Just to keep some of the more sadistic of you happy, I though i should share my misadventures with you.
In explanation, the reason I like the GSXR is that it is able to be maintained by myself, no secret tools required, just a crescent & hammer.
It was tune up time (all fairy stories start like this) so off with cam cover to re torque head (torgue wrench frozen with rust so guess appropriate torque & carry on) and adjust valves.
adjust valves??? 3mm AF spanner required! Not in my tool box, crescent wont fit so make spanner...... find piece of thin steel, file 3mm groove and set to on valves. Must be brilliant it actually works! That is, it did work, until I dropped it down the hole in the engine where the cam chain runs. This slot in the engine is about 30mm wide and about 2 km deep! I can see the bloody thing sitting quietly wedged between the two strands of chain and the crankshaft but no way I can get to it.
Several minutes wasted screaming and trying to blame someone else.
Tried the magnet on a piece of string, the magnet taped to long stick, tried blu tack taped to long stick, tried welding wire with loops on end, tried kicking crankcase.
Contemplate stripping engine, contemplate suicide. The high commander (she who must be obeyed, sometimes) suggests tipping bike upside down and shaking - not bad but I cant lift 190 kg of bike and its late at night.
Finally I tried kebab sticks, obscure but wonderfull, tape two sticks together on long stick (to reach 2km's into crankcase) ferret round in crankcase until the "spanner" wedges between the kebab sticks and carefully extract!
Immediate awarding of hero status and several beers.
Tie string to "spanner" before going near engine again.
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