|
||||
<<I | <<II | <<III | <<IV | <<V | <<VI | <<VII | ZX9R Valve Adjustment - VIII | IX>> | X |
||||
In this particular instance, only one of my exhaust clearances was a little tight, so I only had to remove my exhaust cam. If you have exhaust and intake shims to change, I would either remove one cam at a time OR use a zip-tie or tie a lint-free rag around the camchain to prevent its falling down into the engine cavity. Lift the camshaft(s) straight off, to prevent scuffing those tender journal surfaces. |
|
|||
| Now magnet or tweeze out the cam follower (aka bucket) to get at the shim underneath. |  |
Note: A friend of mine noted that magnets should not be used to remove these white steel shims, but I found his explanation for not doing this wanting. I've used a magnet to complete this task dozens of times and have never observed any wear or damage to the shims as a result, so I continue to use magnets. If you have a good reason not to, I'd love to hear it! | ||
| When you magnet the bucket out, the little shim sits happily in a little bath of oil, waiting to be relieved by a slightly thinner shim. |  |
|||
An extreme close-up of a shim. These are precision components and you shouldn't grind or machine them. I read somewhere that they are made of white steel, which is very tough on the outside, but very brittle, and comparatively soft on the inside. The seeming scratches on this shim are actually lint fibers from the paper it's sitting on. |
 |
|||
Tools of the trade. You can get one of these aftermarket shim starter libraries from [B&L?] The 60 shims cost me about $180, but since all three of my bikes at the time were Kawasakis that all used the same shims, it made sense to get my own shim library. I got this micrometer (right) from Kowa-Seiki, who makes good (but expensive) tools.
You want to keep all tools and components as clean as possible during this part of the job. |
 |
|||
Because not all shims (especially used factory shims) are as clearly marked as the lazer-etched shim above, you'll want to double-check the thickness. These precision tools are fun to work with, so I measured that 2.85mm shim anyway. (Yep...2.85millimeters...I'll be damned.) |
 |
|||
| You'd be surprised how much a grain of dust or the oil from a fingerprint would throw off a measurement! I like to loosely clamp the micrometer onto a clean paper towel (this paper towel was .26-mm thick) and pull it gently out to ensure the tool is clean before putting it away. |  |
|||
Here's that form for recording your valve clearances. Even though this particular valve was technically within the spec (.250mm), it's a little tight compared with the other exhaust clearances. By having all of your clearances as uniform as possible, your bike will be smoother and more balanced. If you're having difficulty synchronizing your carburetors after adjusting your valves, and you're confident that everything else is done correctly, take a look at your clearances. |
 |
Note: Kawasaki recommends setting all clearances on the loose end of the spectrum, (though if you are a racer, you can arguably get a fraction of top-end hp by setting them uniformly tight.) However, this will be at the expense of low-rpm smoothness and possibly also valvetrain wear. | ||
