29.4mm valve shims

[Jimustanguitar]

I went through all 8 of my shims, shuffled them around, and needed to swap out 3 for sizes that I didn't have. I headed over to the local Yamaha dealer and traded my 3 shims for the thicknesses I needed. ($3.50 a pop, not a bad deal)

Fast forward 2 days, and I'm bench fitting my buckets and cams to double check the clearances. The new shims definitely don't fit. They're ever so slightly too big. Checked them on the calipers, and they're 29.4mm instead of 29.0mm like the ones that came out.

I understand that Kawasaki uses 29mm shims, but I was at a Yamaha-Honda-Suzuki dealer. Any idea which make the bigger shims came out of so I can be more specific when I go back for the right ones?

Does anybody here have some just laying around? I need 3 that are 2.55mm thick.

Thanks!          Jim

[Jimustanguitar]

You can see that they're different too. The darker ones (the new ones that don't fit) have a chamfered edge. They also appear to be a different kind of steel (the darker color) or they're heat treated.

The numbers on the bottom are in white ink. The 2.55 mm shim just says 55 on it.

[Rick G]

I pulled the shims from all the engines I have torn down . As memory serves me , there wasn't much of a variety. I'll  dig them out and see what I have.

[Rikugun]

I understand that Kawasaki uses 29mm shims, but I was at a Yamaha-Honda-Suzuki dealer. Any idea which make the bigger shims came out of so I can be more specific when I go back for the right ones?

Just because it's a dealer of one make is no guarantee you won't get shims from a different make. When I went to the Kawi/Suzuki dealer to swap shims I received one with a "Y" on it. Apparently I was not the first to trade in a Yamaha shim at the Kawi dealer!  :) I always bring my caliper with me and verify the size before paying. The larger shims you got are probably for the old aircooled Kawasaki 750 twin. Maybe someone else got them, they didn't fit so they traded them and let someone else be surprised.  :(

[Rikugun]

You can see that they're different too. The darker ones (the new ones that don't fit) have a chamfered edge. They also appear to be a different kind of steel (the darker color) or they're heat treated.

I have one of those 750T shims and see that it is darker like you described. I'd think they're all heat treated so maybe it was a deliberate act to quickly identify the shims visually if they got mixed together.

[Jimustanguitar]

I had half a mind to use a diamond sharpening stone to hone off the few hundredths of a mm that I needed, but in researching whether or not this was a good idea, I read that the shims in a Kaw are case hardened. That is why there's a color difference. That is also why it's a bad idea to grind them.

I intend to head back to the dealership this evening to see if they have any more shims hiding anywhere. Otherwise, it will be swap shop time for me.

[Rikugun]

Correction, the oddball shim I have measures 29.5 and is apparently to a Suzuki model, not the KZ750T which uses 32mm shims. Could this be what you have from the Yam/Hon/Suz dealer?

I'm unsure how they're manufactured and what hardening method is used but K&L claims their 29.5 shims are RC47. This thread from the KZ750 T forum discusses shim manufacture and hardness. Some warn not to grind them, others have evidence supporting claims you can. Like anything else, if you do enough research you'll find claims running from one extreme to the other. I'd see if the dealer has any of the right ones.  :)

http://www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/forum/mechanics-corner/58052-valve-shims-surface-hardened-yes-no.htm

[Jimustanguitar]

I was using some cheapo electric calipers, so I'd expect that you're right about guessing Suzuki. I bet with a nicer measuring tool, they'd be 29.5mm too.

Went back to the shop with one of my buckets in hand, and got helped by a mechanic instead of a salesperson this time. He dug around for about 10 minutes and found an old cardboard box full of the exact right ones.

Thanks to everyone who looked through their parts for me, but I got lucky and found what I needed.

Since the shop had a box of the right kind, if anybody needs one that you can't find, I'll go over there and have a look for you. They swap for $3.50 and sell for $7.

[motoracer8]

Yes, Kawasaki shims work, so do the BMW K100 shims, same size.

[Night Vision]

Yes, Kawasaki (KZ1000) shims work, so do the BMW K100 shims, same size.

[Rikugun]

I took motoracer8 to mean the 29mm shims but it's good to clarify Night Vision.  :D