Dragonslayer

I'm also thinking that maybe a brillantly engineered and tooled customized shim popper upper tool and some gentle tapping on the purchase point might jar the offending shim from it's secure resting place.

I thought of that too.

Yes you read the post correctly. However, the problem with the "too fat a shim theory" is that it went into place easily when we installed the wrong one. I'm kinda thinking a "slightly distorted shim bucket theory" due to a miss alignment of the shim tool.

Randy, I have a compressor we just didnt have it set up yet since our move . I'll have Clint do that this week. Read the Pm i sent you about slightly distorted shim bucket.

Well the search ended. Just as I thought might happen as I was disconnecting and nudging the radiator out of the way to get a good frontal view, I heard a ping and there it was on the floor. On to the next step.

I had the laptop set up in the work area like you suggest and read that thread the only problem was this is a new laptop and I didn't pony up for microsoft office/excel. I use the freebe Open Office suite which is supposed to be compatable with excel but it would not open the attached file. So we did it the old fashioned way.

The piece I'm looking for is about 1/8" in diameter about 1 1/2" long. It's not wedged in at the place I was using it I think it was more likely to flip up and land somewhere... out of sight.

Out of all of the maintenance/repair/mods that I've done to my MK11 (which includes just about all of them) I've always dreaded the Valve Shim adjustment Task. And now I know for good reason. To me this maintenance task requirement is one on the biggest negatives of the Yamaha V-4 engines. I've read all of the articles and manuals written about this task and had a good general understanding of the process. But, having studied up on the subject, the task really struck me as a major PITA for several reasons. My first reservations were about work space access to do tedious micro measurement task in a confined area with my ageing eyesight and fat clumsy arthretic fingers. (And my seemingly constant lack of suitable and locatable lighting source issues.) Visualizing the task, I just could not imagine it being physically possible to actually do. But, of course it is. In fact, as RandyR (who graciously agreed to help me) and I discovered my fears were unfounded and the factors I feared the most were actually quite easy. Thats not to say that the job was without it's obstacles and did in fact turn into a major PITA, as I first suspected but, for very different and unforeseeable reasons that I never would have imagined. The first problem that presented itself was a tool issue. The feeler gauges needed for the measurement of the valve/shim clearences needed to be within certain ranges for the intake and exhaust shim specs. We discovered early that the offset or bent gauges made access easier than the flat ones. Then of course the set I had on hand was not that type and had the measurement markings rubbed off...... Of Course. :doh:So we jumped on the bikes:7_6_3[1]: to ride around the corner to the nearest Advance auto parts store to remedy that situation. Four Hours, fifty miles and multiple stops at every,Auto Zone, Napa, Pep Boys and Northern Handyman retail locations we could find we eventually discovered that each of them sells several different type sets but no one set contained all of the gauges we needed in the exact sizes we needed..... Of Course.:doh: We finally settled for having to buy multiple sets which we adapted to satisfy our needs. At least it was a nice day for a ride. That problem solved, the next wrestling match was mental due to a counterintuative issue resulting from the tightening of the valve from wear rather than loosening (as Randy explained it to me and one might imagine). Or more specifically how that translates mathmatically (Not my long suit) for the proper replacement shim selection. Being somewhat mathmatically challenged at that stage of the day, I left all the mathmatical calculations, converstions and contemplations to Randy who seemed to be good at it and really getting into it. But evidently, it was a long day for both of us because after completing the clearence measurement for each valve, the out of spec shim removal and installation of the "correct" replacement shims we remeasured the valve/shim clearence on the replace shims to check our work. To our dismay the "corrected" clearences were ten times more out of spec then they were before we "Fixed" them. Apparently, when doing math calculations decimal point placement is critical. Who would have thunked it? After all, who really spends a lot of time mentally dealing with decimal points and metric converstions unless your like ah counting money. :mo money:There are probably a lot of people like Randy that are good at and get into that sort of thing. I myself, am more of a generalist. I know it, I admit it. Upon that realization, we decided to call it a day and regroup for the next. The next day, being armed with the mathematical truth of the error of our ways we jump into the appropiate corrective action with fresh minds and energy. Note to self: When things appear to be going smoothly, it would be prudent to pay extra special focused attention and proceed with extreme caution. I'm not sure if the foregoing concept is one of the reconized "Murphy's Laws" or not, but, if not it should be. Half way through the secondary corrective-corrective action shim replacement, we find for no explicable reason, a stubborn valve shim that refused to be removed from it's shim bucket....Of Course. After repeated failed attempts Randy gives up in frustration so that I get a chance take my shot at it. Being the adaptive,suedo-mechanical engineering master mind that I think that I am, I immediately decide that it is another tool issue and decide to apply a jeweler's screw driver to the problem. Finding the smaller blade more accessable to take purchase on the shim it apparently lacked the tinsel strength necessary to be used as a pry bar. As I soon found out. Suddenly there was a barely audible snap sound as I noticed the end of the screwdrive bit had broken off. But, where did it go? Could it have fallen down the open spark plug hole into the cylinder directly below? If so it has proven to be unretreavable thus far using a telescopic magnet. Or could it have flipped over and fallen down the space along side of the timing chain down into the dark oiley bowels of the engine inevitably destined to be the perverbal "monkey wrench in the machinery". If I ignore it's disappearence and relocation. So far it is nowhere visually or magnetically apparent within a six foot radius in all directions that I can tell.:bang head: The only recourse I can think of after days of searching is to start a disassembly process on the bike until I either find it or hear it hit the floor. Any suggestions?

Lubricate the odometer motor and cable.

In a perfect world that might work.

Sounds like a keeper................Congratulations

Ok I'm having a bowl of left over Halloween candy. Like the Kit Kats don't care much for those peanut butter chewy things in the orange and black wax paper wrapping.

Carbon Copy???? What is that???? Doesn't your xerox have a multiple copy button?

Aint that the truth, rode the bike to work today to Alpharetta and back , Glorious day. However, tomorrow looks like it's gonna suck. I guess it will be in the cage again tomorrow.

Your new ride will be the best investment you will ever make. The next best investment will be the twelve bucks you pony up to join this group. First tech tip will more than pay you back and how can you put a price on all the good friends and times with brother 1st gen riders... I mean Ventureriders that are destined in your future. Welcome aboard:thumbsup2:

What Don, No Pictures........You know the rules.

I did the same thing and it works.

Nice story Thom, I too have been known to spin a yarn or too. Welcome aboard, but, we have a rule in these parts. Where's the pics. Looking forward to meeting you for the next N. Georgia Meet & Eat 11/13/10 2nd Saturday of the month, every month. BlackJack from Snellville is the organizer. He don't post much but, he's a great guy and a good friend.

Mine came from when I was a teenager (16) and had a head on bike wreck at a combined impact of 150 MPH. Me, the bike (Honda CB 750) and the car (69 Pontiac Bonneville) that hit me were all totalled. After 3 months in a coma, then 1 1/2 years in traction I spent 3 years in a wheel chair and physical therapy learning how to walk again. When I would get in a defeated mood and want to give up my Mother would encourage me by telling me over and over again, " Don't let this Dragon Slay you, You Be the Dragonslayer" and it kinda stuck from there.

There is actually a local legend stripper named Morgana, here in Atlanta at the Clairmont Lounge. (A must visit when in Atlanta) that crushes beer cans in her cleavage and has done so three shows a night for the past thirty years. She also does an act with a live full grown Boa Constrictor. If I'm Lying I'm Dying.

Good Idea, I like that..... Better yet a saddle type shotgun scabbard

I have a tool I call a pingger. It is a spring loaded center punch used for making a drill start point when doing metal work. It only takes a fraction of a second with no noise involved to shatter a windshield.And untraceable. Had the windshield on the bike been damaged. I do believe in the Biblical scripture "A windshield for a windshield" I'm sorry maybe that's not a biblical reference.

24 hours later: The calm, reasonable, responable adult side of my brain makes me a little bit ashamed of the way I delt with the situation. Because I know that anger can be a destructive influence and is never a good platform to react from. But, only a very small little bit. The human being with human emotions side of my brain says I should have dotted his eyes and put a knot on his head big enough to require it's own zip code. Probably a good thing I didn't go that far. I do apoligize to anyone reading my original post that might have been offended by my colorful language. I normally don't talk that way but, did so in this case for dramatical effect and descriptive depiction of my emotions at the time in the writting. Connie did talk to him after the fact and he timidly apoligized to her with the excuse that he was only trying to do his job. But he did take the opportunity to attack her patio furniture which somehow violates some obscure property covenant written in 1964. There was no damage to the windshield, but there very easily could have been. Since the bike I'm riding is not mine the possiblity of it being damage while in my care was probably the underlying factor that caused my anger. In the future I won't risk it being damaged by not taking it back on the property. Connie is renting the condo and does not own it. Her lease makes no mention of motorcycles or offending patio furniture. Her lease is up in December and she was contemplating moving anyway. In the mean time Connie felt that it might be appropiate to approach the Managers wife who she knows, to make her aware of and ask her to attempt to influence her husbands inappropiate behavior while conducting business on the property. A letter from her attorney to the Condo Association Board might also be appropiate. With that, enough said on this unfortunate incident.

Actually RandyR was with me yesterday and he had some Plexi Cleaner he uses to clean his windshield. We sprayed it and let soak for about 10 minutes then wiped it off with a soft rag. Do not try and scrape it off with anything or you will scratch the windsheild.