Valve Adjustment - 1981 kz1000 m1 csr

[CRAZYTasty]

Hello, it's been a while since my last few posts. I've just recently
found time again to devote to the project bike. Since I last posted I
have rebuild and bench synch'ed the carbs, cleaned and freed the clutch
assembly and rewired most original harness including installing a dyna s ignition.
My focus is now on adjusting the valves. The bike runs ok now (idle and midrange
are no longer an issue) but the bike breaks up past mid throttle.
My question is what tools / gaskets / parts am I going to need to make this
valve adjustment as painless as possible? I have also looked into possibly
replacing the oil pressured-activated cam chain tensioner with the manual
adjust type, any thoughts?

[elr658]

APE camchain tensioner.
K&L valve tool
gasket and four end plugs
.006 setting.

[LoudFastUgly]

If you're at all uncomfortable around timing or torque wrenches, pay someone else to do this.

Shims (if req'd) can be had cheapest at Z1enterprises (don't tell them that). This bit of maintenance provides the most bang for the buck.

[CRAZYTasty]

Pulled the valve cover over the weekend to
adjust the valves. Using a set of go/no go's
I checked clearances which I've listed below,
almost all were out of spec. I also removed
the shims and listed those.

elr658 am I looking for shims to give me .006 clearance?
and what do you recommend for sealing the four end plugs?
Thanks in advance.

Cylinder 1:
Intake .001 no go (290 shim)
Exhaust .003 no go (275 shim)

Cylinder 2:
Intake .003 no go (280 shim)
Exhaust .002 no go (280 shim)

Cylinder 3:
Intake .006 no go (280 shim)
Exhaust .002 no go (280 shim)

Cylinder 4:
Intake .001 no go (275 shim)
Exhaust .001 no go (280 shim)

[elr658]

Originally Posted by CRAZYTasty

Pulled the valve cover over the weekend to
adjust the valves. Using a set of go/no go's
I checked clearances which I've listed below,
almost all were out of spec. I also removed
the shims and listed those.

elr658 am I looking for shims to give me .006 clearance?
and what do you recommend for sealing the four end plugs?
Thanks in advance.

Cylinder 1:
Intake .001 no go (290 shim)285
Exhaust .003 no go (275 shim)270

Cylinder 2:
Intake .003 no go (280 shim)275
Exhaust .002 no go (280 shim)275

Cylinder 3:
Intake .006 no go (280 shim)leave
Exhaust .002 no go (280 shim)275

Cylinder 4:
Intake .001 no go (275 shim)270
Exhaust .001 no go (280 shim)

275

Looks like you're buying shims.

[CRAZYTasty]

To put the clearances in spec I thought I would need more than
.05 mm drop for each shim (around .1 mm). Do you prefer staying on
the smaller side of clearance rather than larger side?

If so can I swap my two existing 275 shims where I need them?

Also what do you recommend using to seal the cam plugs?

Thanks again for your help.

[techy]

Different thoughts on valve gap.
Some go to low side, claiming more HP.
Some go to wide side to allow for wear closing the gap.

[CRAZYTasty]

Originally Posted by techy

Different thoughts on valve gap.
Some go to low side, claiming more HP.
Some go to wide side to allow for wear closing the gap.

I am just after a sound tune up. I am interested in longevity
and would like to not have to go back inside the engine for
some time. I am leaning toward the .10 mm shims. Thanks
for all the advice, it is appreciated.

[A2rider]

Looser the better. Then you won't have to go in there for a long time.

[techy]

I do my own mechanical. I also set to wide side. Less chance of burning valve.

[CRAZYTasty]

Shims are installed and now I am swapping out the
stock cam chain tensioner for the APE piece. The company
recommends turning the motor over and bring the tensioner
in until it touches the tensioner guide makes contact with
the chain then back it out 1/4 turn and lock the backup nut.
My question is besides the instructions included with it
what is the general rule of thumb is for chain tightness.
Is there a common deflection that is used between the
two cam sprockets? Thanks for the help thus far.

[Kawa 1982]

I replaced the cam chain tensioner on my 1982 KZ1100 with an APE manual tensioner. I found the following on line.

“Tighten the adjustment bolt until you feel it contact the guide. Then start up the bike and listened to the wonderful "diesel" racket. Slowly turn the bolt by hand until the noise goes away. Then back it out a 1/4th of a turn and tightened the locknut. Just to be safe run the engine through some rev ranges and then repeat the adjustment. End result is a nice quiet engine.”

I followed this procedure and then discussed it with a master Kawasaki mechanic. He advised that backing off ¼ turn was probably too much that it should be backed off about 1/8th of a turn. I followed his suggestion. The engine was amazingly quite.