Valve shim measuring guage & Ride height change?

[Fugly]

Hi all,

As spring is around the corner (well the snow's gone!) I am starting to prepare for a valve service on my S4R and have a couple of questions I am hoping you guys can help me with.

I understand that the valve shims on the S4R have a radiused seating face and therefore are best measued in a guage.

Can anyone recomend a supplier for a guage for measuring the S4R shims?

Second question, I am also thinking of lifting the rear ride height a little in order to make the old girl a little more nimble.

My question is how much have people raised theirs by?

When I've done this on other bikes adding around 5mm to the rear ride height produced significant effects so am guessing this formula should be a good starting point.

Any advice on either topic is grately appreciated

Fuggers

[utopia]

See post #5 of thread entitled "valve shims", aug 2010.

[Fugly]

Hi Utopia,

If it's jst a micrometer meaurement then that's fine as I have one and can use it:chuckle:
However, my question comes from something I read that said the faces of the shim were not parallel and the underside was radiused so a special guage was required to hold it and the guage plus shim was measured.

Apologies if I've got this wrong just want to make sure I don't get into it and find I need another tool.

Fugly

[Pomp1]

you're talking about this part? (http://www.kaemna.de/cms_en/katalog.htm?&view=artikel&artikel=552)

[utopia]

Yep, thats the measuring gauge thats needed, and its used in the way, and for the reason, that you describe.
Its cheap enough, so maybe worth buying anyway, but its not essential.
Depends how good your "feel" with a micrometer is.....personally, I found that I didn't need it, but then I used to be an engineer.
If you can get hold of an old shim to practice on, you'll see what I mean.
The post referred to above, is about the best I could describe it in words....and also contains a couple of other useful bits of info that I learned when doing my own shims last year.

There are other tools that I've seen used by ducati mechanics, but they merely substitute a dti-type caliper gauge for the micrometer..... they're pointless cr4p imo, and give false results very easily.

[Fugly]

Hi Utopia and Pomp,

I may go with feel as these guys want to add a 15 pound surcharge as I don't meet their 50 pound (no bloody GBP symbol on a German keyboard :mad: ) minium order value!

46 pound with P&P (to the UK, NOT Germany)

Will shop around and if I can't find one for sensible money, I'll go with feel.

Cheers Fugly

[utopia]

Try Brancato Engineering, 01865 891203 for the button tool thingy.

[analogue_rogue]

i still need to borrow a micrometer.....

[utopia]

Yep. I haven't forgoten. I'll probably be over your way in the next week or two. I'll pm you.
Did you say engine strip in late march?

[analogue_rogue]

yeah should be.. gotta spray it up.. so i have 21st to 28th march to do it (im on leave in minehead for 5 days 28th - 1 april inc)

[jerry]

EMS sells them Kamna price is a ripoff

[hydromonkey]

On the ride height question. I raised my S2r1000 by 5mm last year and it transformed the bike.

The year before I had a near miss where I lost the front on a roundabout. It caused me to lose a lot of confidence in the front. I also noticed that the front was not wearing much but I was going through back tyres like they were going out of fashion. Added the 5mm to the rear ride height and the feel for the front end improved, improving confidence and the tyres now seem to be wearing how I would expect a bike to wear tyres.

Prior to making the change I did a couple of searches and some people said that they needed to add a steering damper after raising the rear but I have not noticed this, but then I do not push the bike too hard.

One thing to keep in mind before making the adjustment is that the adjustment bar seems to be made of cheese and the spanners will slip off it very easily rounding the corners. Taking some of the weight off the back suspension may help prevent this.