Using 34 degrees on a modern BTH on a comet ( I had to smile at what is "reasonably stock" in USA David) should give about 4 degrees at full
retard shouldn't it?
Tim,
I used the word "stock" to mean "popular" as I tend to think that most riders use specs very close to David T's. It seemed too presumptuous to use the 19 degrees I used on the racer, which I thought was still advanced a bit. It is difficult to get a street Comet owner to check the timing on a dyno.
I think the method Robert uses is the best non-dyno approach, but it is likely to result in the engine being advanced because you are backing off the advance until you get the good behaviour. I am just guessing that this is still too advanced. It is unlikely to do any harm, but maybe it keeps the engine too warm? I am not sure if you can set the minimum timing with the best torque without a dyno.
The racer does not have a KS, but I always ran NGK B9's, which are pretty cold, with the BT-H. It was an excellent starter, but I was using rollers or bump starting. I never worried about starting, it would spring to life.
David