New 20 ounce tumblers available now! Forum donation credit with purchase. https://www.wildguzzi.com/Products/products.htm#Tumbler
THIS..... and PLEASE, don't use a chopstick or wooden dowel.....
Why not?
Because when it breaks off and gets munched between the piston and cylinder, then you have a piece of wood down there. Then what?
Pour some fuel in there and light a match.That’ll burn it out.Or stick an Oxy torch in the pug hole and set fire to it…..
Sure Huzo, that’s the ticket! But make sure you top off the tank first…
All of the above is good stuff but I'd add these couple of points If put something down the plug hole do so with great caution⚠️ If it snaps off or jams potentially you're into taking the head off to fixPersonally, set it up the same and with a torch look for the piston down the plug hole Secondly as an amateur who does this once a year I double check my work.Pull the engine over a couple of times and start from scratch
I think they are referring to the fact that although unlikely, if you try hard enough, you could snap the end off the stick and drop it in the cylinder.Because it goes in on an angle to the piston movement, the rising piston can wedge the dowell in the plug hole if you are ham fisted enough and you are wearing your butcher’s apron….
Because this is an Italian bike John, not Japanese........... .
I cant figure out why people keep putting wood/straws/screwdrivers etc down the sparkplug hole......They stuck a mark on the flywheel and a viewing window there for a reason......Plug out, finger over the plug hole, when you turn the wheel/crankshaft if the compression blows your finger off the plug hole its on the compression stroke..... keep turning until your TDC line on the flywheel is on the mark..... check valve lash/clearance.... repeat for the other side.maybe if you have lightened your flywheel you have lost your timing marks, but they are easy enough to put back on.
Thanks Peter, it was a genuine question as I've been using a chopstick or a thin wooden skewer for as long as I can remember to determine approx TDC and never had an issue. It's possible that if you have sausage fingers and no finesse that you could jam it or snap it, as you said you'd have to really make an effort. No offense intended but ff that's the case should you really be working on it in the first place.That's funny Steve, perhaps I should try using some dry spaghetti in futureJohn
Oh, ok mate.“Lash” is the term most thrown around in the ‘States, over here we call it “clearance”.It is the term given to the amount that the end of the rocker arm (under the tappets cover), clears the end of the valve stem.In the Norge, it is 0.004” for the inlet (rear valve) and 0.006” for the exhaust valve (front valve).When you are at TDC on the correct stroke, you will feel a very tiny ability to move the rocker up and down. It’s very little but you CAN feel it.That is where you insert the feeler gauge.Be careful not to confuse inches with mm when doing your reading.I could have been a lot more detailed in my description of the top dead centre thing, but thought you’d appreciate brevity.No one here is out to belittle or patronise you.We all want the best for each other, you are doing the right thing asking many questions… Keep it up and enjoy.