Top Dead Center?

Top dead center, do you know what it is? I'm not talking about a spot on the roof. I've hired on a number of new people lately and when teaching them how to start my pressure washers, my first question to them is "do you know what top dead center is?" It's been over 10 years since anyone answered they did.

But it's something I probably learned in my early teens and just assumed it was something everybody knew. I am just curious if it's now a generational thing. I know working on engines has changed drastically over time, I took my Nissan pickup in to have spark plugs changed, something I used to do routinely. But I never had to remove the valve cover and manifold to do it like the Nissan requires, so maybe millennials can be excused for being ignorant about engines.

Oh yes, the curve. Two lane road, curve rated 35mph. Doing 120 at 4am, no oncoming traffic. Dived all the way down, and it drifted across the double yell, I about had a heart attack at the twin lurches it did. As I realized I was going to run out of road, i also knew I had to be steady, as letting off would bring the rear around and Oooops! I went over the outer white line and it was exiting and used all of the 8" of asphalt on between it and the gravel. Fun bike!

SOme time bfore I got hose good tires, I bought a cheap one and I can attest that I thought it would get me killed in the 4-6 weeks until I replaced it! A simple turn at an intersection would result in a huge slid all the way across the road as the lean exceded the shoulder area of the tire! Flat tracking and dirt tracking all at once!

BTW, I now apologize to my guests for some of my 'erratic' seeming driving. I still swerve around everything on the road! Pebbles, nails, acorns, or hwatever seems out of place. i should have said that before taking you on an adventure.

Tinner, I remember well the Kaw 500 triple introduced as a 12 sec 1/4 mile right out of the crate. Pretty impressive at the time. Also remember that straight line performance was off the hook, but stuffed into a curve the bike had a mind of it's own. Good times . . .

The last triple I owned was a 400, somewhat more civilized than the 350 but still lots of fun . . .

I had a S2-350, and often rode a Bob Carpenter Modified 500 triple. No tach, no speedo. Super tight powerband around 13-14K. 2nd gear would start pulling clothes off, 3rd would start peeling the helmet. The other two gears were awesome indeed. No clue how fast that thing ran. Telephone poles looked like a picket fence and cars doing 70 were just blips. :laugh:

wywoody, Kawasaki actually made a 250 triple as well. Didn't see too many of them either . . .

Andy, I have a friend that is really in to old Japanese bikes. He has a 750 triple that he says is rare, the 500's were the big sellers. But he says the 350 triples are the rarest.

Today kids don't have a clue what an oil filter wrench is for, but they'll know how to get their iPhone to hook up to car radio.

I owned a '72 Kawasaki S2 350 triple cyl. motorcycle for a few years. A set of points for each piston. Used a dial indicator to find TDC, then set the point gap to manufacturer spec. As I recall, timing was set so many degrees before TDC. Been a few years since I've needed that know how, what with electronic ignition coming into play. Keeping 3 sets of points timed was a real pia, and fouled plugs were a constant challenge.

I agree that these mechanical skills for most of the general population are rapidly disappearing. Shoot, I don't think most people even think about doing oil changes on their own cars and trucks. And I see the outcome stranded by the side of the highway every day.