Ignition points timing trouble gs550e

[Ratboyollie]

Hello all,

i’ve been having trouble starting my bike and started checking all the regular stuff. I bought the bike in crates so its fairly new to me. Checked are sparkplugs, gas, spark, voltage, valve clearances, carbs have been rebuild and ultrasonicly cleaned and has a new custom exhaust.

now when i got to my ignition points i noticed these where out of whack. So i gapped them correctly between 0.3/0.4mm and still nothing. So i checked the timing. Now here’s where the problem i’m running into is: When i hook up a 12v light and put the timing on |F1 the timing light goes on. No matter how much i turn the backplate the light stays on. What could this be?

i used owners manual and this thread but can’t seem to figure this one out. -http://members.dslextreme.com/users/...-ends.html#A18

your help is much appreciated!!

Thanks in advance,
Ratboyollie

[Nessism]

When rotating the engine the light should just turn on when you get to the F1 mark. The key is when the light turns on, not when it turns off.

[rphillips]

Light stays on??? are you sure it's hooked up correctly?

[Ratboyollie]

thanks for the reply!

- The light actually comes on before the |f1 mark and stays on way after te T mark.

- light is hooked up on the white wire and grounded to the engine case.

[Nessism]

If the light comes on too early you need to rotate the plate clockwise, or adjust the points to retard the timing. Don't worry about when the light goes out unless you are using a dwell meter and want to go into all that.

[Ratboyollie]

Right thanks! How do i adjust the points to retard the timing? Moving the back plate did not do anything to the light.

[Nessism]

I'm not sure what to suggest since I'm not there to play with it. All I can say is to loosen up the points screws and see if you can shift the entire points in the direction needed. You may need some new points too. Get OEM if possible.

[storm 64]

Points ignition? What are points grandpa? 😉

[Steve]

Points are what was used when you were still in diapers.

.

[Ratboyollie]

I’ve decided to buy new points and condensers, hope that sorts it out. The points now seem to be shot and very sparky. Might upgrade to dyna ignition later but want to get things running first and to save some money.

just purchased a wideband 02 kit so money is kinda low, super stoked to get tinkering with that though !!

keep you updated!

-Ratboyollie

[Ratboyollie]

@Storm64 Hahah yes those old things! Upgrade to dyna ignition is possible, but also want to get familiar with points, always learning

[Brendan W]

When I had points there were strobes and dwell meters enough to keep you chasing your tail for an hour or more. This was a Z650 in the 80s.
Eventually I noticed that if you put a feeler blade in to hold them open at the right gap and then set the heel to the highest point of the cam everything was pretty much as good as you were going to get with all the toys. A quick check with the strobe and your ear when blipping the throttle and it was good. I never trusted the static light. The back plate can wander sideways and nothing is static when you need sparks. You wouldn't notice them going off but if you cared to reset there was always a noticeable difference even after a few thousand miles.

[Ratboyollie]

Got it sorted out.

replaced points, condensors and wires (black&white) to the coils. Still no change in light turning on and off in |F1/4 mark. Played around a bit and noticed that turning the backplate while the light was on made no difference, but when the light was off (between |1/4 and |F mark) turning the back plate seemed to change when the light came on. After some trial and error (moving the backplate when light was of and turning the engine to the |F mark) i got it spot on. Bike fired up immidiatly!

All the guides say that you can move the backplate while on the |F1/4 mark to see the light go on/off. What could this be? Its a 1980 gs550l? Maybe there’s a difference in points/ hardware? Anyway glad to have sorted it out!

thanks for the help!

~Ratboyollie