Triumph 650 Engine Build

Reader Contribution by Keith Fellenstein
Published on June 8, 2012
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Editor’s note: If you’re having trouble with that old Suzuki, BSA or BMW, Keith Fellenstein is your guy. From motorcycle tuning tips to detailed motorcycle engine repair, he can draw from a wealth of experience to help guide you to success. Send questions to: Keith’s Garage, 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609, or send an e-mail with “Keith’s Garage” as your subject. 

Triumph 350 Engine Build

Q: I am presently building a Triumph 650 engine that has a pre-unit bottom half and 9-stud unit barrels and head. The problem I have is the marks on the timing gears that came with the engine (in bits) do not match the images in my manual, so I have to time the valves with a degree disc and dial gauge. The gears are on the cams, and I have a manual that gives the valve timing figures for the T120 that this engine spec is now close to, i.e., T120 cams, etc. Can you please talk me through the process, remembering that I only have the idler pinion to adjust with as the gears are on the cams and I don’t have a tool to pull them off? Can I simply set the cams and crank at the spec BTDC (both top-dead-center) and slip in the idler pinion? I realize that each cam/crank BTDC must be done individually, and I can do this using paint marks as the gears rotate, or also using a dial gauge on the cam follower. Do I set the cam as soon as it moves the finger on the dial? – Albert/via email

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