I have a 1981 honda gl1100. i am having a noise when i first open the trottle. it sounds like a knock in the engine. i have set cam timing and valves according to the honda service manual. it also feels like loss of power as well. please help me find the problem. thank you rc

Big ends on their way out perhaps.

It sounds serious, cam chain tensioner or conrod bearings, get it looked at fast before it causes more damage.

Engine, definitely, assuming you had it in neutral.
Maybe the main bearing is seized.

The ticking sound is most likely caused by uneven wear on the cam lobes. The next time you've got the valve covers off, take a look at the cams and you will likely see scuff marks on one or more of the high-points of the camshaft lobes. This can cause a ticking sound each time that part of the lobe comes in contact with the rocker arm. The only cure for this would be to replace the cam and rocker arms - which is not worth the many $$ it will cost. The noise may be annoying, but isn't anything to worry about. My Goldwing started making a ticking sound at about 90,000 miles - and continues to this day, now with more than 169,000 miles on the engine.
Uneven cam lobe wear can also cause lateral movement of the rocker arms - and a ticking sound as the rockers move slightly sideways on their shafts (note the springs on the shafts that hold the rockers lightly to one side).
I should also mention that pitted valve stem tips can also cause a ticking noise. In any event, do not run the engine with less than the specified .004" valve tappet clearance as this can cause valve damage and compression loss.

Make sure you understand this completely...the engine must be COLD, overnight in the frozen wasteland cold. No short cuts here, let the bike cool for 24 hours to be on the safe side. Your adjustments are .004" for Intake and .005" for exhaust. Hope this helps.

JP