HEY SERIOUS QUESTION! FUTURE MOD-PAGE FOR SURE

[gregvhen]

How can I get to the valve timing the easiest?  I bought a 97' 500e used and am pretty sure that the timing is off from the previous owner not knowing too much about bikes and put it together wrong?

[cboling]

Page 114 of the Clymer manual really describes it best.

Remove the cam chain tensioner.
Remove the top cover.
Left Cam is marked "IN" for intake. Right cam is marked "EX" for exhaust.
Pull the right side cover.
Remove the spark plugs.
Use a 19mm wrench and turn the signal rotor clockwise until the R-T mark points left and the line just after the "T" lines up with the middle of the pickup coil.
Look at the cam shaft ends. There are 2 notches. Those should be facing one another.
If you are in time, there is a "1" (one) marked on the Exhaust cam shaft sprocket. That should be lined up with the top edge of the valve head.
There should also be a "2" toward the top of the exhaust sprocket.
Mark the pin of the chain located at the "2" with a paint pen or white out.
Next, count the pins toward the left (intake cam) until you see a "3" on the intake sprocket. The arrow next to the 3 should be pointing directly at a pin which should be 18 pins away from the one you painted with white out.

If any of the above is not correct, make adjustments until it is.

(Really, if you can find the download link for the manual, get that and take a look for the timing adjustment. It should be pretty informative and I would not want to mislead anyone.)
Good luck.