Hitchcocks Forum

put the Boyer on my 350. do I need to set the timing as described in the tech notes, or is it good to go? Seems to be running fine.

Hi DEAN---------- if you've set the engine up as per the BOYER instructions and fitted the pack as per instructions...then that's it !! The unit will auto advance and retard according to engine rpm.......You might find you'll have to re-set the idling as it's probably a bit fast at the moment ?? ( better combustion ) and an iridium plug would also complement the new electronic ignition as well...

Dean I set one up recently and then I strobe checked it and I was surprised how far out it was, it was not coming up to full advance

thanks Norm and Alan for the input. My concern (paranoia) is that even when you follow the instructions it doesn't seem to be an exact science regarding the installation - seems to be a little margin for error - does the unit compensate for this?

often when set up by strobe , they still need "tweaking" by "feel" if she runs good , leave her.

remember , the boyer is only the "trigger" , ie, the switch, using the standard coil,ht lead and plug, as such you won't get a better spark , however you will get a more accurately timed one. make sure that the coil/lead/cap/plug are in good condition and the wiring is good.

please remember that "most" boyers are set to full advance in a normal state , and the electronics retards this. If you have a flat/low battery this will keep it advanced and cause kickback.

the MK 4 is supposed to address this issue ,

As I said Dean the instructions just say to set it in the middle if the coil posts from memory and this can be a bit of a guess unless you stand on you head facing the north. This is why I checked with the strobe. It seemed to run ok when set as per the instructions , I was just interested to notice how far retarded it was, probably wouldn't have caused any problem, but if you strobe it, you can just walk away and ignore timing as being a part of any other issues you may have with it. It also proves it is advancing correctly, something you have no idea of without strobing it

Norm, as I have way too much spare time on my hands I probably will strobe it and then play with it a bit, just to see if it changes the performance. Prior to putting the Boyer on the bike I did check the timing with the points/condenser and always found that I ended up setting the timing better by ear that by strobe. Thanks to all.

Hitchcocks spent a fair bit of time testing , after repeated setting up and then double checking with a strobe they found the final resting possition of the mini coil trigger plate so once TDC is found the 2 ajustment slots are as per diagram , I painted the center screws holding the magnets white and also the leading edge of the magnets so I can eyeball the point of possition for it to trigger a spark . The Boyer box is said to have a rev limiter programed to missfire at 5,500 , I've spent so much money tuning and up grading the engine that I dont want to risk all to see if it works .

Hi Dean, I'd like to know how you can set it by ear because if you are talking about setting it this way what revs are you setting it at because setting it at idle has nothing to do with where the motor spends most of its working life at above 1500 rpm which is where you want to make sure it is at full advance, but if you are happy with that that is fine. If you set it to full advance by strobe and when it returns to idle it is retarding too much, this is an entirely different problem requiring mods to the bob weights to prevent it going back too far,

Ok you were all correct - I stobed it and it was right on the money. after all the mods this 350 will do 70mph on a flat road - still isn't fond of hill/mountain climbing though.