Everybody here has a special tool to take the plug out.  Some folks use an old brake pad, others take a stiff putty knife and grind the corners off to make it fit, I think someone else used a metal cover for an electrical box.  I used a special two part tool:

Hinge and vise grips!

I would think you could do the in gear and tire thing, but there are ways to get the plug out.

You should not have trouble starting, when you put the petcock to "on" the fuel will flow, like prime did on the stock petcock.  Just give it a minute or two to get the gas to the carb.

I am sure someone else will come along with more or better advice.  

You certainly started big for your "first mechanical endeavor"  It feels god to do things yourself, doesn't it?

The very expensive, very special, hard to find tool i use is an old round-style bottle opener, the kind that "loops" over the bottlecap. I stick one end in the slot, stick a screwdriver through the loop and twist. works well for me. also convenient for enjoying a brew or two while working

Now this is just what i think, and i'm not sure of it, but i *think* you have to have the timing plug cover off to line up the timing marks during the valve adjustment. finding TDC is only the first bit, the timing marks hit maybe a 1/4 turn or so after. But again, i'm not sure of that.

Again on something i *think*: the raptor is not vacuum driven, so setting it to on should allow fuel flow to fill up the carb bowl. this also means it is a good idea to shut it off when you shut the bike off. my raptor hasn't come in yet, so i can't promise that i'm telling you the truth.

How was the cam chain tensioner? that is next on my list for when the weather gets too nasty to ride. still kinda intimidated by it though...

You don't need the timing marks to gap the valves. The most important thing is to make sure they're completely shut with no pressure on the rockers from the cam. Other than that, it doesn't matter what position the crank is in.
You can rotate the engine, watch the valves open & close, then set your gap. Repeat for the other side.

bill67 wrote on 07/08/10 at 08:03:51:

I heard about that too, but I just cannot picture how this works. I didn't say it doesn't work, just can't imagine it. What about the oil spewing with the valve covers off. And if the tappets or rockers or whatever going up and down, when do you now it's right? And what about doing this when the engine is cold? With it running it'll get constantly hotter, and then it's getting looser. You readjust to compensate, and then the next time the engine is cold, the gaps are too tight. It just doesn't seem to make any sense. I did it on my S40 and I just kept trying with the gauge and after countless tries I thought it's good enough. I was never positive about it being too tight or too loose.

daedalus wrote on 07/08/10 at 03:49:07:


If it were me, I'd try to get that plug out.

Here's what I've used in the past:





It is a 2 1/2" OD flat washer.  I ground one edge thin enough to fit into the plug.  I clamped it into the jaws of a Vice-Grip to use it.  It worked great!

Good luck!

...stock Savage footpegs look like over-played accordions... ...

Versy's tool, is an old brake pad, by the way... ...

ralfyguy wrote on 07/08/10 at 19:38:57:

You saw the oil running but it didn't plash up and out.