Topic: Points sparking irregularly?

[fastbroshi]

  I statically and dynamically timed my ignition on my '77 550F tonight.  I recently got the top end back together, making sure the cam chain tension was set, valve clearances were set to spec while cold, new spark plugs, and gapped the points.  It was quite a bit off in the first place, and the bike was hard to start cold.
  I thought I'd double check it as the last time I did it I half assed it and just got it in the general area.  The fact that all three of the screws for the base plate and the ones holding the points were jacked tipped me off that the PO might have been a noob, so I wanted to verify just to make sure. Sure enough, my timing light told the tale.  I ended up rotating the base plate and adjusting the 2-3 points.  I'll see how easy it is to start tomorrow evening.
  Here's my question. Even before getting the timing spot-on, I would see a bluish spark coming from behind the base plate (I think), but it happened fast and it wasn't regular enough for me to catch exactly where it was coming from.  What could this have been?  Maybe some bit of dust or dog hair causing a momentary short?

[HondaMan]

Well, there's nothing behind tha plate that could cause this, but there is the possibility of a loose connection where the little fork connectors go under the little bolts, or maybe one is too close to the points' metal bracket. Either one could cause an intermittent arc that would appear much smaller (or even go away) as the revs went up. This can cause all sorts of other side effects, too. So, I'd suggest checking to make sure there isn't any debris or a "close miss" in those connections, somewhere.