valve clearance adjustment: remove cams?

I have an '83 XJ550 maxim with about 29k miles on it. I bought it a few thousand miles ago. I recently checked the valve clearance and 7 of them are tighter than spec.

my question is, rather than remove 7 shims twice each (once to see what size shim is installed, once to replace it) one at a time, would it be easier to remove the cams and do it all at once? how hard is it to remove and reinstall the cams?

Thanks in advance.

 

I know people who do it that way. Its easier if you have to change several shims. Removing cams is not hard, just be sure to get the timing marks lined back up. If the chain falls off the crank sprocket it can be a pain to get back on. Get a service book it will walk you through step by step.

 

Do it by the book, trust me. Pulling the cams introduces a whole new realm of possible doom; just do it the way Yamaha recommends.

Check sig/gallery. Trust me.

And get a book first, or at least follow: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=14827.html which I wrote because BOTH manuals didn't cover it very well.

 

I don't have a lot of experience yet with XJ bikes, but I do have many years with various models. It's ALWAYS best to do it right, even if it seems to take longer.
(It occurs to me that the very same thing could be said about many things in life!)
Approach all of this with the attitude that you're spending quality time with a friend. For me, wrenching on the bike is my relaxation time. If it becomes aggravating tracking down a problem I back away for a few hours/days.

 

If there was an easy way to deal with the Timing Chain Tensioner, ... ( I have never had to deal with a Manual Tensioner ), going after the Shims by moving the Cams would be a Piece of Cake.

The Motion Pro Shim Tool does not work on the 750M Buckets.
I have to "Lift" the Cams.

Only as far as necessary to remove the Shims.
Lose the Cam and have a Automatic Tensioner take-up the slack and you have to REMOVE the Tensioner and Re-time the Bike.

To reset an Automatic Tensioner ... you remove it.
The Carbs are in the way.
No joy.
Major PITA !

 

Fitz and Rick are right, if you don't have wrench time on a XJ, follow the book. Removing cams and reinstalling them does require experence.

 

Looks like I'll do it one at a time. Thanks for all your input.

BigFitz: Just out of idle curiosity, what sort of possible doom lurks in this realm you mention?

 

Getting the cams timed properly, the caps on right, and the chain back on the guides and properly re-tensioned.

You will need to remove the camchain tensioner because even the "manual" one will over-extend as soon as the chain gets a pile of slack. It has to be removed to be "reset."

Which requires pulling the carbs.

Enough?