Well, I guess on the other side of things, if we skipped all the Internet Nonsense, it would be pretty hollow out there. So nonsense away Boys!
As I have mentioned in the past, I really do not agree with the thought that at some particular place withing such an extremely tight tolerance is better than anywhere else that is also w/in spec. My own opinion, as a mechanical designer who is a bit long in the tooth, is that Kawasaki chose a tolerance window that is actually so narrow it is a bit overkill and could be at least doubled without any problem whatsoever. So 'on the edge' of tolerance is..... well, w/in tolerance.
I think tolerance is often confused with clearance but they are really quite different. Clearance is what must be maintained for a device to assemble and operate correctly and can never be changed without careful review and a full understanding of what one is tinkering with. Tolerance is the band or range of acceptable variance in specification(s) that allow parts and sub- assemblies to be manufacturer within acceptable parameters (read: affordable). At the extreme edges of the tolerances of any two parts, proper clearance will always be maintained, and that is no doubt why Kawasaki chose such a narrow tolerance band on the valve lash.
And finally, it is really tough to get into the 'middle' anyway; the tolerance is 0.002" and given the differential expansion rates of aluminum and steel (0.013" per inch per degree F vs. 0.0065" per inch per degree F), a clearance that is right on the edge at an ambient (garage) temperature of, say, 50F will be considerably different than the identical valve assembly checked at, again say, 90F.
Brian
Exactly! But that said, I did get a map. And there were 4 exhaust valves out of spec and adjusted. Unfortunately there were others that were on the extreme tight edge but "in spec" that I wish he would have centered. But oh well, they are all now in spec. The valves were checked at about 30,000 miles but all were good. So this is the first time shims were actually replaced.