valve clearance check for a dum@@s with no book

kz1000p 95. How hard is this REALLY? I have basic tools and some aptitude.

Just changed the wires, plugs and oil on a reasonbly new buy. I figure this is a good a time as any, and Im getting a little cam chain noise and mild tap (valves?) on new oil.

i usally go .004" on the intakes ,.006" on the exhaust for my stuff.

gottmoore wrote:

kz1000p 95. How hard is this REALLY? I have basic tools and some aptitude.

Just changed the wires, plugs and oil on a reasonbly new buy. I figure this is a good a time as any, and Im getting a little cam chain noise and mild tap (valves?) on new oil.

get the book

and get the right shim tool it will make your life easier.

The spec is .002" - .004" for both intake and exhaust on the 750 twins. That's unusual, typically the exhaust valve spec is a shade wider because it gets hotter. I think .003-.004" intake and .005-.006" exhaust is safe.

thx guys.
What I'm looking for is about how long this will take ( an hour or a weekend), and if I gotta buy some parts BEFORE I start tearing apart. I hate to be without the bike, especialy if I can avoid it.

@ rex-thx for the especially brilliant reply to my question:laugh: I did deserve it, didn't i-

The manual doesn't always have insight that only comes from experience. These forums are the best at saving time/money if your read enough, or in the case write enough!

Well...it will take longer the first time. And depending on whether you have a shim removal tool or not, it may involved removing the cam shaft retainers to change shims. You will definitely need shims...but it's almost impossible to determine what you'll need until you measure clearances and find out what sizes are in the bike.

Best bet (cheapest) is to measure clearances, find out what sizes you have and then do the whole process again when you get the needed sizes. Otherwise Z1E sells a package of shims for ~$100 that should cover just about any necessary size.

With an'87 KZ1000P, I feel your pain,lol. The Clymer Manual(got it from library!) for '81 - '02 specs clearances @ .05 - .15 mm. for both intake and exhaust. Go figure!
Here's my experience, limited as it is. Ya don't know if you're out of spec untill ya take off the valve cover and measure. (guys on here say it's good to here a little valve knocking.). If you're out of range, ya gotta see the size of the shim in the bucket. I bought the removal tool from Z1E - Works fine. I was able to swap out two shims to get everything within spec, but I got lucky. The thing is, you don't know till you measure clearance, then you have to figure out what size shims you need to buy or swap out. If you're as anxious to ride as I am, this can be excruciating because you have to buy the tool to see what size the shims are, then order/buy the shims you need. Sorry, is this confusing enough for you, lol?
Don't forget to get a new gasket, and I'm kicking myself for not buying the cam end caps as well.
Hope this helps and good luck!

i can do a shim job on any of my shim over bucket motors in about an hour my shim under motors take about an 1 1/2 to 2 hours if i have to change any. so basicly what i'mtrying to get across is they aren't that hard to do. so take your time and it will go well. and if you have any problems you know who to get a hold off these guy's on here know there stuff even OMR and sometimes Patton.

i was able to move a couple of shims as well and then the shop traded my old shims for diffrent ones even up.

gnfreak wrote:

i was able to move a couple of shims as well and then the shop traded my old shims for diffrent ones even up.

You're lucky, the Kawi dealers around here won't swap shims they just want to sell them to you for about $15 each.

gottmoore wrote:

thx guys.
What I'm looking for is about how long this will take ( an hour or a weekend), and if I gotta buy some parts BEFORE I start tearing apart. I hate to be without the bike, especialy if I can avoid it.

@ rex-thx for the especially brilliant reply to my question:laugh: I did deserve it, didn't i-

The manual doesn't always have insight that only comes from experience. These forums are the best at saving time/money if your read enough, or in the case write enough!

At minimum you will need a valve cover gasket, a shim tool and shims. You also need a low range torque wrench to retorque the camshaft cap bolts if ytou have to take them loose because they strip easily.