Motorcycle Repair: hello, honda vf 500, rear cylinders

Question
I have a 1984 honda vf 500 intercepter v four and someone messed up the timing and i cant get the cams set right i dont no antthing about it


Answer
Robert, that bike is very difficult to get right.  It's not something I can describe in a e-mail.  I'd recommend you invest in a manual.  It's probably the best source for that procedure.  The problem is that the cams have to be set on top dead center (TDC) for each front and rear cylinders. So you time the rear cams and then you turn the crank to put the front cylinders on TDC and then you  install the front cams.  To make matter worse Honda didn't give very clear marks for the cam positions so you need to lay a straight edge or something on the top of the cylinder head to check the alignment of the cam.

Anyway...a manual will be of great help.

Good luck
Rich