The bike must be on a jack or a lift so you can spin the rear wheel.

• Remove both spark plugs (or one on each cylinder for an “S” model with 4 plugs).
  This will relieve the compression on the engine as you turn the engine over.
• Remove the timing plug (right side at the base between both cylinders).
• Use Caution while removing / installing this plug.
  It is a steel plug in an aluminum hole and it's common to either destroy the internal threads / sealing surface or to find them to be damaged upon removal.
  • Once torque is removed (broken free) while backing it out, you should be able to turn it out by hand or by using just the Allen wrench socket gently by hand.
    If you can't turn it out by hand, the threads could be warped or damaged from over torque the last time it was installed.
    You can read more about it here including repair of damaged threads.
  • While installing the plug, set it in the hole and turn it backwards until you feel thread engagement before attempting to use any force to turn it into the hole. See also Installing the plug.

This can be removed with a 3/8“ Allen hex wrench 1)

• With the rear wheel off the ground, shift into 1st gear. Then, rotate the rear wheel forward until it stops (this will turn over the engine / transmission).
  You can also just turn the wheel over with one hand (a bump at a time) while shifting with the other. The wheel doesn't have to turn too far or at any rate of speed.
• Then you can shift thru 3rd.
• It takes two separate movements of the shift forks to get into 4th which requires turning the wheel again.
  Depending on the alignment of your specific transmission conditions, you may have to wing it back and forth with turning the wheel and shifting.
• Then you can shift to 5th. Of all the gears to be in, 5th will be the easiest to turn by hand.

Shifting the transmission into fifth gear 2)

When you take out the timing plug, this is more than likely what you see 3)	TDC timing mark in center of window 4)

Using the “finger method” to feel compression 5)