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Two weeks ago, I sent out my shop Shim Kit with a set of new gaskets, like I always do. On the weekend of the 24th of October it was returned to me in a timely manner. Only this time, there was white and RED USPS Tape all over one corner of the box. I was immediately worried as I have NEVER had the Shim Kit Box returned to me with any trouble what so ever. When I opened the box, to my horror I saw that the outer case that the shims were in was crushed! Even worse, when I opened the outer case, there were a half dozen canisters that would normally be filled with shims EMPTY!!, and a large hole in the bottom corner of the box. (Where the USPS Tape was on the outside. Luckily, the Bucket Tool was still in the case but it looks like between 35 and 55 shims were lost in transit! The Forum Member who returned the Shim Kit to me filed a claim with USPS as soon as I contacted them. To his credit he has been all over USPS and I was contacted to bring the Shim Kit with all of the packaging to my local Post Office for inspection. Which I did. The Post Master and I have been doing business with each other for the 12 years I have been a member of this forum so he made short work of the Inspection and the forms that needed to be filled out. My standard procedure was to insure the kit for $200.00 and request that the kit be insured when it was returned. After over 100 trips back and forth across the country, the Insurance finally paid off. The claim was approved, and I should be receiving a check in the next week to ten days. I am now in the process of replacing the outer case, and tearing down a few motors I have here at the shop to harvest the shims from. The supposed cause of the damage was the Priority Mail Box got caught in the "Barcode Reader Machine" and was destroyed during the scan of the Barcode. I can only imagine 55 Valve Shims raining down like ping pong balls, and rolling across the floor! They will be skidding on those puppies for the next five years,,,,,I hope! I have attached a few pics, because as we all know... It didn't happen if you have NO pics. Enjoy. Earl

Good Morning Everyone, This is Jean, Earl's wife, (skydoc_17) Earl was taken to the UPMC Medical Center early this morning with an Aortic Aneurysm. He will be having a Full Lower Aortic Bypass in about an hour. Please take a moment and wish him the best of luck during his surgery. This forum means so much to him. I will have more details as this story unfolds . Earl and Jean Harrell (skydoc_17)

Thank you everyone! I am a bit embarrassed and humbled at the offer. It was NOT my intension to ask for money for the replacement of the shims, but merely to vent my frustration with the loss of the Shim Kit that I have been adding to for the last 12 years! LUVMY40, I have received your donation, and I thank you very much! Jason, I am willing to buy your shims to replace the lost ones as well as pay for the shipping. my friend! RDawson, my dear friend, it was MY pleasure to loan you the kit. I just wanted to ad that the reason I started loaning the Shim Kit was to give my fellow VR.ORG Members the COURAGE to do this Service themselves instead of taking it to a dealer where you have NO idea the quality of work that is being done to your scoot. Not to mention that the price for this service at a dealer is a rip off! To everyone that has borrowed the Shim Kit, my hat's off to you for being brave enough to do this service yourself. I believe that projects like this service allow us to "Bond" with our bikes, and allow each one of us to take PRIDE in the fact that we are maintaining these special motorcycles ourselves. The Shim Kit comes with EVERY tool you need for the service, and I even include a set of Genuine Yamaha Valve Cover Gaskets when I ship the kit. This Shim Kit will perform the Valve Adjustment Service for both First and Second Gens. My Paypal email address is: earlfharrell@atlanticbb.net and I assure you that any money or shims donated will be used to make my loaner shim kit even better than it was before! Thank you everyone for your support, as I said earlier, I am Humbled to be a part of such a wonderful "Family" and the owner of such a great machine that brings me so much pride and pleasure! Earl

I was changing the oil on my Victory, well it comes with an (70 dollar) oil change kit. Well I drained it, changed the filter, and filled it up with all the quarts they gave me. When I checked the oil it was way to full, so I figure probably needs to be started, so I did, let it run, then checked it again, still over full, so I get on the Victory forum, much like this, and ask, and I was told that the last quart you put a little bit in at a time till just under the line on the dip stick. So I thought, I can just pull the drain plug a little bit and let a little out. I pulled that plug and I could not get it back in I had 5qt of oil on my arms, carport floor, and in the middle of trying to get the plug in and oil going everywhere, I get a text from my daughter, and I can read the first line of the text, it says. BOY WHY ARE MEN SO STUPID! I am thinking is she off in the distance watching me. I also know if I do not get this cleaned up before the wife comes home she is going to ask the same question but add, I married the chief idiot. I had to go to the dollar store and buy every cheap bag of kitty litter they had, the lady asked me what I was doing. I smelled like oil, and it on my shirt and I know still on my arms, I looked her in the eye and said I had a really big cat piss on my floor.