Now I know............

[blue giant]

................what a useless tool the valve shim tool is. Talk about a big failure in both design and fuction!

[randy]

Yeah, it's a lesson hard learned. By the time you realize you're wasting time with it, you could have pulled the cams and finished the job.

[blue giant]

Yeah, it's a lesson hard learned. By the time you realize you're wasting time with it, you could have pulled the cams and finished the job.

Which is exactly what I ended up doing!

[randy]

I was in touch with Motion Pro in '07 after meeting one of their reps at the motorcycle show. We corresponded, but they did nothing:

I discussed this problem with Joe Fratis of Motion Pro at the NY Motorcycle show. He asked me to write him, so I sent him copies of some of our posts here. Here's his reply. My original e-mail is farther down



Hello Randy,

Thanks for the information, feedback is always appreciated. I would like to direct a question your way in regards to this, in the past we have been contacted in regards to use of this product with similar comments and found that the end user was putting the little tab of the tool in the slot of the bucket, this is not correct, the slot in the bucket is there to remove the shim once the bucket is depressed, the tab of the tool is intended to sit on the edge of the bucket but not in the slot, is it possible that this is the case? Before we proceed I would like to eliminate the simple things, if this is not the case I will of course look into this in further detail for you but I just want to check first. I hope you find this information to be of assistance and I look forward to your replay.

Best regards,

Joe Fratis

Motion Pro, Inc.



-----Original Message-----
From: Randy Rago [mailto:rrago@nyaes.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 20, 2007 7:09 AM
To: Joe F
Subject: Motion Pro tool Part # 08-0020 VALVE SHIM TOOL YAM



Dear Joe,



We met briefly at the New York Motorcycle show. We spoke about the above referenced valve tool and I voiced my concern for the engineering and application for the Yamaha XS1100 series engines (’79 through ’82).



I am part of a group of about 1,000 XS owners (xs11.com) and many of us have this tool and have had difficulty getting it to work properly. Some of us have actually altered it to enable us to change valve shims with your tool. Obviously, something is amiss.



You suggested that I contact you in writing, so here it is. I’ve attached a few comments about the use of your tool from some of our group members for your perusal. I hope this info is useful in that Motion Pro can make adjustments to the dimensions of the tool so that it is more suitable for use on these engines?



If you need any additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact me.



Best regards,



Randy Rago
__________________

[kirmit77]

he looks forward for your replay.

[Wildkat]

he looks forward for your replay.

Which I guess is better than looking forward to his his forpl...
nevermind...

lol


Paul... I think you joined a long line of people who were not impressed with the design...

[blue giant]

Which I guess is better than looking forward to his his forpl...
nevermind...

lol


Paul... I think you joined a long line of people who were not impressed with the design...

Stay on topic Kat.

Now I can send you those shims!

[Big Daddy Funk]

Not forward

Which I guess is better than looking forward to his his forpl...
nevermind...

lol


Paul... I think you joined a long line of people who were not impressed with the design...

Or in this case, behind to his forpl...

[rman]

No problems

I used the motion pro shim tool this past spring, It took a few tries on the first bucket but after 3-4 retrys I got it working. It worked well on each bucket after that. It was just a matter of getting the correct position. Got all the shims changed out.

Funny thing is that normally when working on mechanical things I most closely resemble a monkey with a coconut.

[bikerphil]

After carefully grinding it into a better shape, my valve shim removal tool works perfect every time. Had to ream out the bolt hold down a bit too. Out of the package though, it wasn't worth a sh it.

[tw1980]

Sorry guys I don't share your complaint.Mine works great with no modifications I guess I was one of the lucky ones.Terry

[DiverRay]

I have to say that the tool DOES work well, once you know HOW TO USE IT. I make sure the cam lobe is PAST full down, and pointing to the spark plug hole. I then put the tool in place and tighten the hold down bolt. It works first time about 90%, and if it doesn't work, the second try does.
I probably DO use it more than most, as I have my two runners, plus Special Ed's bike, and one or two others I am working on.
Just me, we all have our own opinion.

[HobbyMan]

Definitely takes some fiddling. The one I have works but it isn't easy. Thats why I regret doing valve shimming. What do you guys do, measure everything then pull the cams? I will end up doing that next time

[Dragon Tamer]

I have actually owned two different shim tools. Both of them now live in whatever black hole the rest of the contents of my dumpster get hauled to.
I don't remove the cams either, I just loosen the cam bearing caps and slightly lift the cam enough to get the proper clearance and lift and slide the shim out. I have done this countless times and have never had a problem with timing or anything else.
As with anything else dealing this with type of work on these incredible old engines, knowing the proper assembly words, phrases, and chants along with the correct sequence and proper volumn to use them in helps immensly.

[petejw]

I couldnt get the valve shim tool to work either,
Like Dragon Tamer i also just loosen the cam bearing caps
and havent had a problem.