What did you do to your motorcyle today?

[1000J]

Should've bought that lift a long time ago...much easier on the back and knees 
don't seem to be getting more work done though 

[1000J]

Worked on the XL today, picked up the new dualsport tires from BigTop on Saturday...had to replace the knobbies...no more road noise 

[754]

Not today,but Thurs,  I picked some flattrack. Goodies I got from ebay..
 Rickman Betor trees.
 CanAm 35 mm Betor legs to match, with fender / disc lugs..
 Seat for a Champions tail section..
 New Slinger 18." rim...
Gonna be a fun year at Okeefe. Next year.
Saw Rogers latest early Yamaha tracker..really a sweet little 175.... I think Yamaha has taken notice of his trio of vintage. Yamaha trackers,, and wants to see more of/about them....Cool.

 And I picked up the Ducati. Dealerbook..,looks like 1965 Europe models.. A few I was not aware of nice descriptive pages. With pic And specs.  And the three wheeler..which came in about 4 versions.. And a wide selection of stationary engines and pumps..that I was not aware of..very cool stuff..nice.

[jetta90]

Finally checked valve lash on the 84 Suzuki GS 750 today.  All were within specs but I do prefer to run them at the widest recommended gap.  One valve only was on the tight side for my liking, had to be adjusted out to .13 mm.  Cleaned the cam cover and rubber gasket, removing the old sealant.  Then gooped up the same cover and gasket with some new sealant.

I can't figure out what I dislike the most........removing the old Permatex chit off the motor and rubber gasket, or putting the new Permatex chit on.  Takes forever to remove the old and messy as heck putting on the new.  Either way, I just hate the chit.

[754]

I just use silicone.. Would have saved you a 1/2 hour, and probably. Get to reuse gasket...

[jetta90]

I just use silicone.. Would have saved you a 1/2 hour, and probably. Get to reuse gasket...

It's a reusable rubber gasket that is used for the cam cover.  So I was good to use the old with new sealant.
What have you used, Frank?  Just a high heat silicone of some kind?

Did I say I hate that Permatex chit !!!???

[Wheels]

Finally checked valve lash on the 84 Suzuki GS 750 today.  All were within specs but I do prefer to run them at the widest recommended gap.  One valve only was on the tight side for my liking, had to be adjusted out to .13 mm.  Cleaned the cam cover and rubber gasket, removing the old sealant.  Then gooped up the same cover and gasket with some new sealant.

I can't figure out what I dislike the most........removing the old Permatex chit off the motor and rubber gasket, or putting the new Permatex chit on.  Takes forever to remove the old and messy as heck putting on the new.  Either way, I just hate the chit.

Claudio,  not really keen on Suzuki's but you mentioned adjusting the valve lash.     I am curious is it just a rocker type screw on them?   On my Kawasakis we are used to the bucket and shim adjustment which of course means a whole bucket of shims unless we let the shop pick his sizes.     I think its a great system on the Kawis however there are many more shim sizes than one can imagine so not great for the backyard mechanic.   Are the Suzukis more friendly for valve adjustment?

John

[754]

Nothing I had uses a rubber gasket. I just use a thin smear of silicone on both sides. Ever try just wiping gasket with oil, and installing ?

[jetta90]

Finally checked valve lash on the 84 Suzuki GS 750 today.  All were within specs but I do prefer to run them at the widest recommended gap.  One valve only was on the tight side for my liking, had to be adjusted out to .13 mm.  Cleaned the cam cover and rubber gasket, removing the old sealant.  Then gooped up the same cover and gasket with some new sealant.

I can't figure out what I dislike the most........removing the old Permatex chit off the motor and rubber gasket, or putting the new Permatex chit on.  Takes forever to remove the old and messy as heck putting on the new.  Either way, I just hate the chit.

Claudio,  not really keen on Suzuki's but you mentioned adjusting the valve lash.     I am curious is it just a rocker type screw on them?   On my Kawasakis we are used to the bucket and shim adjustment which of course means a whole bucket of shims unless we let the shop pick his sizes.     I think its a great system on the Kawis however there are many more shim sizes than one can imagine so not great for the backyard mechanic.   Are the Suzukis more friendly for valve adjustment?

John

John, the older....... first generation GS's.......were 2 valve head motors, also with bucket and shim adjustment valve set up.  Those would be the GS models from roughly 1977 to 1983 - 400 to 1100 cc and both chain and shaft drive.  Suzuki also produced the 4 valve head GS series from roughly 1979 to 1986 and onwards with the GSXR and Katana bikes.  The 4 valve head motors.....like the one I have......use just a rocker and screw type adjusters.  Simpler system to work with as you don't need to have a shim stock on hand to check valve lash.  
It has been said that the bucket and shim system tend to hold their clearances for longer than the screw type.  It may be true, but I've found the screw type to be needing very little adjustment in between verifications.
Both systems work fine and each have their features and corresponding benefits.

[jetta90]

Nothing I had uses a rubber gasket. I just use a thin smear of silicone on both sides. Ever try just wiping gasket with oil, and installing ?

Unfortunately, you need to use a little goop for the reusable rubber cam cover gaskets.  This is requested from the factory.  Prevents seepage.
I've used a little oil on paper gaskets in the past, that works well preventing the gasket from sticking to the cover or cases.  In this case, not applicable.

[Wheels]

Thanks for the exclamation Claudio and it makes sense.    The shims seem to last a long time and even if they flatten a bit over time all you sacrifice is power.    Of course on the other hand ( like my Norton) a couple twists of a screw is very simple and has no cost or guesswork associated.    I think I always assumed the Suzukis had a similar set up to Kawasaki but learning something every day.
Thanks for the info.

John

[kaw74]

I do believe that Suzuki's are a Kawi knockoff from what I have read over the years.

[Runningdog]

Odd....I read that Suzukis were an improvement of Kawasakis....

Anybody else tried these gaskets?    http://realgaskets.com/

[MJ]

Thanks for the exclamation Claudio and it makes sense.   

Don't you hate autocorrect lol

[kilowop]

The earlier GS model Suzukis have Shim OVER bucket adjustments, two valve models.  The later 4 valve models have the screw and rocker set up.  I've had both, and prefer the shim as there are fewer valves to worry about.  Haven't had any problems with either type, but the screw/rocker obviously take more time to set.  Those same Suzukis have Paper gaskets for the valve cover.  I've used heavy grease to hold them in place when reinstalling the cover.  On a few occasions, I've been able to reuse the gasket.  Can't normally get away with that if you use gasket sealer as they rip when being removed.  Many of the Kawasaki models had Shim UNDER bucket and required removal of the cams to set adjustments, although you can check the clearances without removal.  I've not changed a shim on the old GS-1000G in a lot of years.  Once they are settled in, they rarely need adjustment, but I do check them every 10k.
Ride On !