Pro drag:
There used to be a company that made a product called Kwick-Tyme or quick-time that bolted onto the two inner primary bolts and had a pointer and degrees marked on it that worked like what you are doing. I found a site on the internet that still carried them a few years ago, but haven't looked lately. I still have one on the shop shovel head.

 

Aftermarket ignition: Dyna 2000. It's a nice mod anyways, with adjustable curves.
It has a led built it - you don't even run the motor while timing. Just rotate the crank, the led should turn off at the TDC mark!
The best timing experience I've ever had.
My 2 cents

 

is a nice unit,very easy to set timing
kirby
vee twin racing

 

So no special timing light is needed then ? Is there not an advantage to haveing the degree dial on the timing light?

 

we use both,the one with the dial is alittle more complicated to use,for a regular street bike the regular ones are fine,if you time it the way i said,put 3 marks on the alt rotor.if you put the mark just as its comeing in the window,itll be retarded about 4 degrees,just as its leaving the window,advanced about 4
kirby
vee twin racing

 

Using the rotor is interesting, but I just look in the timing plug hole, clear plug or not, and use a cheap timing light I've been carrying around for 30 years. If all you want to do is set your timing to the factory spec, then all you need is a cheap no-dial timing light, or you can get a super top-of-the-line timing light with dials, switches, bells and a bottle opener and set everything to 0 so it flashes just like a cheap no-dial timing light and do the same thing.

 

i agree,get the cheap one.the real nice thing abot going off the rotor,is that youve got alot more room to see how far the mark is off,where usinf the window,youve got about 1/2 inch either way,try it,youll never do it thu the window again
kirby
vee twin racing

 

You guys really don't want oil in your eyeballs and what if you don't have a rotor but a generator The story I told about the guy doing his own timing behind the shop is true but I lied he did it in front of the shop so everyone that went by the shop saw this disaster I did have one of those Quick times (sp ) but sold the bike before I ever used it !

 

George, what made that so funny to me is that I didn't know first time either. I grew up on Triumphs and tried to use the (diesel) shop timing light to help out a bro on a 80" Shovel back in 84.... IT WAS A NASTY SCENE

PS: I figured you were lying - no one would ever pull that trick on someone and let the general public miss out on the show

 

Ok so maybe the cheap one will work and I don't think I want to pull the primary cover off to make atiming mark although it does sound interesting. i ordered a clear timing plug last friday so will be in tomorrow. Now excuse my ignorance but if I hook up the timing light and start the bike will the timing light not flash at every TDC on the line mark? Am I not looking for a 35 degree mark on the crank? Sorry I can tear them apart and put them back together but I really suck when it comes to the timing end.