valve clearances

I have a question my kz1100 d1 needs shims
all valves messure between 2 and 4 the spec is 5 to 15

now the question

What is the + or - difference if

I get -5 shims and set the range at 5 to 10
or -10 shims for a 10 to 15 range
_

If you ride very "sportingly" you will be better off with the smaller gaps. This will give you more lift and less chance of spitting a shim if you over-rev occasionally. If you ride to "cruise" you will be better with he little larger gap because there will be more time between having to re-adjust them again. With the larger gap the bike will have a bit more "hiss" at the top end. Running the right kind of oil can also increase the time interval between re-adjustments.

Otakar is absolutely right, as usual.

cdulmage wrote:

I have a question my kz1100 d1 needs shims
all valves messure between 2 and 4 the spec is 5 to 15

now the question

What is the + or - difference if

I get -5 shims and set the range at 5 to 10
or -10 shims for a 10 to 15 range
_

You are mixing measurement units.

0.002" - 0.006" is the recommended clearance in INCH
0.05mm - 0.15mm is the recommended clearance in MM

If you have a minimum of 2 thou clearance you are OK to run the engine. I try and set mine to around 4 thou clearance and never leave it set at 2 thou as the next time you check the valves the clearance will be UNDER spec.

Jeff.Saunders wrote:

cdulmage wrote:

I have a question my kz1100 d1 needs shims
all valves messure between 2 and 4 the spec is 5 to 15

now the question

What is the + or - difference if

I get -5 shims and set the range at 5 to 10
or -10 shims for a 10 to 15 range
_

You are mixing measurement units.

0.002" - 0.006" is the recommended clearance in INCH
0.05mm - 0.15mm is the recommended clearance in MM

If you have a minimum of 2 thou clearance you are OK to run the engine. I try and set mine to around 4 thou clearance and never leave it set at 2 thou as the next time you check the valves the clearance will be UNDER spec.

I just made the presumption that he had the gap "units" right in his head. But it is a very good point, to make sure that the units of measure are not confused.

Thought he was asking which clearance would be preferred if faced with the choice of .05mm ~ .10mm or .10mm ~ .15mm.

An uncertain about KZ1100 valve clearance specs, but for Z1-KZ900-KZ1000, FSM specifies .05mm ~ .10mm, and that some very knowledgeable folks currently recommend .10mm ~ .15mm, at least for everyday riding.

Good Fortune!