Manual advance and retard position when starting from cold.

Is a good point to start…. It depend on what it’s set up for and how much variation your levers are giving you.  Too far advanced and it will kick back, too far retarded and it will not fire.  What is the background to the question?
 

cheers

Jon

Once you find the position where it will start with the mildest of kickback  use a couple of blobs of nail varnish  to mark the lever position.  Leaving the ignition in the fully advanced position will ensure that any unofficial attempt to start your bike will be  exciting  for someone.

This is a growing problem...we don't have a next door neighbour/older relative to help with what older owners assume is obvious.  Are you near your local NOC branch? Or VMCC?  It could help.

On both my 500cc and 600cc Nomads after they had both had rebuilt engines, i was told to put the A/R  lever in the middle position. This would be in line with the handle bars. It has always worked as it rarely kicks back. The other way out of the problem would be to buy, a Lucas auto A/R unit to go with your magneto. 

As David said there does appear to be  a need for  basic guidance  for newcommers to the classic scene . Perhaps we could have  a   " welcome newcommers"   section  added to  the forum. Or something like.    Just as long as I  am not asked to write it !  

The other one being the choke lever, works the opposite to anyone used to using a choke, let alone some not even knowing what a choke is. Cable tight is no choke, cable loose is choke on.

.. monitor the reply's to keep the knowledge plausible!!!

 I recently sold an SS and a 99.  The "odd"questions.... Both new owners were old enough to know better; we just get used to the ease of modern day equipment.

One progress I don't quiet understand why it didn't become "the norm" and infuriates the hell out of me on weekends....  SELF CANCELLING INDICATORS.  The number of time I see machines   running with indicator permanently on.

 My BMW K75 had them back in the early 90's   

... for bikes is quite tricky. How does the system know it's supposed to cancel? Time, distance, something else? It's easy on a car because the steering wheel returns to the straight ahead position.

I'd be interested to know how your K75 did it.

I have a buzzer fitted to my modern bike through a N/C relay activated by the brake light circuit so it's quiet when I'm waiting in stationary traffic.

I have a loud buzzer too for the indicators, don't turn them off and have fun seeing people with their heads in a phone jumping when they approach a junction I am turning into. It sounds like a reversing buzzer so gets attention which in towns and cities is more effective than the indicator lights,