Hey, Jawknee21, that's O.K., you just don't know. None of us knew anything before we knew it, eh? (I still don't know much!) The advance unit makes the spark occur a tiny bit earlier and earlier as the engine speed increases. That is so the spark can ignite all the fuel mixture in the cylinder at the "right" time. Kind of like when you are firing a gun st a moving target and you need to "lead" your target more the faster it is going so the bullet arrives at the same spot that your target does...and whammo! You know? (If not, say so and I'll try harder to explain.) Anyway, your bike will probably run without an advance unit, but it sure will run a whole lot better with it! Let me know how it turns out for you after you install the proper advance pieces. Oh, by the way, congratulations on your good taste in first motorcycles!