I also bought one of the aircraft Magneto Points Checkers , based on Mark's recommendations .
Previously I'd struggled to get the timing set accurately . The points checker made it an absolute breeze .
It was money well spent .

I just ordered an analog meter, thank you for the advice. And the instructions that said to use the test light was from my Clymer manual! I buy a clymer first thing every time I get a new bike.

Might be my vintage iPad not updating posts at the mo but is this a new post started. Setting timing but do you have sparkies yet. What are these trick points checkers are they just an expensive version of my Yamaha points checker I left the batteries in when cdi arrived & it went rotten inside. What happened to using a cigarette paper. Ok no one smokes now. I google imaged an aircraft points checker but get a page full of magnetos. Any pics of what you've both bought. Back to basics "have spark" "will travel".

www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway-Magneto-...hLNW_1hoCm5oQAvD_BwE

Best $80.00 I have spent so far.

So I bought an actual points checking unit and it still is giving no indication of the points opening. They cant be closed all the time though. I got the bike to fire a time or two it was just pretty difficult.

This is the unit I bought.
www.jpcycles.com/product/parts-unlimited..._BwE&sku_id=10230651

That unit is not for magneto testing as far as I could tell...  I bought one years ago and it's just a (very expensive!) continuity buzzer. 

Works fine on battery ignition, not magneto.

 

Do you 'have' spark but wont start. Any spark is better than no spark.
But spark should look concentrated at the plug not a big flash which can point to condenser.
All a guessing game on my part.

Yes I have spark. I've gotten the bike to fire as I said Its just so out of time it only seems to be firing the piston the wrong way and kicking the kicker back.

Wish we could solve it.
Hard to go wrong with those.
Providing "crank key is in there" then forget doing technical timing for a moment.
Just set the points to a maximum of 12 thou in your case.
Measure their maximum open gap with the viewing slot at the end of where you can see the points turning it anticlockwise before they disappear from view 'if you turn it more'.
If wider than 12thou then turn the flywheel clockwise enough to be able to get at & adjust the points that amount needed then turn 'that slot' forward & measure gap again.
Just rethinking i know those have quite a range of stator plate movement so just set it to halfway in the slots.
Should get good results from that before getting serious about perfect timing. --I think-- but others are free to disagree of course.
Just one random left field shot i thought of. Those flywheels by memory have the magnets screwed in.
Once--only once--my very clever foreman at work fixed a similar problem with a mag where the owner "playing with things he shouldn't have" had reversed one magnet which totaly buggered up the whole thing.
So just asking, that's all.

Men it appears I am retarded. I took the time to actually learn how points work and after learning something I realized. That the cam that opens the point is on the rotor and not the shaft. This whole time I had been testing with the rotor removed. I attached it and while still not good I am making progress. The points are however way out of spec. I stuck a .019 inch feeler gauge in there while it was open and the manual says .016 max. So the new points are on their way.