Z1OwnersClub GB

Happy New year all!
I'm hoping to set the valve clearance before fitting the head to the engine. This obviously means I wont have the timing chain/crank connected.
Is this practical?
The reason is I have the bike and engine etc. at one location and I can spend some time working on the valves in another.
Is it simply a case of making sure the cam lobes aren't engaging or approaching the shims ( anywhere on the rear 180deg. of the shaft), or does the camshaft need to be at the exact position to measure clearance?
Thanks in advance.

In theory and I don't see why it wouldn't work you should be able to set the gap correctly using the sprocket bolts and a spanner to rotate the cams to the normal measurement position. Just ensure you only have one cam fitted at any one time to avoid any valve clash.

Set the valve clearance with the cam lobe pointing directly away from the shim (180 degrees) to ensure you are fully on the base circle.
Make sure you only install one cam at a time to prevent the inlet and exhaust valves tangling and be sure that the head is spaced away from the bench to avoid bent valves as they sit proud of the gasket face once off their seats.
You should also set the clearances as close to 0.15mm as possible or even up to 0.17mm as once started the valves will settle in their seats and the clearances will close up slightly, especially if they seats have been re-cut/ground etc.

Thanks for the advice lads!