Valve Adjustment question

[djscottymiami]

So I spoke to the previous owner of my '80 GS850 and asked him if he ever adjusted the valves (he's owned the bike since mid to late '90s I think) and he said that he hasn't touched em.

I'm of the old belief that 'If it aint broke don't fix it'. The bike runs well as far as I can tell (it's my first bike). The power band is pretty decent for my liking. I am somewhat worried since (from reading on this site) that this is pretty important. How difficult is it to change the shims? Any tips? Im not really mechanically inclined but as long as I have some good directions I should be OK. I've read the tutorial and I think I could follow it. Ive never really worked on bikes before though.

I kind of want to enjoy the bike for the summer and maybe do the shims near the end of the season so I don't lose riding time (the season is short in northern canada). Where can I order shims (no stores up here really) and maybe a variety? (No idea which ones I have in the motor right now anyways) Where can I get the tools as well (feeler gauges.. etc).. how much does this job cost on average to do


The bike has 50,000km (31,000miles give or take). I bought it for 800$ so I don't really want to invest too much money into it yet.


Any advice?

[uudfourty]

www.z1enterprises.com

They'll get you squared away.

So far as expense, you're probably looking at getting or making a valve cover gasket. The shims, if you order the specific ones you need, aren't too bad unless you order the kit to ensure that you only have to open it up once-- the kit is 100 USD.

[tkent02]

It only takes a few hours the first time.
The valves usually get tighter as they wear, too tight can make it hard to start and eventually burn things up.
Pop the cover off, measure the clearances and see what size shims you have, determine what you need. Stick it back together and order the parts. When they get there, put it together for good. More work that way but you get to ride it in the meantime.

[djscottymiami]

It only takes a few hours the first time.
The valves usually get tighter as they wear, too tight can make it hard to start and eventually burn things up.
Pop the cover off, measure the clearances and see what size shims you have, determine what you need. Stick it back together and order the parts. When they get there, put it together for good. More work that way but you get to ride it in the meantime.

Would it be a wise idea to get the gasket and the shim changing tool before I open it up?


Oh, and where can I get the new half-moons that the tutorial speaks of.

[Steve]

Not sure if you can get the half moons at Z1, but they are available at Bike Bandit and other places.
Look on BassCliff's website again, look for the welcome page. It is full of links for all this kind of stuff.

Ordering shims ahead of time would be wasted money. They come in 20 different thicknesses. Who knows which ones are in your engine, how many of what size(s) are in your engine, which ones are not in spec, and how far out of spec? Your best bet would be to e-mail me for a copy of my spreadsheet that will help you keep track of your shims, then open up the engine to see what your clearances are, what shims are in there, and then determine what you will need to order.

.

[djscottymiami]

Not sure if you can get the half moons at Z1, but they are available at Bike Bandit and other places.
Look on BassCliff's website again, look for the welcome page. It is full of links for all this kind of stuff.

Ordering shims ahead of time would be wasted money. They come in 20 different thicknesses. Who knows which ones are in your engine, how many of what size(s) are in your engine, which ones are not in spec, and how far out of spec? Your best bet would be to e-mail me for a copy of my spreadsheet that will help you keep track of your shims, then open up the engine to see what your clearances are, what shims are in there, and then determine what you will need to order.

.

You have email.

[Steve]

You have email.

Yes, I do. \\/

You have a reply. 8-[

.

[lurch12_2000]

Would it be a wise idea to get the gasket and the shim changing tool before I open it up?


Oh, and where can I get the new half-moons that the tutorial speaks of.

I used the zip tie to hold the valves open, didn't need the shim tool.

I reused the half moons without any leaks or problems.

I would order the valve cover gasket ahead, as the old one will probably come apart in pieces. You could use a little grease on the new gasket when putting it back together after taking measurements. This way you can ride while waiting for the shims to arrive. But if you can live with the bike out of commission for a few days then leave apart to save time and trouble of taking things apart twice.

Pretty hard to know ahead of time what shims to order so I wouldn't. You might not need any so your job would be done!

[uudfourty]

Grease or Anti-Seize will save the gasket.

[peterpressure]

So I spoke to the previous owner of my '80 GS850 and asked him if he ever adjusted the valves (he's owned the bike since mid to late '90s I think) and he said that he hasn't touched em.

I am in the same boat as you, bought a bike, no idea when the valves have been checked but it runs great.

I have been driving it daily for 2 weeks now...

Feeler gauge looks pretty cheap, but I am not really sure how you use it.

The whole job per cliffs PDF looks fairly easy, but I really was not sure what shims to get. I did not realize I would have to maybe open it first, see what shims I need, then buy them...

[jimfj]

The advise you are getting here is positively spot on!!!!

I was in your situation a month ago and got my 425 done in about an hour and a half.

Use the cable tie method
Buy the feeler guage from Harbor Frieght for $3.00
Use the free spreadsheet
Figure out your shims as you go and then resource them
I reused the gasket with no problem
You will spend more on beer than anything else.

My bike had 17,000 on it and the clearances were so tight on three of the four valves that I couldn't get feeler guages under them. I thought my bike ran well too. Wait till you get this done!!!

Take the time and do it