Motorcycle Repair: 1969 Harley xlch/with magneto/29,000 mi, harley xlch, point gap

Question
 When manually retarding magneto for starting,should the cable be pushing the back of the magneto out(away from motor)or in toward the motor? So called Harley experts say its position is (in to retard) and (out to advance).After extensive work(heads,pistons,valves carb),the experts still couldn't get it to start without kicking it over 40 to 50 times.  

Answer
Back of the mag in toward the motor (ie. turning the mag housing clockwise makes the points open later and retards the spark.  Lots of times a mag is blamed for hard starting when there are other problems, like wrong carb adjustments, intake manifold leaks, improper timing, dirty points, wrong point gap, bad condenser, etc.  And remember, mags hate moisture so if there's any condensation or water inside the mag or inside the top cap you're not going to get a good spark or a spark at all.