Stupid timing belt question

[NOVAwing]

Hi gang,

So I did my timing belt Saturday.
Looked like original Honda labeled belts rusty and dirty, but not frayed.
No stickers showing last change.
Might never have been changed
Bike has roughly 90k miles 1993.

Looks like I dodged a big bullet!

It was a lot easier then I thought it would be.

However...….

Driver side inner belt went back on fine.
Passenger side outer belt would not line up.
It seems to be 1/2 or 1 tooth off. No way to make the marks dead even without moving the other belt/crank/Cam gear off the marks.

No issues rotating engine, no parts colliding, no noise.
Bike smokes a little bit more then it did before, especially at start up.
Seems to run fine, rode to work again today no issues.

Is this normal or did I miss something?

Thanks,
NOVAwing

[virgilmobile]

It's not uncommon to "see" a half tooth off...A full one is a lot easier to spot.
I have to get ground level with the marks to line them up.What looks like a half tooth off looks ok when viewed straight on.
A full tooth off can result in a poor running engine....maybe a burping in the intake or exhaust or a bit lower horsepower but not fatal.
Always look at the marks after the belt tention has been verified and the engine hand turned a few times.then checked one more time...

[NOVAwing]

It's not uncommon to "see" a half tooth off...A full one is a lot easier to spot.
I have to get ground level with the marks to line them up.What looks like a half tooth off looks ok when viewed straight on.
A full tooth off can result in a poor running engine....maybe a burping in the intake or exhaust or a bit lower horsepower but not fatal.
Always look at the marks after the belt tention has been verified and the engine hand turned a few times.then checked one more time...

Thanks Virigl,

I did all those things. It is tough to see without getting down to eye level.
Its clearly 1/2 to 1 tooth off on the passenger side. Bike runs better then before if anything

The marks were dead on with old belts.

Perhaps its normal, or just me being mistaken.

Either way runs fine, just a bit of smoking but seems to be getting better the more I ride.

Thanks,
NOVAwing

[AZgl1800]

I doubt you will ever see the timing marks lined up exactly in real life.

1/2 tooth off is "on the mark"

[FM-USA]

1991 1500, same here it LOOKS like it's 1/3 tooth off.

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[fibersport]

I did my belts about a month ago, just did one in my Isuzu Trooper. Both times I was paranoid about running the engine worrying if I was a tooth off. In both cases, it really looks like they could be off, you will have to look straight on to verify but most likely everything is fine. As for the smoke, i believe it is probably valve stem seals, mine does it as well with only 65K on it, it's the age that causes them to harden and allow oil past them. Might be a winter project for me -

[SG_Jay]

I would say it's normal. I did mine in the spring and found the same thing. So I did a bunch of googling and searching before I even put it back together and found that it was often times the nature of the beast. I've had no issues at all, it runs great, same as before I put the new belts in.

As for your smoke at startup, I hear it's pretty common if they are left on the side stand. Little oil leaks by, burns up when you start and then goes away. Mine is on the center stand probably 95% of the time.

[virgilmobile]

I purposely leave mine on the sidestand..It helps clear the bugs as I get my bucket on.