Hitchcocks Forum

I sourced a reconditioned crank for my 2007 350 bullet classic. Just went to fit it and found it has a different timing shaft. On looking further, the one I've bought has an early timing shaft with no seal provision (part: 140798) whereas the one I need is part: 144696.



I also notice the timing shafts have a keyed taper fitting into the flywheel. Now there's nothing wrong with the timing shaft on my old crank, it's the drive side that's loose and wobbling. The woodroffe key and end nut is the same part number on both. Is there any reason I couldn't/shouldn't unbolt and pull the timing shaft off my old crank and fit it to the new one?



If I can, how tight do I need to do up the nut?



On a related topic. I also noticed that the timing shaft on the recon crank is 0.5mm oversize. I measured it when the bearing race looked nowhere near like fitting, which is when I looked more closely and noticed the difference in shape but both types of shaft take the same bearing. Surely this would normally be ground to fit BEFORE fitting the big end and bolting up the crank? Otherwise you'd get bits of grinding stone and swarf all over the shop and potentially in the big end? The guy I got it from says it was re-conditioned by Alpha cranks and is fitted with their needle bearing big end. Seems sloppy work?

On closer inspection, I don't think I can get on the timing shaft nut with the crank assembled anyway.



I'd still be interested to hear if it's usual for the timing shaft to be fitted unground?

You can't change the timing shaft without splitting the crank

The only different timing shafts I know of are British and Indian, which have different diameters for imperial and metric bearings.

The two types are out there. The crank I've bought has part 140798 but my late model bike should have part 144696 which has an extra "step" machined into it to take an oil seal fitted behind the timing pinnion. Earier Indan 350's don't have an oil seal there. Both shafts take the NU205R bearing.



In any case, it looks like there is a seal available that will fit the "old style" shafts so that bit's sorterd out. It's going back to the refurbishers have the shaft reground. Looks like they ground it but did it to 25.50mm instead of 25.05mm

So are you telling us the refurbishers made a new timing shaft, I find that hard to believe

Easiest solution to this is give them you old crank and get them to fit your old timing shaft, dead simple job and you know it will fit

New timing shafts are supplied with the bearing seat unground (Part 144696 is described as "TIMING SHAFT, with seal provision. This shaft is supplied o/size & must be ground true after fitting").



I presume this is so they can be fitted in the flywheel by the crank builder then ground so the bearing seat lands up central and perpendicular to the axis of rotation, even if the flywheel is a tad cock-eyed.

Then I guess when I fitted my Electra drive and timing shafts into a pair of cast iron flywheels they may not have been true.

Norm, I just took a look at the parts lists and the Indian mainshafts seem to come as ready to fit as is for the drive side, but needing to be ground to size for the timing side, while the Redditch ones are ready to fit as is for both sides. Strange.