I’ve been restoring old motorcycles as a weekend hobby for about three years now, and I’m currently elbow-deep in a 1978 Honda CB750 that’s been sitting in a shed since the early ‘90s. The bike turns over but won’t fire, and after chasing electrical gremlins for two weekends straight, I’ve narrowed it down to the ignition system. Specifically, I think the OEM points are shot, but I’m trying to decide if I should upgrade to an electronic ignition module or just rebuild what’s there.
I’ve already rebuilt the carbs, cleaned the fuel tank, and replaced the spark plugs with NGK B8ES. The battery is a brand new Yuasa, charged and holding steady. I checked the coils with a multimeter—primary winding reads 4.8 ohms, secondary is around 14k, which seems within spec from what I’ve read on forums. But the points look pitted and the condenser might be toast. Not sure if this matters, but the previous owner had the timing way off—I had to rotate the backplate almost five degrees just to get it close to the F mark. I’ve been swapping in new points and setting dwell with a feeler gauge, but it still runs rough and stalls after a few minutes.
Money is a bit tight this month, so the budget is maybe fifty bucks if I stick with points, but I’d stretch it to a hundred or so for a Dyna S or a Pamco if it’s really worth it. I’ve heard the Dyna S is dead simple to install and eliminates points wear, but I’m worried about depending on a solid-state module that might fail five years down the road. On the other hand, points are cheap and easy to replace on a trail, but gap creep and mechanical wear are a constant headache. I’m limited to hand tools and a garage without a lift, so nothing too fancy, but I can follow a wiring diagram.
My real hang-up is whether the extra reliability and consistent spark of electronic ignition is worth losing the simplicity of points. I see guys online swearing by the old-school method, calling it “barn find bulletproof,” but I also hear horror stories of modules frying no-warning. I’m leaning toward the electronic upgrade just so I don’t have to keep fussing with dwell every couple thousand miles, but I’ve only got one shot at the budget this month. What would you do—stick with points for now, or go ahead and get the electronic kit?
I’ve already rebuilt the carbs, cleaned the fuel tank, and replaced the spark plugs with NGK B8ES. The battery is a brand new Yuasa, charged and holding steady. I checked the coils with a multimeter—primary winding reads 4.8 ohms, secondary is around 14k, which seems within spec from what I’ve read on forums. But the points look pitted and the condenser might be toast. Not sure if this matters, but the previous owner had the timing way off—I had to rotate the backplate almost five degrees just to get it close to the F mark. I’ve been swapping in new points and setting dwell with a feeler gauge, but it still runs rough and stalls after a few minutes.
Money is a bit tight this month, so the budget is maybe fifty bucks if I stick with points, but I’d stretch it to a hundred or so for a Dyna S or a Pamco if it’s really worth it. I’ve heard the Dyna S is dead simple to install and eliminates points wear, but I’m worried about depending on a solid-state module that might fail five years down the road. On the other hand, points are cheap and easy to replace on a trail, but gap creep and mechanical wear are a constant headache. I’m limited to hand tools and a garage without a lift, so nothing too fancy, but I can follow a wiring diagram.
My real hang-up is whether the extra reliability and consistent spark of electronic ignition is worth losing the simplicity of points. I see guys online swearing by the old-school method, calling it “barn find bulletproof,” but I also hear horror stories of modules frying no-warning. I’m leaning toward the electronic upgrade just so I don’t have to keep fussing with dwell every couple thousand miles, but I’ve only got one shot at the budget this month. What would you do—stick with points for now, or go ahead and get the electronic kit?
