Bad shim stock from some chinese suppliers ?

[BockinBboy]

Good thread guys.  This is alarming to read about... I have a shim kit I had bought a while back for my GS, and it just occurred to me that... it is K&L and two shims from that kit are in my bike right now. I'm going to work into my schedule some time to change the shims out to Suzuki shims here in the next couple weeks, but I might as well wait to order new shims until I measure the gaps again since I've put almost 4k miles on my bike this summer since I did the shims.  Don't want to chance this further for a relatively low cost to replace.  Never heard of anything wrong with using another brand of shims, and I looked into it before I purchased the kit... guess its just another reminder to go OEM with vital mechanical parts.

Just sucks I have an entire kit of them, so I'm really interested to find out how this goes for Paragon. Wondering if this is a recent quality issue, or changed supplier for K&L, or its been the same all along and we are just now finding the trend.  The kit I have is pretty old... I had bought it from someone else who bought it new in '06, and had three original Suzuki shims swapped from it.

- Bboy

[The_Paragon]

I have a shim kit I had bought a while back for my GS, and it just occurred to me that... it is K&L and two shims from that kit are in my bike right now.

Bboy- Can I ask how those K&L shims are labled? My K&L shims were labled 2-50 and 2-55 (can be seen in one of my previous pics) Just wondering if your older K&L kit had the same style of labling as my newer K&L shims.

It looks like Deniskin's shim was labled with a - between the 2 and the last two #'s also.

I'd say that if I knew I had a K&L shim in an engine I wouldnt even hit the starter. I'd probably pull them out and swap them with suzuki shims. They're pricey, but probably at this point, well worth the money.

[BockinBboy]

I agree, and I have this planned for next week.  I went ahead and ordered two of the same size from my local dealership, who ensured me he gets OEM on these - its not showing any symptoms of tight valves, so same sizes 'should' still work. Even if they are tighter clearances (which I don't anticipate), it sounds likes that's better than having K&Ls in there at all.  Will do it this way so I'm not down next weekend as well (my bike is pretty much an appendage on weekends), and I'll just have to order again with different sizes if clearances aren't in ideal specs.  It'll go faster now that I've done it anyway, I'm sure.

I honestly don't recall for sure off the top of my head, as I have seen many shims since I did mine - and seeing pics of shims in this thread are biasing my memory recall of what mine look like.  My kit is in my big roller toolbox, which I'm having moved for me at the moment.  I should have access to it again this weekend, though so I'll set a reminder to check that out.

- Bboy

[deniskin]

aftermarket shims (i really dont know that it's a K&L shim) seems different than Zuki original

original shim have a more "brighter" color and different font of thickness marking

[attachment deleted by admin]

[The_Paragon]

That looks like all the K&L shims Ive seen.

[amkluttz]

Just had a chance to take a look at the shims the local dealers ordered for me.  Sure enough they are K&L.  They have the dash in between the 2 and the 50 just like the ones pictured. 

[bmf]

It seems a bit more nuanced, I have checked quite a few sites that say they are selling k&L shims, where the photos show the sizes WITHOUT the dash.
Just food for thought, avoid maybe changing shims for nothing? Can anyone else corroborate?
Photos might inaccurate also though.


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[The_Paragon]

It seems a bit more nuanced, I have checked quite a few sites that say they are selling k&L shims, where the photos show the sizes WITHOUT the dash.
Just food for thought, avoid maybe changing shims for nothing? Can anyone else corroborate?
Photos might inaccurate also though.

My guess is that the online seller is using some sort of generic image. If you ordered some I'd bet that they have the x-xx numbering.

[The_Paragon]

Heres a short update on my dealing with K&L over the valve shims:

I email customer service at K&L and submitted pics and a write up of the issue I had and the amount of money that it had costed me.
K&L is now filing a warranty claim with CRP Automotive. Which is where K&L acquires their shims from. (unsure if CRP actually makes the shims or if they're just yet another middle man in the process). So We'll see where this goes.

Also, a quick google of "CRP valve shims" shows shims with the numbering system X-XX.

So I guess I'd be avoiding shims from K&L as well as CRP Automotive.. or more simply anything that isnt a Suzuki shim.

[BockinBboy]

Thanks Paragon.  I'll continue to check back for updates.   I was able to check my shims from the K&L kit, and they do have the X-XX numbering system for what that's worth =/

- Bboy

[The_Paragon]

Its interesting to see that K&L actually purchases these from another company the probably purchases them from another company.. that probably purchases them from..

Seems like alot of middle-men for a lousy chunk of metal.

[The Buddha]

Yea, and its worse than that for food nowadays. Walmart buy this from A&P who buys it from someone else and they get it from someone else and so on ... and its finally made by "new world pasta" and get this ... walmart buys Mueller pasta from New world pasta directly ... WTF.

We need to eliminate the middle man ... and I need to see the dead body of the middle man. I dont want to hear of the middle man being eliminated, I dont want to read about the midlde man being eliminated, I dont want someone to post a sign on the highway saying the middle man is eliminated ... I need a corpse with a label middle man ...

Cool.
Buddha.

[The_Paragon]

Yea, and its worse than that for food nowadays. Walmart buy this from A&P who buys it from someone else and they get it from someone else and so on ... and its finally made by "new world pasta" and get this ... walmart buys Mueller pasta from New world pasta directly ... WTF.

We need to eliminate the middle man ... and I need to see the dead body of the middle man. I dont want to hear of the middle man being eliminated, I dont want to read about the midlde man being eliminated, I dont want someone to post a sign on the highway saying the middle man is eliminated ... I need a corpse with a label middle man ...

Cool.
Buddha.

BEST REPLY EVER!

[amkluttz]

I am also in the claims process with Anthony from K&L. Same thing, CRP Automotive claim form I am filling out. I am ordering all of my parts so I can get the motor back together. Hopefully they will pay something towards fixing this.

[Alan_nc]

And on a Happy note:  I was all set to get the shims and adjust the valves.  Just flat got lazy (since the bike really runs fine) and didn't do it.  May be the first time in my life being lazy has paid off.

Really am sorry you guys have had the problem and I hope they help you out.

[The Buddha]

And on a Happy note:  I was all set to get the shims and adjust the valves.  Just flat got lazy (since the bike really runs fine) and didn't do it.  May be the first time in my life being lazy has paid off.

Really am sorry you guys have had the problem and I hope they help you out.

Right up there with my favorite excuse of - If I can hear the shims then they are OK ... LOL. Yiou can run 5X the clearance and be OK on a GS. Yamaha Maxims run 2X-5X the clearance and the yare almost the same motors.

Cool.
Buddha.

[gsJack]

Interesting update, I opened my Weather Channel link this morning and there was an add from BikeBandit for K&L shims and they were $33.95 each for the 29.5 mm dia like we use.

http://www.bikebandit.com/aftermarket-parts/motorcycle-engine-and-exhaust/valve-shim-kits-refills-universal/k-l-valve-adjustment-replacement-shims-29-5mm?b=3082905&utm_source=Criteo

A quick look at online dealer parts fiche shows price of $10.29 (retail $13.90)

http://www.shspowersports.com/fiche_section_detail.asp?section=92665&category=Motorcycles&make=SUZUKI&year=2001&fveh=2102

BUYER BEWARE, I bought mine from a dealer 10-15 years ago and they were at first $5 each and increased to $13 each for the last.  The Suzuki shims were all marked with a decimal point (2.50) and not a dash like said above for K&L (2-50) or a comma like shown in BB K&L ad (2,50).