Engine reassembly / TDC

Hi guys, it´s been a long time.

After disassembling my ´84 GPz550´s top end to check things out and perform a gasket change, I had a lot of work:

Fighting with desperately sticky old gaskets, finding gasket kit, O-rings, new cam chain guide, cam plugs and other bits and repainting cylinder, head, valve cover and exhausts, among other things.

Now I´m about to put everything together again.

I understand that pistons #1 and #4 must be at TDC in order to reassembly the camshafts, using the alignment marks in the camshafts sprockets and the electronic ignition.

The named pistons must be at the most top position to be at TDC, right?

Please give some advice about it and how to check if everything about valve train/pistons sincronization before starting the engine, in order not to bent valves and mess up things.

Thanks a lot!

Not sure if yours is the same, but my kz650 had a mark behind the cover and points on the top marked "T" for tdc on cylinders 1 and 4. You do not need to remove the points, there is a hole to look through. Align that, then align the cams. Do you have a manual? It would explain the procedure for counting links in the chain and so forth to get you on the right track. On mine, I set the intake cam so that the alignment mark with the "T" above it was facing toward the rear of the bike with the "T" below surface of the head with the arrow level with the surface. The exhaust cam was set so the "T" was above the head and the arrow level with the head and facing forward. REMEMBER this is for a 650, not sure if yours is similar. Then I had to make sure there were 36 chaing rivits between the two, not counting the first on the exhaust side. Hope this helps!:dry: