I have had WAY more hassle with Electronic ignition, than I have with points. I can change points, and troubleshoot the system pretty well, but have rarely had to. Two electronic ignitions I have had, were not so kind.
Interesting. Were these ignition systems that you have installed yourself, or were they OEM parts on the vehicles you refer to, and what vehicles were they? The last car I had with points ignition was a 1971 VW Beetle, and as far as bikes, I haven't seen points on a new bike other than an RE since the early 80's. My current project bike, a 1975 CB750F SuperSport has points, but the Dyna ignition is on the bench awaiting the engine rebuild.
No way I'd leave points on any vehicle where the option existed to change to electronic, but to each his own, I guess. BTW, I switched Diane's Military to electronic ignition earlier this year, and haven't had a single issue. It starts without any hesitation, idles smoothly, and is a pure pleasure to operate since I sorted the carb out and got the valves adjusted correctly.
The simple fact is that EFI is the norm now and forever shall be, given ever tightening emissions regulations. Luckily, CMW has plenty of carby stuff to bolt onto our RE's to keep everyone happy for years and years once the EFI bikes come out.
Now, don't get me wrong, I love our RE and fiddling with the carb is actually fun, trying to get the perfect setting and such. Frustrating at times, but fun nonetheless. Carburettors are a black art to me, where as the digital goodness of EFI and electronic ignitions make perfect sense. I believe in facts and numbers, not guess work and emotion, so while I appreciate the 'basicness' of a carb, I really enjoy tweaking to the Nth degree with a number that can be quantified. Pretty deep, huh?