Timing points

First, I advise putting a new set of points in the bike. Remove the spark plugs, raise the rear wheel off he ground, put the bike transmission in fourth gear. Use the rear wheel to rotate the engine in the normal direction of operation. Now, bring the points up on the breaker cam to their widest open position. Set the point gap at 0.018 inch.

Now, bring the front piston up to Top Dead Center on the compression stroke. To do this start by putting your finger over the spark plug hole. Rotate the engine, using the rear wheel, until you feel the compression start to blow your finger off the spark plug hole. Now, take an ordinary drinking straw and stick it down into the cylinder. Don't use anything else to do this with as metal may damage the piston, wood or hard plastic may bend and break off in the cylinder. A common drinking straw will bend but won't break off. Bump the rear wheel in the direction of normal rotation until the piston comes as high in the bore as it will and just starts back down.

Remove the timing plug on the left side of the engine. There should be a mark visible through the hole on the side of the crankshaft. If not, back the engine up slightly and it should come into view. This is the Top Dead Center mark. Back the engine up,using the rear wheel, until you see another mark. This could be the retarded timing mark or the front cylinder advanced mark, depending on how many marks your crankshaft has on it. Some have the retarded timing mark and some don't. The piston should travel approximately 0.4375 inch (7/16") down in the bore and you should see the Front Cylinder Advanced Timing mark. It will the be the last mark you see while rolling the engine backwards.

Now that you know what the Front cylinder advanced mark looks like, this is what you are going to time your ignition to. Temporarily put the plug loosely back into the hole. Connect a timing light (strobe light) to the battery and front spark plug. Start the engine and bring it to a high idle of about 2000 rpm. Point the light at the timing hole and remove the plug. There will be an oil spray being blown out of the hole under pressure. Do not get your eyes close to the hole. Stand off to the side and away from the hole to look into it. See if you see the front cylinder advanced timing mark in the hole. If not, you'll have to loosen the points breaker plate, the two standoffs on the right side of the bike where the points are and rotate the plate slightly. Moving the plate clockwise advances the timing, counterclockwise retards the timing. Do this until you get the front cylinder advanced mark in the middle of the hole. In the future, once the engine timing has been correctly set with the points correctly gapped, you can change the points, set them to exactly 0.018" gap and your timing will not change as long as you don't move the points breaker plate. Check the timing after you replace the points and set them. Your timing may be correct.

Will the points keep your bike from starting? You bet your bippie they will. If the bike has been sitting up for a while, the points may have become corroded just enough that they won't make good contact. Burnish the points with a thin piece of cardboard between them. Check for continuity when the pointsw are closed with an ohm meter. Rotate the engine and visually verify that the points are opening. Once you know the points are working, Remove the spark plugs and lay them against the cylinder head. Turn the engine over with the starter. You should see the spark plugs spark. If so, your ignition system is working and it's probably working well enough for the engine to start.

If it still won't start, use a squirt can to squirt a few squirts of gasoline into the throat of the carburetor. With the spark plugs screwed back into the spark plug holes, try to start the engine. It should start but it won't run long, just a couple of seconds. If it does this, you may need to clean the carb. If the bike has been sitting up for a long time, evaporated gasoline has left a gummy residue that has clogged up your jets in the carb. You'll have to disassemble the carb and clean it out. Good Luck!