• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

Ignition timing

dennypink

DennyPink
I am trying to get the timing on my 1992 RT exact, and I am confused. Stamped into the fly wheel is the "S" mark and just below that is the line. My Clymer manual says to set idle timing with the "S" in the center, but the original owners manual says to set it with the line centered. So my question to the all knowing airheads is, "which mark do you use?" Thank you!
P.S. If it makes any difference, I live at 5,000 feet elevation.
Denny Pink
 
It's the mark or line...the letter just tells you what the mark is, static or full advance or top dead center.
 
Elevation makes NO difference for ignition timing. NO or NEVER is a mighty big assumption however and does not take into account a lot of variables that one can implement to make up for fuel mixture and spark timing. Your real question though, to me, is the "S" mark, the line, and the notch on the side of the observation hole. One lines the line up with the notch at the side of the hole....NOT the "S" centered.........What matters MOST though is what you do with the "F" mark as that is where you really run the engine. God bless.......Dennis
 
Dennis and Kurt;
Thank you for the quick responses. The timing was a little "retarded" so now at idle the line aligns with the case mark and full advance occurs at about 2,800 RPM. On my test ride, the bike seemed to have a little more grunt on acceleration, but that might just be my imagination. Takes longer to get the front grill, oil cooler, and front cover off than it does to actually adjust the timing. Thank you and I hope everyone is having a happy July 4th!
Denny Pink
 
Back
Top