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Anyone use a wooden dowel in a spark plug hole waiting for it to “rise” to get the indicator close? If it doesn’t show up, one more time around.
OM
Pull the cover off the cam and rotate until you see an arrow on the cam gear. When it's pointing in, that's when you're at TDC and should be able to lock it with the pin.
It's been 15 years, so I might be little fuzzy on that, but give it a try. It might get you there.
Thanks Dave, anything is worth a try. I have a bore scope for working on firearms'. I'm going to stuff that in the hole and see if I can figure this out.
That's one method, but if your bike is in reasonably maintained condition, you can use the "which side of rockers have slack in them" methodology. This works on airheads, your /2 and your oil/hexheads or pretty much any rocker equipped bike. Find TDC as you normally would, via markings on the flywheel, cam sprocket indicator, whatever. With the valve covers off, wiggle the rockers. One side will be under tension. The other side will allow the rockers to wiggle a little, which means there is no spring pressure against them and they are TDC.
On an R11S that will totally work, having done it on oil and hex heads for years.
Doesn’t matter to me which way TDC is achieved. Just offering a way to get there.
OM
Right method for the right situation, right?
Lots of ways to find TDC it seems, but I do need to lock the engine to remove the alternator pulley...or I guess put it in 1st. stand on the rear brake and have at it?
So, with my bike that didn't work. it would lock the rear wheel but still allowed the crank to turn as I was trying to loosen the bolt. I had to use the locking pin method...or risk using an airtool.Put it in gear and have a friend hit the rear brake. Easy peasy.
I tossed mine down the road a few weeks ago.
Thankfully the bags were on so other than the bags this was the only damage.
Wow, the valve covers are a lot more durable than I thought. Looks like you could ride away after the crash?
Thanks Dave, anything is worth a try. I have a bore scope for working on firearms'. I'm going to stuff that in the hole and see if I can figure this out.
Sorry to be a week late with this. When you get down low and look forward at the starter motor, there's an obvious hole visible. That's not the hole for the TDC locking pin. The correct hole is slightly higher and closer to the engine. If you already knew this, sorry for the duplication.
No problem, on my model bike, (2003 R1100s) the first lower hole is for one of the rubber posts of the starter cover. I used a bore scope to peer inside and finally found the actual hole for the locking tool, and yes it's way up there. Your bike has it easy, you actually have the space to use a tool. Mine has the airbox 1.5"-2" away from the hole, making it impossible to get to without removing the airbox.
So discovery #1 there are two holes that open into the fly wheel. one here
View attachment 92385
And one waay up here blocked by the airbox impossible to get to without dismantling the battery box, abs pump just to remove the airbox ...guess which one is the one that you must insert the locking tool in? Yeah this one
View attachment 92386
So what to do...heat up a bolt and from the inside of the airbox melt a hole inline with the engine hole so a bar can be sent through the hole from the airbox...then find a rubber plug from ACE to plug the hole.
BMW engineers ( at least 20 years ago) were dirt bags. IMHO