stclairjohnd
Member
Though it is somewhat of an indicator, sparking at the points is not the tell-all for spark at the plugs. There will be some spark activity at the points but the condenser's job is to help keep it minimized so if you have strong arcing then new condensers are in order.
If you wired the new points as the old points were, you'll want to rearrange the connectors on the ends of the points wires. When positioned this way as on your old points, the connectors are turned toward the metal points cover and can contact there and ground out the flow of current to the coil causing loss of spark. Also, both connectors are very close to the metal frame of the points itself as it curves toward where it is soldered.
This is better orientation of the connectors at the points. Different engine but the same idea, relocated and turned away from the cover
This is a really helpful explanation. I haven't had a chance to work on the bike since this last post, but when I have some time next I will definitely take the cover off again to check if I need to readjust these. When I take the tank off, I am also thinking about checking out the condenser and will report what I figure out afterward.