First off, you can be + or - 90 degrees on the compression stroke TDC and still be close enough to adjust the valves. All you need to do is turn the motor over until one cylinder has the exhaust lifter dropping and intake opening.. At that point adjust the other cylinder pushrods. Don't need to stick any foreign objects in the hole..

 

Stupid mistake. '22 FXLRS. I was feeling the rear cylinder with a short shish kabob stick. Was holding the stick in the plug hole while rotating the rear wheel. My wife pops in to ask about something. As I stand up my hand hits the plug wire, and the stick drops into the cylinder. 5 minutes of deep breathing.

I turn the wheel in hopes of raising the stick back through the hole, but it hits the cylinder head and nearly breaks in half. Thank Jesus for dual plug holes. I put a camera down one port and a homemade fashioned grabber done the other. Fortunately, the stick being cracked in half allowed me to grab it at the bend and pull it doubled over through the hole. I'm thinking a good surgeon could have grabbed it in 5 minutes. I took me a couple hours, but better than removing the head. I was darn happy when that stick came out of the bore.

 

Even a squirrel finds a knot every now and then... Thank God you got it no problem... Next time use a straw.. They're long enough so they'll never fall in and they won't do any damage either..
Got to love the wife I've had some similar issues, and unfortunately they don't get it but it's all good in the end...

 

Next time don't use anything. Adjust the pushrods on the other cylinder when you see the exhaust lifter going down and the intake up on one cylinder..

 

True the safest method but a lot of people don't like looking at overlap and adjusting that way... They need concrete confirmation...

 

Don't use a wood stick or pencil, you dropped yours, but what we usually see happen is the stick breaks off in the cylinder.

 

That works unless your working with just one cylinder, not opening the other tubes to find TDC.

 

There's a really easy way to adjust valves. Adjust the intake pushrod when the exhaust valve has just started to open and adjust the exhaust pushrod when the intake valve has just closed. This will be on the same cylinder. No need to waste time locating TDC. If you have any doubt, look at a camshaft's lobe positions and then you will understand why this method works.

 

After adjusting valves a thousand times on various types of engines in 40 years, I think I got it.

 

The info posted on a forum is also read by many who don`t have 40 years experience...

This forum needs a section just for adjusting pushrods, and one for handlebar changes when nothing works afterward...