Points or Electronic?
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6th Gear
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 13
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Points or Electronic?
Hi folks, Been doing some work on this 1975 shovelhead we brought home. Bike was sitting for a couple years or better. Carb was nasty. Rebuilt with S&S complete kit. The bike will run and idle now. Tuned carb according to instructions but it didn't respond real well to adjustments. It seems lazy, like late timing. Checked the points and they are worn but not burnt. So ignition tune-up seems in order. Being new to owning a Harley I could use some advice. Should I stick with points or covert to electronic. Also I seem to remember working on a friends old Harley years ago and we split the ignition to even out the firing. Could that be right or was I just hallucinating at the time. Thanks in advance. Chuck
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Joined: Mar 2009
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From: Niles Canyon Ca.
Old argument here . I've run them every which way and I've settled on the Dyna S style system . What ever you do if it uses the mechanical advance unit get a GOOD one stainless steel or bearing ones don't go cheap here . As for single fire if you've got dual plugged heads ya go for it if other wise nothing gained really . Check the V-Twin catalog on line they have a Dyna S knock off elect. ignition with the advance for under$100 works great used a them with no problems & uses stock coils . It's a set and forget thing nothing changes just lube the flyweights yearly . Points work but it's getting harder to find decent ones , good luck either way .
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 802
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From: Wisconsin
I am pretty old school when it comes to my response,as many newer guys say go electronic I will say NO! Points require more maint,but I feel if you are going to ride it you should be able to work on it too.With points you can always make it spark ! If you need points on a Sunday no Problem (they are really car points) ,try to get electronic parts on a Sunday or better yet try to get them in Arizona on RTE 66 any day! The good thing is you should never get stranded with points and I have used them in many bikes including EVO'S Too ! Why pay the high price for Electronics when a complete point set-up cost under $100. By the way you can convert electronic ignition to points with the electronic coil too! ( Been doing it for 20 years)
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 66,104
Likes: 51,372
From: Niles Canyon Ca.
The basic Dyna S style , wired a 9v battery out of a clock radio across a stone dead battery one fine hung over morning in Colorado and 2nd kick was leaving before her boyfriend came home . You guys really need to get out more
PS ; I toss a points plate in the tool bag , if something craps out in busted ***** nowhere 15 mins and I can be riding . Been 14 yrs now and it hasn't failed yet so ?
Last edited by TwiZted Biker; Aug 24, 2010 at 01:05 AM.
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,856
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From: Middle of Kansas
When the module went bad in my 84 sporty, I changed it to points. I rode it 20,000 miles after that without any problems. I always carried a spare points and condenser, but I never needed them. Electronics, works well but no fix. Points work well, and you can fix if you have a problem. I thought it ran a little better on points, but it also dropped the gas mileage a little. Electronic gives a little more advanced at cruise than the fly weight breaker plate.
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6th Gear
Joined: Jul 2010
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Thanks for the input folks. I have alwas been kind of old school and traditional. Why re-engineer something that works. But much like my old tractors. The points work but they are harder to get and the quality or brand selection isn't there. Ask the kid at the parts counter for a set of points and all you get is a dumb look. For my tractors I keep extra parts on hand because no one stocks them. I think I like the idea of installing electronic and keep complete point setup in the saddlebag. Generally I have found if you have the spare you don't need it. Just like insurance, you pay for something you hope you will never need.
Thanks Chuck
Thanks Chuck