XJ750A 1981 Shim diameter

Hi Guys,

I have a 1981 XJ750A and was wondering what diameter the shims for the valve buckets are. Are they 29mm or 29.5mm?

I need four shims 2.65 thick but seem to be having trouble finding the right diameter here in Ireland.

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

I'm confident enough to say they are 29mm...well at least that's what bought for my '83 XJ750R. If you can wait until the weekend...I'll be able to tell you for sure.

 

I'm confident enough to say they are 29mm...well at least that's what bought for my '83 XJ750R. If you can wait until the weekend...I'll be able to tell you for sure.

 

Hey thanks PatMac, that's what I thought.

I believe they are the same on the old Z or KZ air cooled Kawasaki's. And I think Suzuki used 29.5mm?

I appreciate the help.

 

according to this ebay sellers ad, all xj's are 29 mm.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/400576898142?ss ... 1439.l2649

an excellent ebay seller too I might ad.

CN

 

29mm. Also Kawasaki shims from the same era will work. You do know that XJ4Ever ships overseas, don't you?

 

they are 29. but.. i picked up some 29s from a shop that were for kawasaki bikes and i spent an hour trying to get it in. they are not slightly beveled or something. you will not get it to fit. ordered the right ones for my yamaha and they plopped right in. just be careful when ordering.

 

Thanks again guys,

I priced Chacal on some stuff before, and I know he will be my savior some day, but he can be expensive.
I have a local guy who will grind to spec for €5 a shim, (so no shipping and tax costs). I have spare shims that are too big.

 

I'm certainly not one of the "experts" around here, but I wouldn't have somebody grind your shims to size...my understanding is the shims are hardened and grinding the will remove that...
You should be able to find a local motorcycle shop who will sell you what you need (FYI..most technician have their own shims...as a last resort ask the service writer to see if any techs will sell you what you need). Also, don't forget eBay...plenty for sale there...for a couple extra bucks most will ship them across the Pond.

 

Thanks PatMac, the guy who said he would grind them is an engineer who runs his own shop. It would have been a last resort for me, but he is a guy I trust. Maybe the shims are only hardened on one side?

I must admit, I thought I would get a lot more negative vibe, at the suggestion of grinding the shims!

I'm a bit impatient as the bike is now off the road for nearly two weeks. I have found a shop which has swapped two of my shims for the correct size, and I have ordered two from Yambits.co.uk for €15 shipped. So good news. ( Sorry should have read €30 shipped). Gets expensive real quick!

 

NO GRINDING SHIMS!!!

They are indeed only surface hardened, and it doesn't go very deep.

Howzat?

 

AHA! I knew I'd get you big fitz!!

 

What about grinding the other side?

 

I've ground shims down before with no problem and read this topic from the XS11.com site from the 3rd post down.

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40821

 

A couple of years ago, we had this debate here. One of our members at the time was a metallurgist, and he sliced a shim and got electron microscope pictures of it that clearly showed how deep the hardening didn't go.

I'll see if I can find it. He posted the pics.

 

Ditto to what cyclenoob said, I got the from the same ebay seller last week and they fit perfectly. Received them in 2 days after I placed the order (west coast to east coast).