[kxpower?]

Originally Posted by Motofool

I have not done that work on this engine myself, but I don't see why rope would not work.

Use eye protection and plenty of clean rags to keep little pieces from flying away or into the engine via the cam chain well.

Just for general information:
http://www.dansmc.com/valve.htm

If the old retainers are gone, you may want opening the clutch cavity and remove those potentially dangerous things, so they don't end up between the teeth of two gears.

Did the rope down the plug hole trick, worked like a charm once I figured out that 2 hands were needed on the valve compressor and 2 more dropping the retainers in. I found the old retainers in the oil drain pan