I’m cranking first kick every single time now. This is invaluable instruction. I did miss the verbal detail at 10:55 though the first couple of times and thought I had an electrical issue. “Points must be open for the light to come on!” You guys are the undisputed experts on these bikes.

Never thought I would be working on points in 2018, but here I am! After watching the video AND reading the comments, I was able to adjust them smoothly, and my 1971 SL350 fired up on the first kick! Thanks guys, the video is much appreciated

Omg lmao, epic rip at 11:25 into the video, how he didn't crack up from that is beyond me ,I'm impressed with his degree of professionalism

Thank you for taking your time to support us novices out there. Great help

Battling a 71' CB350 right now that has been sitting a while. Very informative. Many thanks!

Quick suggestion to minimize oil spilling - have the bike on the CENTER STAND (not the kick stand), and place a spacer (e.g., 3/3" thick board) under the left leg of the center stand so the bike tilts slightly to the right before you remove the stator cover.

Thanks for the video post. Thanks for the great parts you shipped me recently. I'm glad I found you. I love my old Hondas !

Such a valuable video. I've read the manual but watching someone do it really pulls it all together. For everyone learning on their own this is awesome.

One of the best videos I’ve seen. Clear and precise. Thanks so much

Been adjusting Honda ignition contact points and timing since 1970. Several things wrong here. The wire terminal on the left set of contact points is installed incorrectly. It should be on the other side of the insulator. The 'T and LT' marks were not explained. FInding TDC is easier if you remove the intake tappet cover and observe the intake valve opening and closing as you approach TDC. But the major error here is disregarding the contact points gap. Gap controls dwell, or the time the ignition coil has to recharge. It is very important. The other factor that will affect ignition timing is slop in the breaker plate. You should always loosen the 6mm screws and check for up and down or side-to-side slop. I always push the plate upward, and then maintain this position when moving the plate and tightening the screws. This is necessary to keep the contact points gap consistent whenever theplate is loosened to making timing adjustments. Set the left gap to 0.35 mm, max. Rotate the breaker plate to adjust the ignition timing. For the right cylinder, you simply adjust the contact point gap to set the timing. After working on thousands of CB350s, 360s and 450s, I can recommend keeping the left cylinder gap at no more than 0.35 mm, or you will have a difficult time getting the right cylinder timed while maintaining the all-important contact point gap of 0.30 to 0.40 mm.

Thankyou for posting this. Really needed a tutorial Vid that explains everything step by step.

Wow, really impressed with this tutorial. I will be using this in my small engines class to explain breaker points ignition basics. I always get questions on it and this is a good way to explain it. Wish more videos on here were made at this production quality level. Thanks again!

this is the best and most well explained video or tutorial I have ever seen. Although I no longer need it as I upgraded to a Dynatek S yesterday, but thank you.

Thanks very much for this video! It made my struggles to get my cb500t up and running close to perfect! If you take suggestions for future videos i would very much like to see how you set valve clearence on a cb450 or cb500t :)

Excellent video, really elucidating for beginners such as myself. Thanks so much!

Good clip to help others, Thanks for taking the time to upload

Thanks....followed your video my backfiring 1973 Honda CL350 runs like a beast now

Hi, guys!! Your videos are absolute GOLD!! Thank you very much for these!! I wonder if you could do a cb450 k (etc.) vid showing how to adjust the valve tappet clearance as there is no video on it online and probably many noobs like me have the same uncertainties about it. All the best, Ric

Man this video is great!! I'm setting my points tomorrow on my CB350, thanks guys!!!

Freaking fantastic ! See if it works on my Honda CB 360 ...I might have to order some new points from you guys...thanks

Your videos are simply the best. Thanks

Thanks for the info. Hopefully i will have my 74 450 going this weekend.

Awesome tutorial. Well explained and right on the money. Thanks so much.

Best video i have seen,explained perfectly.Thank you

great video thank you. I was not getting the light on but had not turned the switch to run. I then got left side lined up with the light but the light will not come on on the right, any ideas?

Great video. A few comments if I may. The points usually come with a protective coating, oil or whatever, and it is a good idea to clean them before use. Running a clean business card between them seems to work. I use a little alcohol.If the breaker plate is off take a good look at the points cam. If it is badly worn or scored it will quickly wear out the points rubbing block or give you problems trying to set the timing. Worn parts are a problem on older machines.The points are gapped before timing setting as this effects the dwell or time the points are closed in degrees of engine rotation. During the time the points are closed the ignition coil charges. Honda recommends a point gap of 0.012" to 0.016" or 0.3-0.4mm for the CB350.Timing may also be set with a VOM or points checker but your system is dead on. Thanks for great video.

Great video, was able to get a 1973 cl350 running strong

Can a bad point timing cause a filter to sputter and not put out a lot of power through the exhaust? I have a 450 and the left filter sputters and the exhaust is weaker compared to the right side. Thank you for putting out these videos Brendan!

I'm not a mechanic, but I understood your explanation of what points are and what they do...Very well done.

Nicely explained and demonstrated! Very helpful!

As I recall, Honda had 2 models of the 350 engine, one was 179 degrees apart in firing, and the other was something odd but I don't recall (they fired like one right after the other). My friend had one of the latter and could not figure out why his bike ran so poorly (the Honda dealer had done the tuneup). I fixed it for him and he said, "It's not run this well since it was new." Also, I found that ANY looseness in the cam chain made setting the points difficult. In the manual adjusted cam chains one could remove almost all the slop, but in the hydraulic ones not. I found that if one only rotates the engine only in the direction of operation (not back and forth), then any cam chain slop is not a problem and points can be set very precisely.

when the left cylinder fires...is the right piston coming up right after.. on its compression or exhaust stroke?

Trying to kick over my CB250 K0 think timing needs adjusting Guys in the shop recently fitted new points but I don't reckon they set timing correctly. I rode bike regularly a few years back on kickstart - fine every time. My husband used to nurture the bike but he passed on a year ago so I'm handling spanners now ..... steep learning curve but I'm determined. My sweet man mentioned carb clean / rebuild. This may sound like a stupid question but did you remove both spark plugs at the beginning of setting timing or just the left?

Great video thanks

I have gotten a 1971 cl350 recently. Ever since ive had it the left cylinder will only half run at idle and thats pretty much it.. it backfires and blows a little smoke when i downshift. Coil has been replaced and so has the spark plug. Carb has been rebuilt but the diaphragms havent been replaced. Any suggestions on the problem? 23k miles and points dont look to far from new

Pick-up coil is in the angle position of the crank? or the timing of the F-Mark Crank case of Magnet is given on any side of the pick-up coil magnet ?

how does this only have 4 views? Great video for beginners like me.

Just to know, does it matter how long the light stays on after getting past the fire point? Only important that it only turns on at the exact correct moment?

What is the path of the electricity from the battery to the points? Aside from the ignition switch, what would make it be off vs be on?

What kind of grease and oil do you use when lubricating parts in these machines? I have a CB750 K1 that I’m fixing up and I’m just curious. Thank you!

Really well done video. Thank you. I have a quick question however: I purchased a continuity light (assume it's the same as your testing light), and it never turns off or on when rotating the engine... It is simply always on. This is my first experience using continuity lights so I'm pretty confused why my light doesn't turn on and off like yours does. Do you have any idea what I may be doing wrong? Thank you again.

What a great video. Thanks. Any chance you can do one on the 360's wire loom, layout and inspection?

I just did mine to the manual worked perfectly

This is such a great video, had a mechanic that did work on my CB350, he couldn't get it running correctly. :(

Great job! Thks for sharing.

Are there downsides to not using the Honda recommended method for setting static timing? If this works as well as it seems, it's surprising it's not a standard way to set timing.

Thanks, Found the points!

hi i try to restore a honda cb 360 1975 but the old owner change the original rectifier and put a new one but was a regulator rectifier 6 wires , but dont start . cant i fix it making better conection or buy a new one original

At the points, at the 6 o'clock position is usually a felt piece that goes between the two posts. I see that you aren't running them...are they required?

Does it also work with the cb350 four cilinder? Great video !!!

Another excellent and very informative video.. thanks for sharing 😊

Perfect video!! thanks for it

ok, great video. I have no power from blue coil wire any ideas?

Where can I find a seat like that? Is that custom or an available option at the time? I have a 70 cb350 and would love that seat!

nice job guys, even though i've done this a bunch of times, I learned some new tips from this video! Keep up the good work, would love to see more maintenance tutorials

So im new to bikes, on my recently purchased 1969 CB350 there is a dimple where ur slot/line in the stator is located. Do I remove this dimple of coating or is that just the way it is on this one?

Good video! Thanks for this

Is this process any different with a CJ360 Kickstart?

excelente explicacion gracias

pro tip: NEVER rotate the engine backwards. You can cause the timing chain to skip a tooth.

Can you do ignition timing while the engine is out of the frame with battery wired? That would eliminate coils and condenser.

Hello! Do you have some video of Honda XL 350? Thanks...

very informative, thanks

Hello and thank you for your videos. I replaced a damaged piston on a 1972 cb350 twin a couple weeks ago and now I can't get it to start again. How can I check I got the timing right? I installed the camshaft with know pointing upward in the twelve o'clock position and sprocket with line perpendicular flat to engine, while index mark on stator was at LT position. Valves are adjusted to tolerances, still nothing. Did I probably miss something? Is there truth to this left piston on LT should NOT be on compression stroke or position is just position? The motor feels funny when I crank it and cylinders have a LOT of compression, almost too much although I'm no expert. Thanks for any help, I will set points next week but will probably have to take top end apart again.

Thank you so much for this! Could bad timing cause the bike not to start? My light is coming on a good inch to two inches before the LF mark. Thanks.

Hi Brendon. Have you ever come across this problem. I can’t get the points cover on? The bottom of the left hand points are lower than the cover! I’m stumped. I may have to cut a hole in the aluminium cover. This follows a top end dismantle and rebuild

Should you be able to rotate the engine back that easily? When trying to line up my marks, if I overshoot, I cannot and am forced to rotate through another cycle. I also have to hold it in place else it rotates through another 90 degrees or so. Working on a '75 CB360T.

Question what kind of grease did you use?

PLEASE HELP!! I have a 1974 Honda cb360 when I got it it was only running on one cylinder I set the timing and it runs great at idle speed but when I went to take it for ride it started spitting and sputtering around 4k rpms and when I hit 5k the left cylinder started kicking out

Awesome - thanks. Need to do same thing on a XS400.

Where does the wire connect inside the points mine just hanging just the new to this

What grease is recommended for the points cam?

Hi, I'm having a problem with my honda cb125. I cleaned the contacts of the ignition today, put everything back with no problems but the bike doesn't start! What could it be? Please help me!

Thank you!!!

I have a 1970 Honda SL 100, I changed the points and now it doesn't run. Will this work on a single cylinder points system?

thank u brandon im working on a1972 honda 450 trying to set points

Hey. Quick question. I have a 75 xl350. One banger. When I turn my ignition on I get no power running through the point cable to power my bulb tester.

What type of grease are you using? Multi- purpose or engine assembly grease or something else altogether ? Thank you

That felt pad under the timing cam should be greased up to keep the cam and points from wearing out to soon. It should run on the cam and be very well soaked with oil. Other than that. Pretty good tutorial on getting started. The dwell is important on points ignition systems. But you would need a dwell meter to get those right. Any old gear head in your neighborhood should have one. But since they haven't used it in years they won't be able to find it.

What does it mean if the light gets brighter instead of shutting off when the points touch?

I have a test light similar to yours (it has a huge aliggator clip on it) but its for cars. Will it still work?

From someone as knowledgeable as you about these CB bikes, it would be great to get your opinion on converting the bike over to electronic ignition - if they make a conversion kit setup. Wouldn't that make for a better running bike?

is their a way to use a dwell meter instead of feeler gauges? i feel i get a more accurate (therefor, longer points life) getting it set NUTS ON with a dwell meter

just put New points and condenser on, bike was running before, now only have power to left side of points?? please help!

Please make a video on valve Clearence of honda CD 175....

My 1980 CB 125 single has the index mark at the 6 o clock position, so apart from that this video will help me, thanks in advance, pun intended!

when i set the point to the LF mark the test light is on then turns off at LF instead of being off then turning on at LF. do the spark plugs only fire when the points open or when they close to?

Help me out please..you said they should be done every 1500 miles and the graphics said 15000..which one is it? Thanks.

fantastic

the dwell or time the points are closed is the amount of time the coil has to charge the magnetic fields ... so point gap is very important for a good spark

publica mas videos de este motor cb350k4 gracias todo lo que se pueda

Is it a different procedure for a CB175K4? Not only that but my test light has a black alligator clip so I guess it’s reverse of yours.

What about honda cb 250 rs, single cylinder, single spark plug ?

You can also usa a multimeter. Put it in the Ohm position and hold each end to one side of the contact breaker. When they are closed the reading will be a low figure. The moment the contacts slightly open, the multimeter will display a 1 (infinit resistance). That moment the spark plugs spark. Now adjust the base plate to have it at the correct moment.

What if I got a few cups of oil coming out when I took off the rotor cover

👍Merci beaucoup

The screw while turning the engine comes loose instead of turning it. How do I prevent this?

I've got a 68 250 that I'm currently sorting out. Original everything and that is half my problems heh. But eventually I'll bput a 350 topend on it and do some work to the engine. And another reason why electronic ignition will be going in as soon as possible lol

Will bad timing cause backfire? I already cleaned my carbs and it’s still popping

Hi Ive just got a Honda CB175. I just wonder how will the bike respond if the ignition timing is off?