What I am saying here about aftermarket electronic ignitions I am saying in the context of Honda maintenance. Honda points are such high quality that no electronic ignition can surpass them. Having started out on Brit bikes I am aware on the other hand that their points were not the best. Electronic substitutes may be the best choice on those machines and possibly some others.

Adjusting the Kettering ignition that comes stock on many 70s Honda roadbikes is thought to be challenging. And it is. Back in the day, veteran mechanics developed their own techniques as the official manual was not very helpful, techniques that thanks to their grassroots origin are eminently effective. However, at this late a date newcomers to the Kettering servicing procedure are lost. They're frustrated and it is this impasse with the necessary technique, this shock of reality, that likely compels today’s riders to search for aftermarket transistorized alternatives.

At least I hope it is. Because the elimination of periodic adjustment is the only advantage transistorized systems offer vintage Hondas (and the reason transistorization was effectively mandated by the government in 1978). They are not performance enhancers. The media wants you to think so, but it's false. All but one or two are simply variations of the basic Kettering design. Even those whose ignition advance is controlled electronically instead of mechanically are simply transistorized Kettering systems and continue to bear all of Kettering’s weaknesses, the most notable its famous sensitivity to voltage losses in the wiring harness.

Kettering ignition timing is unfortunately (and to a lifetime veteran mechanic like myself, strangely) without context for almost everyone alive today. Today’s vintage rider just has no frame of reference. None of the other vehicles he has had contact with in his lifetime require Kettering's obsessive, skillful, out-of-the-box attention to detail. Most vintage Honda riders think their carburetors are the most important part. The fact is that ignition is many times more important than carburetion on these bikes, and this is incomprehensible to the average rider. He just won’t believe it. And since he doesn’t believe it he has no motivation to take responsibility for properly tuning his engine. In fact this is the only kind of customer I have problems with, and they were big problems until I quit rebuilding carbs for these machines. I hated to, but I had to.

Unfortunately, substituting an aftermarket electronic ignition does not completely relieve the customer’s pain. For one thing, properly installing a Dyna ignition for example often requires a level of expertise that is even then out of the scope of the average Joe’s skillset, not to mention his patience. I know this because I know these systems, and I talk with these customers nearly every day. There are in fact six issues aftermarket ignitions present which are seldom considered by the powersports media.

Installation
First is that challenge of installation. You have to know something about how an engine works to install an ignition, even an electronic one. Granted, the stock ignition has the same requirement, but the electronic ignition buyer is looking for shortcuts, and when it comes to the installation of either system, there are none. The electronic system is just as much work.

Flimsy
Second, ninety percent of all aftermarket ignitions are made to a price. They're incredibly cheaply made. If they don’t have the almost universal aluminum backing plate—ugh!--then they have an even worse printed circuit board backing plate. Gasp! And the components mounted on that plate are very delicately and vulnerably attached and exposed. It seems their engineers give no thought to the product actually living out on the mean streets.

Short-lived
The third problem is that these systems have a well-known reputation for lasting only a tiny fraction as long as the stock ignition system. Maybe for many of us who ride less than a couple thousand miles in a year this is not a problem. But even the years can take their toll, if the miles don’t.

Hack
Fourth, the way aftermarket ignitions are installed is invariably worst practice, usually involving Scotchloks and similar types of absolutely abominable crimp wire connectors. This is not a small issue. I have yet to see a professional install.

Coils
Fifth, many Dyna ignition buyers choose to include the Dyna ignition coils in their electronic ignition install. There is nothing wrong with these coils, they're good replacements for the original Honda coils. But neither are they power improvers as so many believe them to be. Often, forum posters include Dyna ignition coils in their list of "modifications".

Plug wires
Sixth, these coils are often shipped with automotive resistive spark plug wire. This wire adds resistance to the system where it is not needed, it degrades over time due to its carbon base, and worst of all, its non-metallic nature makes really secure electrical connections—the kind that in motorcycling are fervently sought after, even crucial due to the vintage bike’s exposure to the elements—impossible.

CDI
Of course, there are those aftermarket Kettering replacement systems that are not simply embellished Kettering, such as the famous capacitive discharge (CDI) MSD. The MSD company's multifire (multiple spark) CDI is a great system. But it is very misunderstood. Its advantages are its ultra quick rise time and its potentially very high plug voltage. The first, its uniquely fast rise time, is where CDI got its reputation. Back when two-stroke powered snowmobiles, MX bikes and outboards were fouling plugs all over the place, CDI was a miracle. Its fast rise time would fire the dirtiest plugs ever seen. The second, CDI's potentially high plug voltage, though impressive, due to the fact that plug voltage is dependant on engine load, was never utilized. Perhaps if a 250cc motorcycle was being used to push a school bus, then that voltage would be seen. The first benefit has no bearing on streetbikes and the second is wholly unrealistic. CDI, outside of these two conditions (extreme plug fouling and extreme engine load), is useless in a production road-going motorcycle. And in any iteration of it that lacks the multifire attribute, it's worse than useless because it is functionally incompatible with "just rich enough" streetbikes. That's why all of them used in connection with roadbikes are in fact multifire. See my ignitions article for more information.

I'm not a Luddite. While with MMI then Kawasaki I taught currect tech. Ride by wire, inertia (gyro) sensors, ABS, laptop diagnostics--all of it. Before that I was an early adopter of PDAs, then phones, then the two combined. I'm on my fifth iPad. I am a champion of Honda's Kettering ignition because it is better than everything the aftermarket has to offer for these motorcycles. In more than fifty years of making a living in this industry, I have never been impressed with aftermarket ignition offerings, and I have of course seen many in that time: Martek, Prestolite, Gerex, Maxi-Dwell, Dyna, Boyer, MSD, and others. Most really are junk. And the only reason anyone would buy this crap is media. Powersports media brainwashes folks into expecting more power or improved fuel economy, while at the same time denigrading the original Kettering ignition, calling it fast-wearing and inaccurate, both of which are eminently false. Aftermarket points-replacement electronic ignitions are, like Marvel Mystery Oil, timeshares, and Chicken McNuggets--come-ons, all hype and no substance. They offer no advantage over the OEM Kettering system, and actually in most cases degrade your ignition and engine performance.

I welcome civil dialogue.

Seven different ignitions