Triumphrat

SpitfireTriple · 08-26-2005

Last w/e I reset the valve clearances on my Daytona 900, a job I've done twice before, at intervals of approx 6,000 miles. I measured the gaps, took out the cams, swapped the shims, reassembled everything, remeasured the gaps.

Unfortunately I'd gone the wrong way on the far-RH exhaust valve, and put a thinner shim in where I should have used a thicker one. I really didn't fancy doing the whole cams/camchain thing again, so I wondered if I might be able to swap the shim with the cams in (I do not have the £70 special tool).

With the cam lobe pointing away from the shim, I put most of my 14 stone onto a large screwdriver placed at the edge of the bucket and managed to push it down and hold it down. My missus then got the tip of a small screwdriver under the edge of the shim and levered it up. Then pushed it out with the help of some small needled-nosed pliers.

Getting the correct, thicker shim back in again needed both my 14 stone and the needle-pliers. It was very satisfying to hear the correct shim snap back into positon as I eased my weight off the screwdriver.

I remeasured the clearance, spot-on.The bike runs smoother again now - or is that my imagination? I did a few other things too - reset a plug gap, cleaned the air filter, reset the pick-up coil gap, so I can't be sure it was just the shim swapping that has sweetened the running.

Would I recommend this method? Well, it was a bit of a fiddle. You need to be fairly heavy to push the bucket down.
You need a nimble-fingered assistant. And I daresay you could damage the bucket by putting weight on it. And certain other buckets will be less accessible, particularly those of the centre-pot.

If I have more than two valves need re-shimming next time I do this job, I'll get the cams out as usual. But if only one or two need re-shimming, I might be tempted to do the above.

NB no responsibility accepted for anyone damaging their valve buckets!

Hinckley · 08-26-2005

That would just suck to get it all back together and realise you went the wrong way..... I think I would have simply gotten out the beer and called it a day.

I have the tool and it can be cumbersom as well.

j98sprint · 08-27-2005

The perfect combination for your situation, 14 stone (?lbs.) and a nimble fingered-assistant.

Kathy could have handled the assistant part, I'll bet Rochelle could also.

j98sprint

ajdaytona900 · 08-30-2005

well i don't mean to boast but i've done the shims on my daytona a few times now, and everytime i've done it on my own using a big screwdriver to push em down and a really small screwdriver to flick the shims out. :-)

It was a bit awkward at first but now i have become quite adept at doing this 8-)

BY a special tool - pah!! i'd sooner bodge it everytime than unlock my wallet :-D

SprintRide · 09-04-2005

the tool is only $110.00 US, you don't have to pull the cams with it to change shims, imagine all the time you'd save and the potential damage you'd avoid...

Cheers

Bowenman · 09-07-2005

14 Stone = 196 lbs (14lbs to the stone)

SpitfireTriple · 09-07-2005

I'm surprised Bowenman felt it necessary to point this out.
There is, after all, nothing more logical in the world than the Imperial (sorry to those who describe it as the US system, but we thought of it first!) Measurement system. :wink:

Just in case any of our transatlantic cousins are unaware of some of the finer points, here are some other measures:

1 inch = 3 barleycorns. Before you scoff, please note that British & US shoes are still measured in Barleycorns.
There is evidence also that that 1 Barleycorn is 4 poppy-seeds.

A yard was the length from Henry 1's nose to the end of his thumb.

5 1/2 yards = 1 Rod, Pole or Perch. Also known as a Gyrd.
A pole was the length of stick you needed to slap your team of 4 oxen when ploughing. It became a natural measuring stick for fields. In the 16th century the lawful rod was decreed to be the combined length of the left feet of 16 men as they left church on a Sunday morning.

4 rods, poles or perches = 1 chain. Literally. But this is the Reverend Gunter's chain, not Ramsden's chain AKA an engineer's chain. A cricket pitch is 1 (Gunter) chain in length.

10 chains = 1 furlong. A piece of land 1 furlong in length and 1 chain wide covers 1 acre.

That's (more than) enough for now, but just goes to show how logical the system is.