setting timing on 250?

[cooperplace]

has anyone got any recommendations for a brand of TDC dial guage and plug adaptor? Or is there another way of knowing when it's at TDC?

thanks

[Bevel bob]

I have a homemade piston stop, If you have a HC piston the steep sides of the piston make it difficult to get a reliable accurate position. When i set mine the first time i took the head off and re-fitted a head bolt (with a bit of copper plumbing pipe as a spacer) to hold the barrel down.I,m much more relaxed about it now and just open or close the points up a thou or two so as it does not kick back .

[Nick]

+1 I just time my 250 and 350 so they don't kick back and don't detonate. Still, I really can't believe that Ducati didn't make their bikes easier to time accurately. That's really unacceptable. My Honda Dream of the same build year has easily accessible timing marks for both static and running (full-advanced) timing. Takes all of five minutes to time it.

[Bevel bob]

HI Nick, On a couple of occasions after setting my timing "the relaxed way!" i have checked it using a stop and disc and found it to be spot on. Just got back from my idea of paradise--- Lake Maggiori in Northern Italy nestled between snowy topped mountains.

[Nick]

Hope you had a Ducati to ride during your visit to paradise. Riding a vintage Duc in Italy would be a very special experience. No one even knows what these bikes are in my neck of the woods.

[machten]

Just got back from my idea of paradise--- Lake Maggiori in Northern Italy nestled between snowy topped mountains.

Hope you had a Ducati to ride during your visit to paradise. Riding a vintage Duc in Italy would be a very special experience. No one even knows what these bikes are in my neck of the woods.

Too right! Next lake about 10km west of Maggiore...As Bevel Bob say's...paradise...

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Kev

[SubaruPaul]

Garda is Best !
Cheers !

[cooperplace]

I want to check the ignition timing on my 250 Monza. I borrowed a dial gauge and an adaptor. Bought a degree wheel. Made a timing light.

The problem is, with the dial gauge probe in the cylinder, the piston comes up, hits the probe, and locks the engine solid. Reasonably large amounts of force, thru the kick-starter, won't move it. So I don't know if it's at TDC. The moment I remove the gauge, the engine turns over fine. Out of the engine, the probe slides up & down nicely. Clearly there's something in the art of using a dial gauge to set timing that I've missed.

My feeling is that a roller probe, perhaps like this:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Central-Tool ... 5b01943e72

might fix the problem. But it might not work either, because that roller probe will need to be inserted with the rolling direction just right.

What am I doing wrong? I need the book called "The Idiots Guide to......"

All advice much appreciated.

[cooperplace]

I could also use the piston stop method, and to this end I've just bought one on Ebay. But it'll take a week to come from China.

[graeme]

Your probe is jamming between the piston and head, or valve/s.

Find as close to top dead center Compression by looking down the plug hole, a cable tie (zip tie) can help you feel it at tdc.
The valves will both be closed,
Fit your measuring device and zero it
Roll the engine back a little
Then forward slowly
You should see when the measurement stops as the piston gets to tdc

Or forget the measuring thing and use the cable tie and eye method.
No where near as accurate but it should get you close with no damage.

You should only fee a small resistance with a piston stop but never with a micrometer.

Good luck

Graeme