Strobe light

[Micron]

Which one do people use on their two stroke, if any?

Thanks

Trev

[Zunspec4]

Hi Trev,

A timing light which needs a 12v supply to operate are the ones to go for. My own one is from Gunson but there are loads of others.

Cheers Geoff

[jabcb]

An inductive timing light that clips around an HT lead and is powered by a 12V battery.
I use a Craftsman timing light that I bought back in the 1970s when cars still had points.

[Micron]

Thanks gents,

I will take a look and see what we can find

[Craig380]

I used to use a cheap one that was simply powered by the spark - one lead plugged into the plug cap, the other connected to the spark plug terminal. It worked fine providing you weren't in direct sunlight.

[Zunspec4]

I used to use a cheap one that was simply powered by the spark - one lead plugged into the plug cap, the other connected to the spark plug terminal. It worked fine providing you weren't in direct sunlight.

I have used that type too, Craig. Like you say you need a dimly lit garage to see what is happening. The main problem was inconsistency of the trigger point which resulted in a blurred timing mark. The difference when using a 12v powered type with a bright/white Xenon flash is night'an day (if you'll excuse the pun ) .

Cheers Geoff

[Craig380]

The difference when using a 12v powered type with a bright/white Xenon flash is night'an day (if you'll excuse the pun ) .
Cheers Geoff

I see your point

[sportston]

Crypton used to do a good one. You might find a second/hand one on ebay.

[tz375]

Or just buy a new one.

Mine is Craftsman brand - no timing knob- uses a separate battery to power it. Bright Zeon flash - easy to see even outside. something like this https://www.ebay.com/i/152354658786?chn=ps&dispItem=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and is barely used. They are available second hand.

Or get this from Eastwood https://www.eastwood.com/inductive-timi ... gLt0fD_BwE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or the same thing from Home Depot https://www.homedepot.com/p/Innova-Indu ... /206888863" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lots of choices.

[geck0]

I too use a 80s vintage craftsman timing light. But only to check the marks I set timing with a dial indicator and an AM radio.

[ja-moo]

If you are going to buy one, get one specifically for 2 strokes. I know they are on Amazon. The problem with standard timing lights is they are designed for 4 strokes and half the sparks per minute.

[Zunspec4]

If you are going to buy one, get one specifically for 2 strokes. I know they are on Amazon. The problem with standard timing lights is they are designed for 4 strokes and half the sparks per minute.

I was looking for the 1st of April posting date on that one ja-moo

[ja-moo]

If you are going to buy one, get one specifically for 2 strokes. I know they are on Amazon. The problem with standard timing lights is they are designed for 4 strokes and half the sparks per minute.

I was looking for the 1st of April posting date on that one ja-moo

It is actually true. Here is the write up, I bought one......

I originally posted this in the "What's your latest purchase" thread, but it comes up fairly often, and it's hard to find there, so I thought I'd repost it here:

Innova Equus 3551 timing light

I started out looking at Snap-On timing lights, which are rated for 10,000 rpm (5,000 for a 2-stroke). Those are the better part of $200. Then I found that Innova sells one that looks the same and has the same features, as far as I can tell (maybe same manufacturer). It's model 5568, and can be had for a little over $100 delivered. Then I discovered their whole line of timing lights, including three less expensive models. I finally got down to the basic version, the 3551, which is just a timing light, still rated for 10,000 rpm, for $26.54 and free shipping from Amazon. [note that price is slowly rising since this post] The more expensive ones have things like digital rpm display, advance setting, and dwell measurement.

I tried the 3551 on the bench, up to about 7,000 rpm and it worked great. Unlike my old light, this one doesn't start doing odd things at high rpm to make it appear that there's timing jitter where there isn't. It behaved perfectly to 7,000, which is equivalent to 14,000 for a 4-stroke. It seems to handle the higher speeds by skipping sparks. For example, at idle it sparks every time, then when you speed up, it lights every 2nd spark, then every 3rd or 4th, etc., so it never has to actually flash at ridiculous speeds. Note that setting the timing at 4,000 rpm as the manual specifies requires a timing light rated for 8,000 rpm, and most aren't.

[ConnerVT]

Uhhhh... No.

An inductive timing light is triggered by the spark plug firing. In a 2-stroke, that means on every rotation of the crankshaft. That firing should correspond with the timing mark which spins with the crankshaft. It does not matter that it is a 2-stroke or 4-stroke. Spark plug fires, timing light flashes.

What you may be getting confused with is that some 4-stroke 4-cylinder motorcycles have a false spark plug fire on the exhaust stroke. They use only 2 points (or PEI sensors) vs 4 points, and fire both the cylinder ready to be ignited, and the cylinder that is 180 degrees away. As there is no fuel charge in that other cylinder, the false charge has no effect. What this setup does is eliminate 2 sets of points, condensers, and coils (the HV output of each coil has 2 spark plug leads).

Having this kind of setup, with the false spark, can be an issue if you are timing at high RPM, as you may exceed the refresh rate of the timing gun. But why are you adjusting timing at high RPM? Especially on a simple 2-stroke engine, which has no ignition advance. The timing is the same at 1000 RPM as it is at 8000 RPM.

[ja-moo]

Actually yes, A 4 stroke fires every other revolution, so at 2000 rpm there is 1000 flashes. An a 2 stroke it's 2000. On our Kawi's we have to set the timing at 4000 rpm or 4000 times a minute, which would be the equivalent of trying to set the timing at 8000rpm on a 4 stroke. And things get funky with normal timing lights. Believe what you like. I'm giving the guy the best option for a timing lite for 2 strokes.