So which mark is the timing mark?

Nielsen · Jun 3, 2016

Hi All: parked the bike last August. It ran perfectly. Did a bunch of work to it over the winter, including removing the Lucas electronic ignition, so I could paint the frame. All back together. It WILL NOT Start!?!? Have a new Mikuni installed two years ago, which I've completely cleaned. There is spark. There is compression. There is fuel in the float bowl. There is a spark when I turn off the ignition......... Grrrrrrr........ So apart from general ideas, I thought I'd ask about timing. I timed it with a strobe last summer. Can't do that now, so I thought I'd time it statically. I have three marks on the rotor, as you can see from the photo. Which one am I supposed to use--hoping that it is the middle one?

L.A.B. · Jun 3, 2016

Nielsen said:
I have three marks on the rotor, as you can see from the photo. Which one am I supposed to use--hoping that it is the middle one?

None of those, as what you are looking at are the tips of the 'L' and 'U' of the 'LUCAS' name.

The timing mark is a line on a raised pad, however, there are normally two pads/marks 180 degrees apart, so it is the one that shows when the pistons are close to TDC.

htown16 · Jun 3, 2016

Put the bike up on the center-stand, put in 4th gear and pull the plugs. Using a plastic straw in the plug hole, find tdc by rotating the rear wheel. Now rotate the wheel backwards about 30 degrees and the timing groove in the pad as shown in the picture should appear.

pete.v · Jun 3, 2016

L.A.B. said:
None of those, as what you are looking at are the tips of the 'L' and 'U' of the 'LUCAS' name.

Killer,

:lol: :roll:

Rohan · Jun 3, 2016

htown16 said:
Now rotate the wheel backwards about 30 degrees and the timing groove in the pad as shown in the picture should appear.

As a matter of standardizing things, the timing should always be set with the engine rotated FORWARD,
or all your backlashes can accumulate.

So if you must do it that way, rotate the back wheel well back past the 30 degree timing mark, then rotate it forward until the mark appears as you want it.

Nielsen · Jun 3, 2016

This appears to be a moment of very serious embarrassment! Thanks for the info. I'll get on it tomorrow.

Where the marks from the 'lucas' name presently sit seems to be pretty close to TDC.

htown16 · Jun 3, 2016

That makes sense as the timing mark is about 30 degress counterclock wise or before tdc.

Nielsen · Jun 3, 2016

htown16 said:
That makes sense as the timing mark is about 30 degress counterclock wise or before tdc.

If that implies that my timing is OK, why isn't the @#$%^&*( thing starting?!?! Grrrrrrr....... :x

concours · Jun 3, 2016

Nielsen said:
htown16 said:

That makes sense as the timing mark is about 30 degress counterclock wise or before tdc.

Click to expand...

If that implies that my timing is OK, why isn't the @#$%^&*( thing starting?!?! Grrrrrrr....... :x

RE-check the basics......

a whiff of ether shot at the air filter get a pop or two? Then find out why the fuel isn't being drawn in.

acotrel · Jun 4, 2016

Fit two new spark plugs and try again. If the bike has been standing the carbon on the sparkplugs can conduct and there will be no spark. A while back I took my Seeley to a practice day, It usually starts at first flick, however it was as dead as a maggot. As soon as I replaced the plugs, it started immediately. It had been standing idle for about 12 months. If you are using fuel which contains ethanol, that might be the cause of this effect.

Nielsen · Jun 4, 2016

I have clean fuel, and have now statically set the timing. I did it a bunch of times to make sure. it's as close to exactly 28 degree--and I had set it dynamically last year before I put it to bed. I did wonder about the battery. It was new last summer, but..... Took it to a shop and had a load test put on it. The machine said "dead cell. Replace". According to Mr. Battery Guy, his machine will indicate if one cell is dead, not multiples, which means that there may be more than one cell dead. Thus there may be enough for a spark, but not enough oomph from the battery to start the bike. I think I may have diagnosed the problem--what do you experts think about this? I'll pick up a new battery Monday and report back.

htown16 · Jun 4, 2016

I'd say you nailed the problem. EI needs pretty close to 12 volts to work.

Nielsen · Jun 4, 2016

htown16 said:
I'd say you nailed the problem. EI needs pretty close to 12 volts to work.

Here's hoping!

acadian · Jun 5, 2016

best to verify your rotor marks against timing indicator using a timing disc... mine was off 4 degrees

N0rt0nelectr@ · Jun 7, 2016

acadian said:
best to verify your rotor marks against timing indicator using a timing disc... mine was off 4 degrees

That is one of the bigger issues, the timing mark being off by a few degrees. A timing disc is the best for setting the bike up, I have seen them off by up to 7 degrees never a good thing.

John Ebert
TX

So which mark is the timing mark?

Nielsen

L.A.B.

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htown16

pete.v

Rohan

Nielsen

htown16

Nielsen

concours

acotrel

Nielsen

htown16

Nielsen

acadian

N0rt0nelectr@

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