(WARNING: Long post ahead...)
Getting familiar with the new to me '73 RD350. It's my first 2 stroke and the manual just showed up yesterday. When I first got the bike, the gas was OLD. After getting some fresh non-ethanol and running that through the carbs, the bike ran better.
I would sometimes experience a bog at high RPM if I stayed in the throttle. What I mean by that is, it seems to bog sometimes around 6-7K RPM....but only after I've wound it out in the gear before. In other words, if I roll onto it in 1st, 2nd or 3rd, it'll do OK, but when I grab the next gear and keep the RPM's high, there's a bog or a stumble before it recovers. Does OK in lower RPM's and does OK as long as I'm not wailing on it. The more I've ridden it, the less it does it.
It has a stock air box with a K&N filter and no lid. Another oddity I noticed is that when I put a bag of tools in the holder (burlap bag about the size of a Crown Royal bag), that partially covered the air filter opening and I
swear it's running better and doing it even less. Not sure if it's just fresh gas cleaning out the system or if maybe it was a tad too lean up top without the lid?
Anyway, on to the points....
I have a manual and a dial gauge now. I also watched a timing with a dial gauge video last night. I haven't done anything other than poke around and get familiar with the system. The points gaps both measured OK. A loose .011", snug at .012" and I kinda had to force the .013" feeler gauge in there.
But I did notice that the front or LH points plate is maxed out. (Forgive me if I'm using the wrong terms. LH as I'm sitting there looking at them...which cylinder is this set for?) I can also see witness marks where it used to be centered in the plate.
RH or rear points are centered in the plate.
And the pair.
Only after seeing the timing video and taking some sandpaper to the rust was I able to find the timing marks. These are the two marks I'll be looking for, correct? The line on the housing and the notch on the rotor?
Now....all that said....if I put the dial gauge on it and find that the LH points are off, is it as simple as loosening the two outer screws and moving the plate? And then loosening the third, smaller screw on the points themselves and adjusting to get the ~.012" again?
