Hi everyone, I have a 2004 GS500F, and I'm working on my valve shim clearance. I have a few questions. I know the recommended clearance is to be .03-.08. I have 3 of the valve shims now with .09
Gap after replacing shims. I'm assuming that shouldn't be a problem. I'm having a hard time finding the last shim. I live in Ontario Canada and none of the motorcycle repair shops have the size I need near me. One repair shop said he tried ordering me the one I need, but it's on back order and could take a few weeks. I decided to take a 3 hour drive to the nearest Suzuki dealer and they exchanged my shim, but after getting home I noticed they sold me a 29mm diameter one instead of a 29.5mm. Would that be safe to use? Or would it cause problems?  My bikes been down for 3 weeks now, and I'd really like to use it again.

I believe I have used a 29mm Yamaha shim at one time without problem, but I don't redline the bike.

What thickness do you need?

I would not use the wrong diamter shim. Is there not a parts website like partzilla that sells OEM shims in Canada? Or a parts website like jetsrus that sells aftermarket shims? Or a site like ebay that sells used shims? I've never had an issue finding the shims. I like to order sets of shims/buckets from 4 cylinder GS bikes because you can get 8 shims for like $10. I fill out my collection than way and then use partzilla and jetsrus to fill in the gaps in my collection. I like to have 4 of every shim from 230 - 280 so that I can do a valve adjustment on my GS500 or GS1000 without ever thinking if I have the right shims or not or having downtime waiting for shims. I probably spent less than $100 to have all those shims on hand by mostly sourcing new/used lots from eBay. Much better than $15 per shim direct from Suzuki but I have bought a couple that way.