wear and get pounded down over time, which causes the clearances to get tighter. Going to the loose end reduces the chances that the clearances will drop dangerously low before the next checkup.Wouldn't you want clearances in the tighter side to mid point instead of the loose side? Shims wear so the tolerances will loosen up from doing stuff like this on car engines but have never done it for a bike.