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Where to buy valve shims?

3K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  DBuck12 
#1 ·
I just tore my Wee apart to check the clearances. One exhaust valve is too tight. I went up to my friendly local dealer to buy shims, and here is the responses I got:

Valve Shims? Aw F*CK!
What's it for?
That's a Yamaha, right?
Are you sure it's a Suzuki? I thought it was a Yamaha.
(Now I know I'm in the wrong place, talking to the wrong dude.)
Don't have em. I'll check the our service shop next door.

Nobody there had a clue, either, but they said they could order some. They did try to call a couple people that might know something about valve shims, but at 4:30 on Saturday, no luck.

ChuckS
I left, half amused & half p/o'ed. I'm assuming these people are idiots & I should simply try another local dealer. ?Right?

Searching here, it sounds like they are a common size, even used in Kawa's & Hondas.

The dealer I was at is Macomb Power Sports in Clinton Twp Michigan. They sell Suzuki, Honda, Kawa, and more...... Just expanded their parts dept. :roll:
 
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#2 ·
Do you know what shims you need?

Ron Ayers stocks them. They are $4.62 each.

Does anyone have an idea which ones would be good to have sitting around the shop?
 
#6 ·
Unbelievable! Then again, not so unbelievable. I asked the parts manager at Shawmut hills in GR if he had a Scottoiler and he looked at me sideways!

WHO THE HELL WORKS AT A DEALERSHIP AND DOESN'T KNOW WHAT A VALVE SHIM IS? Holy crapola! Either a completely untrained new guy or an idiot!

DUH...what's a sprocket? :roll:
 
#8 ·
I've heard this same story or had a similar experience enough times that I'm beginning to wonder: Do dealerships actually do valve adjustments? If they charge you for the adjustment but don't stock shims (or even know what they are), how can they be adjusting valves?
 
#11 ·
I was disappointed when my dealer's service man told me they had "some" shims. He also told me they wouldn't trade shims. Okay, I can live with the no trade policy. But, what bothered me most was that he implied that it would not need to be adjusted because it was very unlikely to be out of spec. After reading hundreds of posts on the different V-Strom forums I came to a very different conclusion than the service guy. V-Stroms very definately need their valve clearance adjusted, sometimes at surprisingly low miles. Oh well, I'll be doing it myself and will order the shims off the internet.
 
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