Valve Adjustment Shims for GSW: where to buy?

Or, CO-OP extra shims you have, let other members hit you up for them and buy what you don't need that, they do..Pop in USPS and Bob's your uncle..

pappy35 said:

I'd hate to spend north of $60 to buy 61 shims I wouldn't need ...

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I want to revive this thread with some additional information. I bought the VSK4 shim kit from Amazon, and used it recently. In retrospect, there were only 3 sizes out of the kit that were in the correct range to be useful on my 2017 R1200RTW.

Fortunately, I only had two intake valves that were out of spec, and by coincidence I was able to swap their installed shims and bring both into range.

Here is what I found: the installed shims were all of these sizes: 2.22mm, 2.24mm, 2.25mm, 2.26mm, and 2.28mm. The kit comes with many sizes, but only 3 sizes in that general range: 2.20mm, 2.24mm, and 2.28mm.

So, I think what we need is shims in the range of 2.20mm to 2.30mm. My plan is to buy individual shims in specific sizes to fill the gaps in the VSK4 kit. There is nothing wrong with the kit -- the shims are well made and properly labeled. But the kit doesn't include the range of values we need for our wetheads.

Hope this helps, Cap

LFarling said:

...Since my Exhaust now sit at around 14 versus tight 10. ...

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The exhaust spec is .34 to .41. The intake spec is .10 to .17

I think your point is that a kit having shims with values every .04 apart should be able to bring the clearance into spec, given the .07 range of the spec for both intake and exhaust. And that would be true if you could measure your clearance very precisely. Unfortunately, most metric feeler gauges kits also have gaps in their range. So for example, a typical set might have a .10 gauge and a .15 gauge and nothing between. It is difficult to measure clearance precisely if you don't have gauges of every integer size. Moreover, measuring clearance with gauges is a skill that improves with practice, and will introduce some uncertainty into the process. Finally, our wetheads have a notch in the cam profile that may interfere with measuring clearances if one is not careful, producing deceptive readings.

In any case, the valve check and adjustment process is not particularly challenging for someone with reasonable skills and some patience. Especially if Boxflyer is looking over your shoulder.

Does anyone have a link to a comprehensive set of metric feeler gauges? I found some intermediate values of valve shims (2.22mm and 2.26mm) at Bob's BMW.

Cap

This is the set I bought. Works great. It doesn't have very integer size but I don't really care about that.

Metric Feeler Gage Set

pappy35 said:

Metric Feeler Gage Set

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Thanks. I like the blade shape on that one. But it has the issue I was mentioning: only a few discrete sizes in the correct range for our wetheads. I found that the "32 blade sets" typically have a few intermediate sizes that will help you judge the clearance with more precision. For $7 I bought this one: TSV

I've been very happy with the quality of this set https://bmwmotorcycleaccessories.com/metric-feeler-gauge-set/ the increments are .02

Jay

strataj said:

I've been very happy with the quality of this set https://bmwmotorcycleaccessories.com/metric-feeler-gauge-set/ the increments are .02

Jay

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Thanks. That is just what I wanted.

Cap

t6pilot said:

FYI. My bmw mechanic friend recommends having a spare set of valve cover gaskets, as a rule they change them out, reduces possibility of comebacks for leaks

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FYI ... he's padding your bill.

Actually on my '17RT they got replaced under warranty after they leaked when the valves were adjusted and I needed to use RTV gasket maker to get home...... YMWV...

Valve shims

I made a list from Max site and got my dealer to order them all. I keep them current as I use them. They are not expensive but dealers rarely stock them and it could take a while to get the one you need.