83 ignition timing help

[crguy]

Hi again, I performed a timing chain and crank sprocket change, now I need help with timing, what I see with strobe at idle (1K rpm) is the OT mark, is this correct?, and when I increase engine speed slowly the next adjacent mark (S) zooms past imediately within a couple 100 rpms and I have no other markings all the way to 3K, this is the Hall effect bean can.

[tvrla]

OT is German for Top Dead Center. You need to turn the bean can a little in its mount to get the S (something like 6 or 7 degrees Before TDC [BTDC])in the middle of the window at idle.

But the important mark is the Z (full advance) which should be in the middle of the window at something like 3200 RPM. Your timing currently is much too retarded.

[crguy]

Thank you...

[Barry]

This is what the S mark looks like for the early models. The dot is the timing mark and should line up with the notch in the side of your timing hole. The notch is usually in the middle but they vary. Mine is a little below centre.

On the later models rather than a dot there is a line under the S and that is the timing mark not the S itself.

Take care to minimise parallax error as far as possible by getting down low. It's very easy to look down on the hole and end up with timing that looks right but is in fact retarded by a couple of degrees.

[montmil]

Don't know what year model your Mk1 eyeballs are, crguy, but mine are beyond their "best use by" date.

A little help with the flywheel marks and their legibility can be a good thing. Here's a tip many of us use:

With a little solvent on a rag, reach into the flywheel and clean off the debossed marks. Dab some white paint on 'em and then, after the paint tacks up, use the semi-wet solvent rag to carefully wipe away the excess. The paint will stay in the low area -if you didn't press too hard- of the letters and be easily seen during maintenance chores.

[crguy]

Thanks for the tips, my S has the line, she timed up nicely and the motor sounds great with the new chain. Hey fellas, I came across and interesting tidbit while searching for timing specs, that in a 1979 r65 advertisement stating there is an over rev warning light..

[Bob_Roller]

On the first generation bikes, there is a red LED on the tachometer,   that lights up when you hit the redline, which on my bikes, is 7900 rpm, not sure about the earlier bikes .

Never have gotten my bikes anywhere near that speed, I don't think it would sound good !!!

[Barry]

Mine has the over rev warning light and I may have got close a few times in the lower gears but I'm usually a little busy concentrating on where I am going approaching those sort of revs to take much notice of the instruments so I've never seen it come on.

[montmil]

The Trail Tech Vapor digi gauge on my '81 has programmable LED shift (yellow) and rev limit (red) lamps in the upper corners of the instrument. Out of respect for the ol' guy, the shift lamp lights at 4K and the that's enough, buddy lamp pops at about 6K.

Not that I always play by those rules

[Rubi76]

Thanks for the info, Just finished putting my bike together after replacing the timing chain and related parts.

Finally running after 6 weeks of standing waiting for spares