Contributed by Martin Gibson

       Be sure you physically go to the shop and buy the valve cover gasket
before you take the bike apart. The one shop that said they had 3 in stock
didn't have them when I got there (AFTER I pulled the bike apart). Since I
didn't have a new gasket to put on, I went to an auto parts store and bought
some spray on type gasket sealer to keep it from leaking until the new one
goes in. (I did manage to keep the old one intact during removal, so I was
able to pull off this little magic trick). Keep in mind that the ZR7 is not a
widely owned bike and parts usually have to be ordered well before you need
them. I did call to see if they had it, and they said they did, but when they
went to pull it off the shelf, it was not there. Get the parts in your hands
before you take the bike apart!!!!
       Wal-mart sells a plastic canister of multi-colored zip ties. I would
recommend using them to "Tag" what you disconnected and where you
disconnected it from. As I posted before, things like hoses and wires can
easily get inadvertently pushed into the mix of other wires and hoses. Color
coding will definitely help, especially with things like the 2 fuel lines
under the left side of the tank. Both hoses are already color coded (one blue
striped and one red striped) but the little colored dots that the factory
puts on the underside of the tank next to the nipples are not permanent and
could come off, (plus they are hard to see unless you stand on your head). As
you disconnect the hoses just put the correct colored zip tie on the nipple
and when you go to reassemble, the guess work (and gymnastics) is taken out.
      Also I would recommend getting one of those folding camp stools to sit
on while checking the valve clearances and other time consuming tasks. I
didn't have one (I sat on an ice chest), but if you plan on standing for the
entire procedure, expect a back ache. The camp stool is easier to maneuver
around the bike as you change from one side to the other. That will leave
your ice chest top free to use as a place to set your tools at a comfortable
working height (Luckily I own several ice chests).
      I would also recommend getting a block of 2X4 about 4" long to rest
the tail end of the tank on while connecting and disconnecting the different
fuel lines. It will help. The hoses on the right side of the tank need not be
disconnected as they are both overflow lines.  When you set the rear of the
tank on the wood block, you will see that they go to the rear between the
frame and swing arm. Just pull them free and let them hang down next to the
motor. They will come with the tank when you remove it. If you opt to leave
them on the tank, you will have to route them back where they belong, but
that is a lot easier than trying to move the clips back to disconnect them.
You will have to disconnect the gas gauge wire on the right side. If you
reach up about half the distance (from front to rear) on the tank on the
right side, you will feel a keeper that holds the gas gauge wire up out of
the way. You can reach in and bend it down just a touch, and then unhook the
wire out of the keeper so you have slack in the wire to make it easier to
connect and disconnect. Just be sure to put the wire back in it and give it a
little push to bend it back in place during reassembly. You will also have to
remove the gray side covers from your bike so you can see where to put the
hoses during reassembly. (Also while I was there I drained the little
container that catches the oil and junk that drains from the air box.)
      Another tool I would recommend adding to your arsenal would be a
decent micrometer (calipers) to measure the shims that you remove. That way
you can figure out what shims you have and what you need before you get to
the shop. The shop I went to (San Diego's House of Motorcycles) does have a
program where they will exchange shims with you, but you pay half price. The
next time I do this, I will buy the new ones outright, that way I can build
my own inventory. They sell theirs' for around $5.00 each (new) and that may
sound a little pricey, but it will allow you to do the work on your own time,
not during their shop hours. I would also recommend measuring all the shims,
whether you change them out or not. You are going to have the cams off any way,
it will add a little more time to this procedure this time, but it will save
you time on the next one. This way you will know what you have in there the
next time you check your valves. I would recommend writing down the shim
sizes on a piece of paper and putting that into your shop manual.
      Horn removal is also a must. When you take the valve cover off, it's
not a problem, but when you go to torque the front center bolt during
reassembly the horn will be just far enough in your way to p*ss you off.
      The entire process is not real difficult if you are comfortable
working on bikes. Just take your time. Don't get in any hurry. Make sure you
set aside and entire day to do it. Start the night before by taking off the
seat, side covers and gas tank, get some grease rags together,  get some hand
cleaner, buy some cat litter to soak up any oil that drips on the floor, lay
out your tools. You will mostly use an 8mm and 10mm socket, ratchet, pliers,
a rubber mallet (for lightly tapping the valve cover loose after the bolts
are out), a set of feeler gauges (that you can read easily) and an INCH POUND
torque wrench. (I bought mine at "Harbor Freight" for about $30.00.
      Getting the cups off the top of the valves can be tricky. I happened
to use a set  of hemostats that I could grab the tops with. They were thin
enough to get in there and strong enough to grab them. You may also get away
with using that little tool your wife uses for curling her eye lashes
(Really! They are about the same shape and size). When you pull the cups off,
pull them straight off at they angle they are at. They slide real easy,
unless they are cocked, then they won't move. Just be gentle but firm. When I
put the cups back on, I set the shim on the top of the valve (you'll see
where), then put the cups on. That way I knew the shims and cups were seated
and took out the risk of having the shim fall out of the cup (and possibly
losing it somewhere in the motor).
      Be sure to make the little tool for holding the cam chain tensioner
(the dimensions are in the manual).
Have patience with this one. The area between the carbs, the air box and and
the back of the heads/cylinders is not very much, big hands or not. I had to
insert and hold the cam chain tensioner from one side and reach over and
through to start the bolts from the other side (kinda like a big ZR7hug).
       I think if you combine the steps from Bob Scott's tips with these,
it'll be pretty hard to screw up (By the way Bob, GOOD JOB. I used your notes
to help navigate my way through this. It was a great help.)
     Good Luck! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask (on the
"Garage" or e-mail me direct).

Martin

Contributed by Howard Berkson

In doing valve adjustments, there is value in removing the carbs. 
First, the fact that the cam chain tensioner can be removed with the carbs on doesn't mean that it's worth the hassle.  Second, it's a good opportunity to clean the carbs and lube the cables and reinstallation insures that everything is adjusted correctly and fasteners are tightened.  It's also a convenient time to clean any excess oil or debris out of the airbox from the crank case breather.  I may well make a secondard collection for that icky stuff and use a PCV valve on the vent, as I did on my race machine.

Also, if you have to do any valve adjustments, there's no real reason not to adjust them all.  Why?  Because the difference in effort to remove one cam versus two is minimal.  Rather than making gross adjustments through carb synchronization, one can even the intake and exhaust velocities and also tune them according to their riding style.  Commuting?  Adjust the intakes
towards the tight side for high velocity at low RPMs giving good torque.  High speed or, at least, high RPMs?  Adjust the intakes towards the loose side to allow for high volume at high RPMs.

Howard