Problems... only fires in reverse

we have been trying to make em do that for years turn motor around then mount it upside down and you can go through all your gears no jack shaft needed

Not too many choices... it's the cdi or the mag!
My guess...

key shear...i bet

LoL

Always better to diagnose broken motors with all the information! lol

I'll concede my loss to Wm and give up my stake in this one.
Murphy was in cina, too.
"If there is a key, it will shear."

...but what's this abt won't even physically turn forwards, but will backwards?
Inquiring minds would like to know... is there any clanking or metallic sounds when this is happening?

Not a whole lot involved in opening one of these up...
Pull the big cover off the left side and see if the rotor is loose.

or be more adventurous and also take the pipe and carb loose, the the four nuts on the cylinder head, pop it off, then slide the cylinder up off the piston and have a look at it...

If it's relatively new, it should all look fairly clean and smooth, with no chunks missing from things, pieces, or holes in things.

Good luck!
You really can't find a cheaper way to learn how to work on small engines.
(That's the silver lining part, right there.)
rc

Yea, if not rotor key shear, did you ever have your rotor off? If you put them back on backwards it will turn your timing backwards... mark them when you pull them people.