Start by checking that the advance mechanism’s cam when rotated snaps back quickly. The mechanism does not require lubing (because unlike the pushrod Brit versions Honda’s is made of specially-hardened steel), but if grimy and/or rusty, cleaning and one or two drops of oil or a smidge of grease between the shaft and the cam is advisable. Check the appearance of the return springs also—are they mangled, distorted, limp, rusty?

I also like to check the yellow and blue wires, and make sure they are tightened adequately—I have the necessary teeny-tiny wrench, even.

Stock points are preferred. The aftermarket is full of substandard points. After dressing your points with a Flexstone (an old Snap-On tool now sold by pinball machine businesses) and then washing them with brake cleaner and polishing them with a business card, put a dab of point cam lube on the advancer cam’s high spot (yeah, the stuff’s still available). Be sure to Flexstone and polish even new points, as they can come with lacquer or grease on them.

Carefully set both point gaps by visually finding the points’s maximum opening, on each points set in turn, and adjusting the gap in that position. It’s much easier than it sounds, but if you are starting with a new set of points that you have just changed out you may find you need to artificially open the gaps very wide just to detect maximum point cam action. For the gap I like to use the small end of the range, but the manual says up to 0.016” is okay. The reason Honda gives their 0.012"-0.016" range is so you can be comfortable with two points assemblies being one to four thou different from each other, which you will find is pretty much a given.

Loosen the backing plate screws. On the twins, position the plate just a bit to counterclockwise of center. On the SOHC fours, I rotate the plate fully counterclockwise. I like to then lightly peen the crankcase to minimize slop at the plate. See the image above. Snug the screws.

Attach your deadlight to the left side points (and ground). Make your own deadlight from a speedo illumination bulb and socket and alligator clips—that’s the industry classic tool. (It's called a deadlight because it is not self-powered.)

Unplug the spark plug wires to prevent accidental starting of the engine, and put extra spark plugs, grounded on the engine, in each plug cap to minimize stress inside the ignition coils. (Activated coils that are not allowed to discharge can arc internally, and once they do they can do so more easily in the future).

Key on, kill switch on, rotate the crankshaft slowly and watch for the deadlight to light. (If already lighted, keep rotating until it goes out, then rotate more, slowly, until it lights again.) When it does, stop and view the timing marks. Whether advanced or retarded, you will then rotate the backing plate in the correct direction (opposite running direction advances, equal to running direction retards) until the light goes off, tighten the backing plate screws and recheck timing (back up the crankshaft slightly and then go forward again) because tightening the screws can throw it off a tad. And recheck the gap because due to the sloppy fit of the backing plate and the unfortunate geometry of all the parts, the gap sometimes changes with a timing change. If the gap has now fallen out of the factory 0.012-0.016” range, correct it and afterward recheck timing again. Yes, back-and-forth is the way of it.

A word about screwdrivers. The backing plate is course held on with Phillips screws. Use the correct size, #2 on the fours, #3 on most of the twins. The points assemblies (and the sub-plate on the SOHC fours) are retained with strange-looking screws that appear to be a combination of Phillips and flat blade. But they are not. These are a Taiwanese spec that are really just flat blade screws. Do not use a Phillips screwdriver on them. And, the flat blade screwdriver you use must not be the one you pry things apart with. If necessary, and it usually is, on a grinder optimize the fit of the blade to those screws. I see way too many screw torn up badly. There is no excuse for that.

Once the left side points are good, move your deadlight to the right side points and repeat the procedure. See if the right side timing is correct. If not, on the SOHC fours, the sub-plate is adjusted to adjust timing, not the backing plate. And of course the right side points gap needs to be checked after its timing adjustment, and then timing again, and then gap yet again to ensure it is within the 0.012-0.016”.

Of course, the singles and twins do not have a sub-plate under the right side points as the fours do. This means you have to view gap on these bikes as necessarily contributing to timing. So if you have got the left side correct and you go to the right side and find that to get timing correct you have to enlarge or reduce the gap to outside the Honda-recommended 0.12-0.16”, this means you have to start all over again with a smaller or larger gap on the left side (but still within 0.012-0.16”) so the right side will have the combination of gap and timing it requires. On the Hondas lacking the right side sub-plate, this is how it's done. The gap is adjusted on both sides in order to get the correct timing. On the fours, not so.

Don't forget to dynamically (strobe) time your ignition. One, you are checking your static timing work done earlier. And two, you need to ensure that the higher rpm timing is also correct. The full-advance ignition timing check requires over 2,000 rpm of the engine (typically 2,500 rpm). The strobe light will reveal double hash marks. Within those two marks is where the full-advance timing should fall after the idle timing is correctly on “F”. Strobe check both left and right (1/4 and 2/3) points assemblies (by switching your strobelight's inductive pickup from the #4 plug wire to the #3 plug wire). If the full-advance timing comes short of the double hashmarks or overshoots the hashmarks, and the idle timing is correct (and your idle is the factory 900-1100 rpm) the advancer needs attention. If falling short, there is something wrong with the advancer's flyweights. If overshooting, the advancer’s stop ears are probably slightly spread. Not uncommon. The gummy flyweights should be freed up to correct falling short. The overshooting is corrected by very careful clamping the stop ears in a vise. Measure with a machinist’s caliper first and shoot for only a few thousands change. “Sneak up” on it. If you bend too much the ears will fall short of correct advance timing and then you can’t bend them back without breaking them—it’s hardened steel, remember. Honda twins of course will throw oil all around during dynamic timing. Honda sold special alternator covers with holes bored in them for this. If you don’t have one of these you can make one. Alternately, you can also lean your bike away from the alternator side slightly while doing the tuning. Tricky, that.