No Buckaroo ,I dont think you are a dummy. Just kinda misinformed.
If you completely remove the exhaust it will run like crap. Its called reversion and scavenging. Nothing to do with timing.

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"If we had a different cam that closed the valves sooner maybe we would not have to change the gap on the sparkplug or change the timing."

Both valves have been long closed when it fires .

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"Whether a change, physically changes something or not, it still puts it out of sync and needs to be readjusted And if it didn't change why would it have to be readjusted?"

I fully agree things can be out of sync and not working together and make an engine run like crap. You need everything working together in harmony for best performance.

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"Less restrictive exhaust and air flow will lean you mixture. It will also advance your timing. Most ATV's can not adjust the timing (short of changing the cam sprockets, or cam itself)"

This is the part I called BULL on.
It may be my fault for reading it as you said it backward than the way it really is.
If you make changes to intake or exhaust you may need to change timing a little to recieve maximum benefit from those changes. But those changes alone will not change the timing. The timing will be the same as before you done the mods.

 

OhHell -
Maybe I do talk backwards - lol...
True the timing doesn't change, it can't but it probably needs to - as you said and I agree, to gain maximum benefit. I have gotten into a habit of just saying that the timing (refering to the optimum timing as apposed to the spec timing) has changed and would need adjustments, in order to gain max bennefit.
I guess the point I was attempting to make is that if a person simply puts on a less restrictive exhaust (or removes a baffel) that in alot of cases didn't necesarily mean a gain without making other adjustments to jetting, timing etc. I have seen and I am sure you have also, that simply changing one thing without other adjustments that an engine has gone the other way and the performance has deteriorated and been worse than before the change.
Maybe I should have stated it, that the optimum timing has changed. If set at 4 degrees prior too a change, it may now need 6 degrees to be optimum. So the timing with reference to the book or specifications is no longer the correct setting.
And with an engine that has no adjustments to timing that other things may need to be changed to compensate. such as changing the gap on a sparkplug or a camshaft with different duration specifications.
Sorry for the mis-stated statement and the confusion.

 

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"Maybe I should have stated it, that the optimum timing has changed. If set at 4 degrees prior too a change, it may now need 6 degrees to be optimum. So the timing with reference to the book or specifications is no longer the correct setting. "


Agreed. If the word optimum had been in the origional post I would have agreed then.
Sometimes it is a little hard to interpert exactly what is being said in a forum.
It would be much easier to have a discussion like this face to face.