Thank you for that info. I also though cam removal was unnecessary after my first clearance check.
Do you have a link to your post on how to swap shims WITHOUT removing the cams or front cover and not needing any special tools?
Thanks!
Hi, Ziggy,this is pretty straightforward, both spark plugs out, holes covered,transmission in 6th gear, position the piston at TDC on compression or just position the cam nose up away from the valve to be swapped, don’t be alarmed when you hear a “snap” when rotating the engine over, it’s just the cam peak going over centre on 2 of the valves because of cam chain slack with no oil pressure.Now the most important part, cut up some clean rags and all the frayed edges, pack EVERY cavity ,the cam chain galley and all around the valve spring retainer as if you’re doing open-heart surgery, (the forward intakes are by far the most challenging as you have to retrieve everything through a small hole in the top bridge )very carefully pop the E-clip off the end of the rocker shaft with a flat blade screwdriver and collect the flat shim washer behind the E-clip, if you’re not sure how to release the e-clip, find a YouTube video that shows the correct way to use a flat blade screwdriver to remove an e-clip, you don’t want to bend or damage the E-clips,now you can slide out the rocker shaft and remove the rocker arm, make sure the rocker arm goes back in its original position and not upside down, now you can retrieve the shim with a small head telescopic magnet.
I don’t advise installing the new shim with a magnet because it wants to stick to everything going back in and there’s a risk of dropping it, I use 60° tweezers and smear a thin layer of silicone or goop on the inside of the jaws to grip the shim, clean the new shim with brake clean, so it doesn’t slip out of the tweezers, install the new shim with the size markings down against the valve stem, once you get the new shim properly installed on top of the valve now you can just slide the rocker shaft back in through the rocker arm,shim washer and snap in the E-clip making sure it’s fully seated in the groove, when it’s correctly seated, you should be able to spin it around on the shaft.
Now, dab a little bit of fresh oil on the cam, lobe, rocker arm, and the shim, recheck your clearance and you’re good to go.
P.S.make sure you park the bike in 2nd gear or higher because once you stop the bike in first or neutral and shut it off, you won’t get it past first gear due to the automatic neutral finder feature
Cheers
