Motorcycle Repair: coil honda175 test, coil tester, voltage output

Question
I have 2 engines that are not running at this time. One in the bike and the other out. The one in the bike has a starter and I set it up to see if I could get a spark. But nothing when set as a dead lose bat. to coil. I know it could be coil cond. or points. I'm looking for away to test the coil and cond. at home. The manual shows a testing machine using a bat. When I called the local shop they said they would test it for impedance. Can I do this myself?

Answer
Jay, I don't really know of a way to check the coil apart from a coil tester.  I could imagine a circuit that will cause the coil to create a spark but you have to be able to check the voltage output which is indicated by the length of the gap the spark will jump.  Something around 10 mm is what we used as an indicator of a good coil.

Regards
Rich