Timing Light and Dwell Meter - options

I'm at a point with points and timing that I want to get it right and not just with the static method. Just started looking into timing light and dwell meter options. Basic lights are simple enough, some measure RPM and Angle, some even come with Dwell measuring. At $35 I could buy a basic ligh t and for another $25 an anolog dwell meter or step up to a digital light and at the top is a light that does it all . I'm limited on my tool budget and looking for basic accurate readings... my choice is a separate basic light and dwell meter. Anyone highly recommend going all digital?

I find the analog dwell meter works fine for me. I got the MAC meter shown below off eBay for a mere $25 and it looks like it had never been used. Similarly, I got a like-new Craftsman timing light (2nd image) for even less money. I've had both for a number of years and they've never had problems. Ed

51% of the reason I went with the Dyna S was the hotter spark and the other 49% for setting and forgetting it......

Just remember, if you buy the lower cost strobes and dwell meters, they are usually for classic cars with distributors. You have to multiply the results to convert to crank degrees and to compensate for the dual-coil. They work fine, but you have to do some math to get the actual numbers.

Does anyone have a dwell setting for the Z1/900's. The FSM only gives a gap setting. With the points being lightly spring loaded, it's really hard tell if you've got the correct gap. I've always felt a dwell meter would provide a more accurate setting.

The correct points gap for the KZ650-C1 is 0.35mm. If that gap is the same spec as the KZ900 gap, I would expect the dwell spec to be the same for both engines. Assuming that is true, the dwell table below from the KZ650 Kawasaki Service Manual (Sept. 2, 1980) should also work for the KZ900. Ed

The points bikes are generally just over 180 degrees (apparently up to 195 degrees on some, based on Ed's post).

A typical car dwell meter is set up to measure distributor degrees, which is the same as camshaft degrees. To convert to crankshaft degrees, you take the number of degrees the dwell meter is saying, and multiply by two. Since the dwell meter will be hooked up to one coil which will be firing two cylinders, if the meter is designed to measure dwell on a v-8 motor, you will have to multiply the dwell reading by another 4 times.

Thus, for a typical Actron dwell meter, on the 8 cylinder scale, you have to multiply the dwell reading by 8 to get the inline-4 KZ's dwell spec.

For a typical Actron dwell/tach, to get the correct RPM on a KZ, you have to multiply the 8 cyl scale reading by 4 to get the KZ's RPM.

For a typical Actron (Sunpro) timing light with advance knob, you have to divide the advance knob reading by 2 to get the actual degrees of advance on a KZ.

Actron products were often sold as Sunpro, or Craftsman products.

Thanks Ed. The Z1's points gap is the same as the KZ650 (.35mm). I'll break out my dwell meter and give those settings a try. I've always suspected the ignition settings would be the shared across the KZ family. I don't know why Kawasaki didn't provide dwell specs in the earlier manuals.

Picked up a Mac Tools ET805 (thanks for the insight Ed) from the bay for under $30 and went with a new strobe light from Innova. Now all I need is to to shake the rest of this summer head cold and get back out to the garage.

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