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[Norm]

No probs boys have fun see you later I will not be back

[Scalyback]

I wasn't having a go at anyone???sod it, I'm going to bed.

[mauri]

no worries norm, you have educated them well.



they’l again, fall on there knees for you soon enough.

[Frank]

Cue EastEnders music!

[ChrisD]

Riggers.
A great suggestion for finding TDC and I shall definitely try it. The Hitchcocks gauge is good for getting to ~1mm before TDC but it’s no more accurate for the precise 0.8mm than a piece of grass.

I also like your suggestion for using a radio off-station to find the exact point opening. I have used a small electronic loudspeaker but in the rough environment around a bike repair area, these don’t last, so I will definitely try the radio.
Keep the suggestions coming – they are very welcome.
ChrisD

[Frank]

Must say I have used various homemade contraptions in the past but none has left me over confident that I have got things right, primarily due to the dead spot between strokes. True, maybe total accuracy isn't necessary, but if you are going to have a reference point it might as well be accurate. Simplistic and cheap, what more can you want?

[Winkie]

Simple solution - go back to a manual advance and retard like my AMC machines have! Then you can simply jiggle around as you ride until the engine sounds happy. As a matter of interest, the amount of advance that I use on my 650 AJS does vary a bit based upon where I fill up with petrol - so some makes of fuel do, I think, burn marginally faster than others. My 500 Bullet seems impervious to whatever cheap fuel I bung in, even when it goes a bit stale, so I suspect that absolute accuracy in setting the timing is not that critical. Might be different for tuned examples, but just my own view based on my own experience.
Either way, not worth getting hot and bothered about!!

[PeteF]

I agree moving away from manual advance was not really progress. Manual control makes starting easier as well. I did read a post some time ago from someone who had converted the RE "distributer" to manual but can' find it now.

[Riggers]

Thanks for all the comments guys, and 'no' Scalybak I've not been put off from posting. I used to post on here a few years ago (I've been away for a while) and so I'm fully aware of the 'direct' nature of some conributors! I should just repeat that the tube method is not my invention but one I found on the internet and decided to give it a go. Others on here are quite right about the Enfield engine not really NEEDING this level of accuracy but on the other hand it won't do any harm and at the end of the day it's nice to know a job's been done right. Buying expensive special tools to use just once or twice is no fun and this method will, using just bits and bobs from around the shed, achieve a very high degree of accuracy for almost no expense. In fact the most INaccurate thing will probably be the thickness of your markings, so the thinner and clearer the pen the better! One last point is that I set my bike fully advanced at 32 degrees BTDC, which resulted in a fully retarded reading of 12 degrees (should be 10). Cheers guys and good luck if you have a go. Riggers.