Submitted for your entertainment... it's true confessions time. This wasn't really that big of a deal mechanically, but I thought I'd pass the info along to all because it took far too much of my time to find this stupidity-induced problem...

Back in Dec I installed a Daytona Twin-Tec EV-1007 single-fire ignition on Bertha. Actually it was the 3007 kit with their single-fire coil and their spiral core plug wires. I made up the plug wires (using the straight coil connector boots instead of the 90 degree ones like the stock plug wires use, because they were easier to make up) and installed everything. All was well until the last several weeks, when Bertha started missing, cutting out, backfiring, and generally running like crap at all RPMs. There are some recent threads about that kind of problem here, and I read them all and checked out everything - all the wiring, carb mounting, idle mixture, cleaned out the carb, checked the fuel supply, checked for manifold air leaks, checked the plugs (nice and tan), polished the fenders, honked the horn, etc. etc. It was getting very, very frustrating...

So, Thursday night I went out for a ride, and she ran OK for a few minutes, then started the cutting out crap again. Grrrr... I got her back home on basically one and sometimes 1 1/2 cylinders, and let her idle in the fairly dark garage, and looked around the engine while it was running, not yet bothering to use my flashlight...

SPARKS!!! Huh? The plug wire on the rear cylinder was sparking against the top of the front rocker cover!

When I had installed the new plug wires, I apparently did TWO things wrong... (1) I used the straight coil boots instead of the 90 ones, and that allowed the plug wires to be too close to the rocker covers; and (2) I hadn't properly routed the plug wires through the little plug wire retainer hooks on the bottom of the top frame member to keep them away from the engine. As a result, the rear plug wire was sitting only about 1/8" off of the top of the front rocker cover, and was sparking against it. Damn spark was going right through the plug wire insulation right to the rocker cover! I guess 40,000 volts will do that! Unbelievable...

Before I realized that the plug wires were not through their retainer hooks, I pulled up the tank and pulled the plug wires - and in the process destroyed the end of one of them. Don't ask how I did that... but no beer was involved (yet). However, plenty of frustration and anger were. So I gave up for the evening, and cracked open the first of several brews to "compose myself" (translation - F**K THIS S**T!) The only reason I stayed away from the 12-year old single malt Glenfiddich was because I had to go see a customer on Friday and didn't want THAT kind of hangover...

So, on Friday morning, I stopped by the dealer near my house and bought a set of SE plug wires and new platinum spark plugs (5R6APP), then went to my customer for the rest of the day. I just installed them this morning, and took care to properly route both of the plug wires through their respective retainer hooks on the frame to keep them well away from the engine. Just fired her up, and all seems well. She's idling normally now anyway, and responds to the throttle normally without bogging down and cutting out anymore. Going to take her out for a spin shortly to test things out...

New SE H-D spark plug wires - $13
New H-D platinum spark plugs - $17
Beer to soothe rattled nerves - $12
Money saved by not getting into the Glenfiddich - $30
Realizing you're an idiot and Bertha is finally running right again - PRICELESS!!!

So I figure I was really only out for the beer, and I still have the Glenfiddich AND a running bike!

Moral of the Story: Keep the damn spark plug wires AWAY from the friggin' engine on their way to the plugs!

 

Don"t fell too bad. I had a similar thing happen to me last year on my Sportster. I was riding home from work one day and believed I was following a sand truck because I kept getting pelted with little stinging sensations. I rode on for a while before it dawned on me (duh!) that oddly, all the sand, or whatever, was hitting me on the inside of my right knee, right next to where I sometimes felt the air cleaner cover. I got home, put the bike in the garage, started it back up and saw (not well lit) that one of the plug wires (2 plugs per cylinder, single fire) was arcing against the front cylinder so the little stings I had experienced were shocks whenever I had touched the air cleaner cover with my knee. I didn't have the loss of the cylinder because of the dual plug arrangement but I felt pretty dumb for not realizing earlier that there was no stupid sand truck!

 

Ken,

That's really all we expect here in the Evo forum - problem identified and solved, no drama (well, not TOO much!), beer poured....

Well done.

Give Bertha a hug from all of us.

 

Nice to know I'm not alone... but at least I didn't get the shocks you did, RK! Thanks for your confession!

She's a happy girl now, Graham! Thanks!

I may have a little sip of that Glenfiddich this evening to celebrate... AFTER the ride!

 

And well earned. Cheers!

 

Well, I don't know about the "well earned" part - but many of Bertha's systems got pretty thoroughly checked out during this little adventure... so that's good!

 

OK guys... I took Bertha out for a 30 minute "aggressive" spin today... she runs like a raped ape! No misfires and strong as hell! In fact, she's never run this well before! The new SE wires and platinum plugs - and of course routing the wires correctly this time, away from the engine - really did the trick! She almost bucked me off a couple of times!

I'm sitting in the garage now sipping a cold brew, and listening to some vintage Tower of Power from the 70s via my iPhone on Bertha's kick-*** 500W dual-amp 4-speaker sound system, with 4" Polks up front and 6 1/2" two-way Kenwoods in the rear pods. Sounds better than my friggin' home stereo! Eruption sounds just SICK on her!

Sorry if it sounds like I'm bragging - but I assembled the components myself and rigged up the iPhone interface using a RAM mount on the bars. Works great!

Going for a small group ride tomorrow morning with my wife and another couple (both women ride their own scoots) - and my awesome 16-year-old daughter on Bertha's rear seat! She wants a Sporty for her 18th birthday. I'm sure I can find a nice 883 at a reasonable price by then. I'll have my own little riding buddy!

Life is good!

 

I have more than my share of embarrasing boo-boos but here's one that may save someone some grief.

If you use the hose from a compression tester to air-up a cylinder, remove the schrader valve from the threaded end FIRST.

I knew this, but wasn't thinking a few weeks ago when needing to "cheat" a valve seal replacement on one cylinder. Weird thing was the valve stayed up long enough to get one lock out but fell when I picked out the second. DOH! Lucky it was an exhaust and the piston caught it before it fell totally out and I was able to pick it back up with a long seal pick...

 

I can relate to that. Bought my son an 883L for his 16th. He's 18 now and riding the Heritage for about a year now. Careful, they grow up fast, find new riding buddies, etc. ........ No big thing, at least they're riding, either on the back seat, riding own with Pops, or riding with friends (like Pops did).

My 101 ...... Beer and changing tires don't mix. Direction arrow Got it installed all the way back on and didn't notice the arrow until I was getting ready to put the saddle bag back on.