Slammer, I'm doing this to my 98 on my next day off. The question was (sorry if this is obvious :goof: ) did you have the bike on the center or side stand?
I used to have the bike shimmed I took them out, It flicks better without the shims. ?I just lowered the front about 5mm instead same effect lower center of gravity. ?I did that shim a long time ago, it still a good solution for guys who cant seem to stop scraping hardparts and need more clearance.
Instead of cutting up washers, you can make it easier by using steel auto body shims as sold in auto supply stores. They are "U" shaped steel shims that comes in a pack of differing thickness. I've had a couple stacked on my shock and have had no problems with them in the last three years of riding. I installed them with the open end of the "U" pointing to the rear of the bike. I don't think it makes any difference cause the shock retaining bolt is spec'd to be torqued down pretty tight anyway. I do check them once in a while to make sure that they are secure. I might eventually drill the ends of the U and string some saftey wire across the legs to make sure they never fall off the shock mount this summer.
BOBINOTTAWA, Nov 10 2005, 04:40 PMI have never seen shims, so I was hoping to see one and how they are used etc.
Is there 1 kind of shim for VFR's for multiple places or many kinds of shims?
A steel flat washer can be a shin, nothing special ! Using washers or shims with a hole in them requires you to remove the bolt to get them on. As mentioned by Beck here, you can just loosen the top nut and slide in the U shaped body shims availible from most auto parts stores. AS HS mentioned you could slide your fork tubes up in the trees 5mm instead. fing02.gif
baileyrock, Nov 10 2005, 05:51 PMA steel flat washer can be a shin, nothing special ! Using washers or shims with a hole in them requires you to remove the bolt to get them on. As mentioned by Beck here, you can just loosen the top nut and slide in the U shaped body shims availible from most auto parts stores. AS HS mentioned you could slide your fork tubes up in the trees 5mm instead. fing02.gif
Thanks. I have used washers as spacers etc in other things. I just assumed that these had part numbers etc.
BOBINOTTAWA, Nov 11 2005, 08:40 AMI have never seen shims, so I was hoping to see one and how they are used etc.
Is there 1 kind of shim for VFR's for multiple places or many kinds of shims?
Shim is simply another term for 'spacer'. If you've ever placed a folded cardboard coaster under a table leg to level the table, then you have 'shimmed' the table.
Shims are also used as part of the valve clearance adjustment for gear-driven VFRs - in this case they are simply a small metal disc cut to a specific thickness and marked as such.
The shim that works best on the VFR shock is a simple U-shape used for adjusting camber on cars, as per this:
You could go to an autoparts store too. They might want an application, so just tell them it's for an early 90's Chevrolet Astro van or full size van, which uses shim adjustments for the camber/caster. They'll be cheap, and hopefully can be obtained individually instead of in a pack.
![[image: user posted image]](http://www.thecliplink.com/images/shims.9.gif){kind=link}
