ok, i took the whole damn motor apart.......figured out i couldn't get the flywheel off, slapped it back together, still knocked, looked at the timing again, slipped it one tooth back, knocked really bad.....put it back still knocks..????? i have no clue what the hell it is, the bearings on the connecting rod don't seem to be loose...sooo, i'm at a loss... but the thing runs fine and it seems as if the bike doens't knock as bad whenever it gets warm.....
also, i had the bike running and took off the rocker arm covers and held down the arms and the knocking didn't stop or anything, sooo i don't think its the arms????? the clearance is set at 5 thousandths

 

5 is alot bro. service manual calls for .002"

 

hmm, ok, i'll redo it...maybe that will solve it, but the knocking quits whenever it gets warm??? that still gets me i dunno what the hell it is....it runs great though...lol, hey, where can i get a manual for the xr? is there a pdf anywhere?

 

ok
well if you went one tooth one way, then did you take it a tooth the opposite way?

meaning go one, then two in the opposite direction

 

no, i didn't one tooth counterclockwise was the only way that looked romotely close to tdc and "o" so thats the only way i went...the knock isnt' the hard topend knock that i heard whenever i went the other way though

 

don't know what that is, but yeah the rocker arm clearance for aftermarket cams is .05mm, at least that's what takegawa calls for. i set mine at about .04mm - maybe you should check to make sure that all of the oil passages to the head are clear of obstuctions, maybe you're not getting enough oil to the head and it's knocking (that'd explain why it got better once the oil warmed up and thinned out). i'm just shooting in the dark though. good luck. just make sure the timing is correct don't advance or retard it, i think it'd be easy to bend a valve depending on what kind of piston you're running.
B

 

calling "SilverSurfer" to the rescue "where are you"

 

.002 inch. im not talking about milimeters. and yes, when the engine warms up.. things get larger. that explains why it is going away when its warm. make sure u are at TDC compression when adjusting the valves. .005 inch is waay too much lash. and i hope yer not confusing milimeters with inches cause then u would be nearly a 1/16th of an inch out of adjustment. and thats not good.