Cam Timing Setup - Degreeing Hayabusa Cams

To degree the cams I needed to set the lobe centres for both the intake and exhaust cams to the required setting. For my cams I am looking for settings of 104 degrees on the intake and 106 degrees on the exhaust.

First I fitted a plate to the top of the cam housings and used the cam cover screws to hold in place. The plate is to provide a sturdy base for the magnetic stand. Next I fitted the SPI dial gauge with an extension rod to to the base. I then completed the following steps to degree the cams:

1. Fitted the dial gauge on plate near the intake cam. 
2. Adjusted the indicator so that the extension rod rests on the cam bucket and did not touch the casing or the cam.
3. Rotated the engine until the end lobe on the intake cam was on maximum lift.
4. Adjusted the dial gauge so that it read a level of 0 with the cam at full lift.
5. Rotated the engine a couple of times and watched the gauge wind up and then settle back down to a reading of 0.
6. To check the lobe centre I always rotated the engine in the running direction.
7. First I rotated the engine until the gauge read 0.040' off maximum lift and then recorded the reading from the degree wheel.
8. Next I continued to rotate the engine past 0 and then to 0.040' past the maximum lift and again recorded the reading from the degree wheel.
9. To calculate the lobe centre I need to add the two readings and then divide by 2 to get the lobe centre reading.
10. So for example, readings of 141 and 68 added together and divided by 2 makes 104.5 degrees
11. To adjust the setting I loosened the intake cam sprocket and rotated the cam a small amount, then re-tightened and re tested.
12. I repeated steps 7 to 11 until I managed to get a lobe centre reading of 104 degrees on the inlet. The final readings were 140 and 68 which made 104 degrees.
13. To set the exhaust cam I repeated the same steps as 1 to 12 now on the exhaust cam. I again  recorded the readings. On the exhaust cam I finally managed to get a reading of 106 degrees. The final readings were 66 and 146 which made 106 degrees.
14. Finally when everything was set correctly I thread locked the cam wheel bolts.

This exercise took many hours and a very small change on the cam sprocket made quite a large difference to the cam degree setting. I ended up making very small changes and recording every change I made.

The whole exercise took a long time to get right and was quite rewarding in the end. Next time should be quicker now I have a better understanding of the process.