Just got my bike put back together after rebuilding the carbs, checking the valve clearances, swapping some shims around, and replacing all the fuel hoses.  Now the bike will not start.  It just keeps cranking away.  I checked all hoses for kinks an proper connection and made sure that fuel was reaching the carbs (could also smell gas in the pipe).  Everything was fine.  I did manage to get a backfire once after about 30 minutes of trying to start it.

After looking around I read that turning over the engine without the cam chain tensioner installed could bend the valves.  Well of course since I didn't know this at the time I did it trying to get the timing right after swapping the shims.  Could this be causing my problem?  I felt for exhaust from the pipe and it was there (funny thing was that it did the backfire while I was doing this...scared the crap out of me   ).

Can anyone help a newbie out?

Thanks,
Kevin

well bending valves is usually noisy (loud clack) and that will cause that cyl to not run or run so poorly.
Cool.
Srinath.

Well I definitely heard several loud clacks.  I turned it over a few times, the first few times I had the timing completely off.  I had the notches lined up but the RT mark was not lined up with the mark on the pickup.  Gees, can wait to strip the bike again. :x   How much are valves going to run me?

In one of the drag raceing places..like aperaceparts.com or some like that they were 16 a piece...might as well inspect the pistons and get them if they are bad, and new rings and hone the cylinder and hand fit rings. Its better to do it when apart cos you need to replace the base gasket anyway. Gasket kits are at partsnmore.com. The whole job can be done for ~2-300 if you did yourself. If you in the mood for experimenting...you could knock the cylinder sleeves out, have aluminum ones fitted and put nikasil on that and pistons and total seal rings. Figure ~100 more than the other option.
Cool.
Srinath.

How much will all the tools required to do all this work run?  Not sure I'm ready to this yet.  I screwed doing a valve adjustment....its scares me what I could do tearing the whole engine apart.

If you can take the valve cover off...I guess the tools you need you probably already have. The basic idea is to pull the heal and send it to the ape guys or any of the others...basically call them and see who tells you what you like to have done... cams go to mega cycle and you tell them what you want...probably they are fine though. The cylinders need a very light hone...just to break the surface, if your pistons are ok (not dented from the valve hit) re use them...buy rings from total seal, and hand gap them to each bore and re assemble...If you need to replace the pistons, you may need a piston pin puller...but you can make that as well with a right sized bolt, washers and pipe...just be careful and gentle. So you disassemble, and re assemble...the rest is taken care of by others. Hand gapping rings may need a ring gapping tool...but I have heard of people doing it with a file. Ask people here...KevinC, Bob Broussard, JamesG, werase etc take them apart and build them...
Cool.
Srinath.

Well last night I began to strip the bike again.  First I made sure the electrical system was working...everything checked.  Then I pulled the plug and turn the engine.  Guess what...absolutely no detectable compression.  I didn't actually use a compression tester.  I put my finger over the threads and felt nothing in either of the cylinders as I turned the engine over.  Guess I'll be pulling the head off tonight.  Is there anything I should be aware of that the Clymer and Haynes manual don't point out (like don't turn over the engine with the cam chain tensioner off...well maybe they do but I hate reading ).

Ok...so last night I took the head and cylinder off.  I looked at the faces of the valves and everything look OK.  I'll have to wait to get a valve spring compressor before I can look at the stems.  From what I could see of the stem through the intake and exhaust port everything look fine. (I imagine the bends are hiding from me )  I also looked at the piston heads.  Besides normal carbon deposites I noticed that there were flat sections on the intake side.  After looking at other pistons on-line it appears that these may be designed that way.  Maybe because the intake valves are larger than the exhaust valves.  It didn't look like there were any unusual dents.

However, when I took the head and cylinder off I did notice that there was so much crud that got past the gaskets.  Looked like a mixture of black sand and small pebbles (1 - 2 mm).  I guess the previous owner didn't take much care of it.  He did mention that he took it down to the beach but didn't mention that he actually rode it on the beach.  Well anyway I noticed that some of the crud went down into the crank case as I pulled the head and cylinders off.  Can I just blow it down all the way into the crank case and hope it comes out when I change the oil (which of course I would do before I start the engine)?  I really don't want to have take the case apart.  I don't think I'm going to get much riding in this year.

OK have you figured so far why no compression??? BTW did you do the compression (thumb over plug hole while cranking) with the throttle open or shut. BTW valves bending will leave good hammer marks on pistons and valve faces...not easy to cover it with carbon. You will see fresh metal...Your bike probably didn't bend its valves. If the valves open and close with hand cranking...(shine a flash light into an open valve inlet/exhaust port and look in the spark plug hole and see light) then it wasn't bent. I am actually having the same issue with Gino's bike now.
Cool.
Srinath.

Now I feel like a dumb ass.  I do not remember opening the throttle.  You would think that because I'm an engineer I would know better.  

Well then if that wasn't the problem can you suggest trying something else.  I cranked that engine for hours and it wouldn't start.  Like I said earlier, all I did was clean the carbs and swap some shims because one was a little tight.  All hose routing was fine and fuel was getting to the carbs.

On another note, does anyone know the part number for the "D" intake cam shaft clamp?  I stripped it and can now only tighten it to a couple Nm's.  Bike bandit shows the part but does not list the part number.

Thanks,
Kevin

Well also to do a compression test you need to crank it over with starter not by hand...with the strater my bike made ~120 with shut throttle...open the throttle and it jumped up 20-30 pts...100psi is what you can hold with your thumb... unless you are Aaaa - hnold ...
Cool.
Srinath.