adding automotive plug wires to old coils

[joseleary]

The plug wires on my 1982 GS850 GL were looking like chapped lips (dry, cracked and painful). I removed the plug wires from the original coils like I've seen here on GSR. (I took pics too. I'll see if I can figure out how to load 'em.) I was hoping to find solid core wires to replace them with, but struck out at my local auto parts store. I've read here about people using automotive suppression wires on their bikes. If it won't cause me problems, I would like to try this too. If any of you fellow GSers have done this kind of swap, I would love to hear about your experience. especially stuff like preferred brands, and any of your mods or methods. Thanks in advance. -Joe

[Steve]

I have not had to adapt wires to the stock coils, so I don't know what is available or recommended, but I do know that if you use suppressor wires, do not use the suppressor caps that are standard.

One or the other, but not both.

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[Octain]

Dude at Advance Auto Parts took me into the backroom and I picked two of the longest 7mm wires they had hanging on a pegboard.
I use NGK ends I picked up from Z1 and made my wires.
Im assuming they were suppression wires, didnt even pay attention to it.

About 700 miles on em and alls fine.

[SqDancerLynn1]

Check with HD shops

[Nessism]

I'd do what Steve suggests: if you use supressor wires stick with non resistor caps - like cars use.

[joseleary]

Thanks guys. I planned on using the caps that come with the wires. Does anybody out there know if I need to cut or modify the ends that are going into the coils? I plan to secure and seal them with high temp RTV.

[Steve]

They should screw in there onto the points at the bottom of the well.

Two of the four 850s I have acquired over the years came with Accel coils
I went to Auto Zone and browsed their wall of plug/coil wires and found some that would plug into the Accel coils.
They have terminals on them much like the distributor cap on a car, so it was simply a matter of matching the
length of the wire and the size/angle of the cap over the plug.

(The other two bikes had stock coils and wires that were in good shape.)

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[raistian77]

I had to change out mine as one of the wires was shorting out. In my 79 stock coil the wire just pushes in the coil on a spike.