Shims ?
 

Well the bikes in to get its shims done at the moment. So no bike to go ride on :(, which I expect is why the board is so quiet. Ducati+Sun=everyone out riding :)!

So my question is....., no laughing as I'm totally non mechanical. What are the shims and what do they do? All I got told is they needed doing quite badly. What improvements will I get from having them done?

Sorry for the basic question


Mac

The shims are there to adjust the valves opening and closing clearances. Having them set right makes a BIG difference. Too big a gap and you don't get full valve lift or duration, too small a gap and you risk serious engine damage. One thing I will say is that Ducati specify quite a wide range of tolerance, so if your having them done, try to get them all set at exactly the same value.

[quote What are the shims and what do they do? [/quote]

They were working in some of the bars I visited in Hong Kong. Best not to ask what they do:o:o:o