IS ignition timing adjustable on '83 1100e???

[browe58]

i searched the forum, basscliff's site and the service manual and I can NOT find the procedure. is it adjustable and what is the procedure? thanks.

[browe58]

Does your signal generator plate look like this? if yes, note 3 screws holding timing plate on- loosen them and you get some movement, but not much. review rapidray's advice. Remember to mark where you are now, in case you decide to backtrack.

yes it does. 2 are philips head and one is allen. loosened the allen easily but the philips head screws are frozen & i'm afraid to strip them. obviously someone frigged up one of the screws at one point and replaced it w/ an allen & i don't want to turn this easy procedure into a major project. it safe to use an impact SCREW DRIVER & WHACK IT W/ A HAMMER. I HAVE A TIMING LITE TO CHECK IT. DOES IT attach to SPARK PLUG LEAD #1? if so, which one is #1? thanks.

[koolaid_kid]

Yes, use an impact screw driver to remove the JIS phillips screws. Immediately toss them in the bin and replace them with allen head screws.
There may be a small bit of adjustment, but not much. Use #4 (furthest right) since it fires the same time as #1, (furthest left), and it is on the same side as the signal generator you will be attempting to rotate to change the timing.

[browe58]

Yes, use an impact screw driver to remove the JIS phillips screws. Immediately toss them in the bin and replace them with allen head screws.
There may be a small bit of adjustment, but not much. Use #4 (furthest right) since it fires the same time as #1, (furthest left), and it is on the same side as the signal generator you will be attempting to rotate to change the timing.

thanks koolaid, much appreciated!!!!

[browe58]

ok, the timing light showed it was too far advanced at idle (approx 1k rpm) so i rotated the plate clockwise as far as possible & now it's off by a tiny bit. should i leave it alone or slot the mounting holes to get more adjustment. other than knocking on cold starts, it's amazing how well the bike was running. it's raining out now but i can't wait to take it for a spin to see if performance is improved. i did notice that i was only getting about 40 mpg. would the fact that it was too far advanced account for the poor mileage? should i be concernd about any damage to the motor while it was running too advanced for probably 5k miles after the motor was rebulit?

[rapidray]

You are COMPLAINING about 40 mpg?!!! Lol!!! Ray.

[browe58]

You are COMPLAINING about 40 mpg?!!! Lol!!! Ray.

shouldn't i be getting hi 40's??? i'm not on the throttle that hard and 95% of my riding is back roads where max speed is 60. 40 just seems very low for a light weight 1100 that's not ridden hard. i was getting close to 40 on my vmax which is 150 lbs heavier & much faster.

[koolaid_kid]

Yes, you should be getting better on a stock 1100E. I get up to 50 mpg or better on the road, and low to mid 40s around town. In the twisties, winding it out in the lower gears trying to keep up with bwringer, mileage drops down the the high 30s. But that is the extreme.
If you don't mind the extra work, slotting should help you. I know my GS had a lot of timing knock with the stock ignition and 87 Unleaded. When I switched to an adjustable Dyna-S ignition, knock is gone and I can run 87 Unleaded with no issues.
But I beg to differ, an 83 GS1100E is not a lightweight, it is a tank. But a durable one.

[browe58]

Yes, you should be getting better on a stock 1100E. I get up to 50 mpg or better on the road, and low to mid 40s around town. In the twisties, winding it out in the lower gears trying to keep up with bwringer, mileage drops down the the high 30s. But that is the extreme.
If you don't mind the extra work, slotting should help you. I know my GS had a lot of timing knock with the stock ignition and 87 Unleaded. When I switched to an adjustable Dyna-S ignition, knock is gone and I can run 87 Unleaded with no issues.
But I beg to differ, an 83 GS1100E is not a lightweight, it is a tank. But a durable one.

it's definitely a lightweight compared to a vmax!!! i dropped that bike 3-4 times just standing in my driveway. i can't imagine that ever happening on my 1100e. hence the reason i sold the vmax and bought an 1100e.

[browe58]

Yes, you should be getting better on a stock 1100E. I get up to 50 mpg or better on the road, and low to mid 40s around town. In the twisties, winding it out in the lower gears trying to keep up with bwringer, mileage drops down the the high 30s. But that is the extreme.
If you don't mind the extra work, slotting should help you. I know my GS had a lot of timing knock with the stock ignition and 87 Unleaded. When I switched to an adjustable Dyna-S ignition, knock is gone and I can run 87 Unleaded with no issues.
But I beg to differ, an 83 GS1100E is not a lightweight, it is a tank. But a durable one.

why can't you just run 93 for a few extra cents? i run the best gas money can buy regardless of what the manufacturer recommends. cleaner is better in my opinion but i'm sure others will disagree.

[rapidray]

Oh boy, here it comes!!! Ray.

[7981GS]

why can't you just run 93 for a few extra cents?

Because the cheapest of the cheap, that don't realize that you can't always hear knocking, BELIEVE that 87 is good enough?

Eric

[FLHGSRay]

ok, the timing light showed it was too far advanced at idle (approx 1k rpm)

You should be setting the timing at full advance, like 2000 rpm.

should i be concernd about any damage to the motor while it was running too advanced for probably 5k miles after the motor was rebulit?

Yes, if the timing wasn't set correctly, I would be very concerned. Although it's probably ok, since it lasted 5000 miles. You said it ran great, so it was probably really close to correct. I would be more concerned now, after you've reset the timing at idle. 40 mpg doesn't sound too bad to me, for a 30+ year old bike that was built when we weren't concerned with mileage.

[browe58]

You should be setting the timing at full advance, like 2000 rpm.


Yes, if the timing wasn't set correctly, I would be very concerned. Although it's probably ok, since it lasted 5000 miles. You said it ran great, so it was probably really close to correct. I would be more concerned now, after you've reset the timing at idle. 40 mpg doesn't sound too bad to me, for a 30+ year old bike that was built when we weren't concerned with mileage.

so, bike needs to be fully warmed up, right. at 2k rpm am i setting it to the 1st or 2nd mark? thanks.

[browe58]

took it for spin to get it warmed up & rechecked w/ timing light. owner's manual says to check below 1500 rpm and above 2350. amazingly, w/ plate turned clockwise to the end, it's RIGHT ON on both timing marks and the knocking at cold start is gone. timing went from one extreme (fully advanced on the plate) to fully retarded and other than the cold start knock no longer present, there is no noticeable change in performance. befere & after, it started easy w/ immediate throttle response and pulled strong in all gears / rpm without skipping a beat. now i have to observe if my mileage improves. overall, i'm very pleased. thanks for everyone's help. peace.