this post and its usual multiple solutions comments are exactly what i was trying to point out in a recent post about "not finding the F Mark." Which has been coming up quite a bit lately from troubled cb owners using the points ignitions. I went through the same thing about a year ago, and believing it was figured out then, the next times would be a breeze. It wasn't. same scenario, follow the manual adjust the point gap (with a dwell meter to be most accurate,) then head on over to #2,3 points and gap those as well, since you still got the clips in your hands, and bam, they're set. and just for the hell of it, before checking the timing might as well double check 1,4 and it's way off. because of either bent advance cam bolt or a "play" (which has always been there,) in the points plate. and that's just the beginning, especially for a new cb owner that's going to tackle a rebuild and never has owned a bike or rode one, say after a lucky gamble both sets of points are exactly spot on, then you find you have a slight adjustment to the "F"iring timing mark to make on 1/4 plugs...say goodbye to both points gap as it's going to throw an inch and a quarter wrench right at your head, then start all over.
without trying to step on anyone's toes,on these severely protected solutions from deviated Factory Manual instructions by 1970s + yrs of honda trained mechanics, seems they have suggestions, and possibly fixes at that, and don't for some reasons go beyond that modification. "the shimming" the timing plate is something I would do, normally, and more normally on vacuum cleaners or lawn mowers. Until I stared seeing the complexity of explaining the process to someone that's still trying to that 18in long wrench out of their heads. it's extremely confusing, and then becomes a bigger challenge to make the "shims" to put in place to actually tighten the plate and enlarge the already loose machined recess for the plate and then to keep track of them while doing the timing. watching a RPM/dwell meter, holding a timing light and a screwdriver and attempting to dial it in with the other hand, seems to be an extreme brain function I'm guilty of lost and not found. So I thought about it, the biggest problem is the oddly offset point cam lift points, that change the position of the factory loose plate with every adjustment that ends up being a lengthy task. and so How do I get around that? By setting the main 1/4 plate timing first, only not to the "F" mark because i know that the points adjustment is going to change that. By how far away, following the manual proceedures, i was from getting the "F" into the window to line up with the case mark, is how far off I'd set the plate timing just going the opposite direction. (I was way too far advanced following the manual, and all the adjustment couldn't bring that "F" on line, so I set the plate that much "late," then went for the point gap adjustment on 1/4, and like magic watching the strobe walk the F to the line as the dwell smoothly went to 49', now both plate and points for 1/4 are snugged and double checked to be perfect on. without shims. I realized something right then, that I don't need to loosen those again, to bring 2/3 timing and dwell on to its place. I knew that if 2/3 didn't fit because of run out of room adjustments that i could correct that by starting in the middle of the slot or more then simply and easily start the 1/4 plate first then the points second just like it was done, doing it backwards, would all i have to do. but i didn't have to worry about that as the 2/3 sets were the simplest things to do, one time, and double checking, all were on. it's loosening the main plate that's going to cause changes. it worked for me so good, I could do it in the dark on the side of the road and know how to avoid the frustration of the manual's order of procedure. No shims, no peening, no bumping the plate hoping for a lucky bump to get the F mark back while hoping both sets of points will somehow land exactly on 49' dwell. set the 1/4 plate (off the distance of how far the stray F would be) first then the 1/4 point gap to the correct dwell (it brings the F into the ball park if not spot on,) then set 2/3 in any order. 1/4 wont change, procedures of Factory Training can.
