1980 GS550 Rebuild

[Aerospaceman]

Hey everybody!
I recently acquired a lovely pair of 80/81 GS550's.

IMG_4750.jpg

My plan is to get the black beauty on the left up and running, potentially going the cafe route in the long run. Only because the red bike has much more rust and miles, whereas the black already runs and has had the carbs cleaned (prior to my purchasing).

Currently, it smokes more than a chimney in a Massachusetts winter. So obviously I'm getting that addressed before doing any other work on the bike.
I checked valve clearances and there is none. However I cannot get the spacers out (even using the ProMotion 08-0017 tool). How can I get the spacers out without the tool? I'm wary of using a screwdriver for fear of scratching everything to hell.

[xkaes]

Is your tappet depressor tool located correctly? It's easy to position it incorrectly. In use, you should be able to see the tappet pressed down slightly. Suzuki made a special spacer removal tool, which is simply a large pair of tweezers that allow you to grab the edge and pull it out. There are good photos in the Suzuki service manual. Do you have one?

[Big T]

Look for the slot in the tappet and turn that so you can access it with the tappet depressed.
Use tweezers, or a magnet to remove the shim

[Grimly]

Use the zip-tie method (google this site for it)

[Aerospaceman]

Thanks for the suggestions! I will try again when I get home to use the tappet depressor tool, I couldn't get it to fit on the inside edge of the valve and kept slipping off the outside edge. Once I get it depressed I don't think I'll have too much trouble actually getting the spacer out (small flathead + pliers should do the trick). I just haven't actually been able to depress the valves.

Another question, will I need to re-do my valve clearances if I end up taking the cylinders off to replace piston rings?

[Rich82GS750TZ]

The valves open as the cam lobe is down. Find the Zip Tie Supplement on BikeCliffs website, left margin. Link in my signature for BikeCliffs. Or this one will get you right to the document. http://members.dslextreme.com/users/...ol_zip_tie.pdf

[xkaes]

Look for the slot in the tappet and turn that so you can access it with the tappet depressed.
Use tweezers, or a magnet to remove the shim

Never use a magnet or a magnetized tool (many screwdriver heads are magnetized, for example). This can magnetize the shim which can cause all sorts of nasty problems.

tappet.jpg

[Aerospaceman]

Update and questions
Did valve clearances (much better, none out of spec low, couple high) with no big impact on compression (105, 112, 100, 90 psi). Did the 'wet test' and saw huge compression increases across the board (175, 135, 135, 125 psi).
My gut tells me it's gotta be rings at this point, so I pulled the carbs and engine off (needs a good cleaning and I want to paint it anyway).
I've read that sometimes compression issues could be related to timing, but the '80 L has electronic ignition... so not an issue?
Just looking for someone to tell me if I'm going in the right direction or not (before taking the top end apart).