EMS Intro

[ducatimike]

I wanted to introduce myself and tell you a little about the products I sell. I am a biomedical engineer and have been designing medical implants for most of my adult life. I am currently doing work in the field of orthopedics, designing artificial hip and knee joints.

I bought my first ducati about 5 yrs ago and when attempting to do my first valve adjustment, I realized a kit of shims would be most helpful. I designed them up, found vendors to make them, and now have them now for sale.

I have sold hundreds of kits over the last 3 years to many do-it-yourself mechanics and also to many race teams around the world. The shims are precision made in the USA and made of tool steel, hardened completely through. I chose tool steel because of its high impact strength and good wear characteristics. My shims are very hard and do not wear out.

There are two types of shims, one for a 7 mm valve stem and one for an 8 mm valve stem. The older 2V bikes use the 8 mm shims and the 4v bikes and newer 1000 ds motors use the 7 mm shims. If you have any questions as to the applicability of the shims, just email me.

I have chosen a range of shims in each kit to cover most of the clearances needed. The range of shims needed for the 2V bikes is much larger than for the 4v (7 mm shims). I chose increments of .1 mm for the 8 mm shims to reduce the cost of the kit. I find that it is easy to lap the shims down using a 300 grit sand paper on a flat surface if needed. The process only takes about a minute per thousanth of inch removal. Since the shims are hardened through, the surface hardness is not compromised. The 4V kit has shims with increments of .05 mm, since the range of shims needed is much smaller than the 2V bikes.

I also sell the MBP retainers for most ducati bikes (except the 749 and 999 R bikes). The retainers are precision machined and replace the stock half rings ducati uses to retain the closer shim on the valve stem. The retainers are hardened and fit so much better in the groove of the valve stem. You can increase your maintenance intervals considerably using these retainers. The advantages are most seen when installed in track or race bikes.

I have done quite a few valve adjustments on 2V and 4V bikes, and have learned some tricks. Valve adjustment on a ducati can be intimidating, but once the technique is learned, the process is not really that difficult. It just requires patience and going through each step of the process.

If you have any questions concerning the shims, or the valve adjustment process, feel free to email me at mike@emsduc.com.

Thanks
Mike Guidera
www.emsduc.com

[ducaati]

After Christmas I'm getting both.

[Desmo_Demon]

I have both the 2V and 4V kits. Before I broke down and bought the kits, I had bought individual shims and the closing-shim measurement tools through www.emsduc.com . I've also had email correspondance with Mike when I had questions while doing my valves, and he was very helpful.

I appreciate the products that Mike has provided for us, as it saves a lot of money and time when doing your own valve adjustments (just compare an OEM closing shim with the price of one from EMS ).