Spark plug wire replacement

[GS750GUY]

Hi fellow GS'rs.......GS750GUY here.........Help!!!!

I rebuilt the carbs, cleaned the fuel system, & rebuilt the petcock. The 1978 GS750EC now runs great!!!!!!!!!!! That is As long as I have the plug wires in just the right position. Slight movement of the wires and it starts to run ratty again. I think they must be the original wires and probably have hair line cracks in the wire covers causing shorts somewere along the way.
The coils appear to be sealed. How can I replace the plug wires without replacing the coils? Is there a way? Your wisdom would be appreciated!!
Thanks!
GS750GUY

[fgh]

I changed the wires on my '83. You can get them at an auto parts store. There were some plastic clips holding them in the coils, which get destroyed when you pull the wires. Cut and strip the new ones and psate them in with a silicone adhesive. You should also look closely at the plug boots. They maybe 5 ohm resistor plugs. If they're hard and cracked or out out of spec on ohms get new ones. LOL

[GS750GUY]

Plug wire replacement

Thanks FGH for the tips.
Do you just pull the old wires out of the coils?
Do I just strip the wire end and push it into the coil using silicone adhesive to hold the wire in place?
Do I need to put some kind of clip on the end of the wire first?
I have gone to auto parts stores in search of plug wires for the bike only to be told they do not carry plug wires for motorcycles. How do ask for or determine what wires to get for the bike? What kind of wire did you ask for for your bike?
I notice when checking out bike wires on line that they talk about 8MM wire and 8 1/2 MM wire....I'm confused.
I cannot find in my owners manual or my Hanes manual anything that tells me about my spark plug wire specs.

In regards to ohms and caps:
I think these must be the original wires. Do the caps just unscrew from the wire? Would I just buy wire and use my old caps?
How do I determine what I need for cap ohms and do the guys at the auto parts store know what I am talking about?
Can I just use the new caps that come with the new wires on the spark plug end and strip and use silicone adhesive on the coil side.
Sorry for all the questions. I just want to be clear on what I am doing.
Several have told me that it is possible to replace the plug wires on my G6750E without replacing the costly coils. But I'm still not real clear on what kind of wire size, core, ohms, caps, etc. to ask for or exactly how to prep the coil end of the wire for connection to the coil.
Am I making too big a deal out of this? Are caps just caps and wire just wire?
Thanks for your help and suggestions!!
GS750GUY

[asbjones]

I've had great luck with TAYLOR brand wires and ends on my Bikes and Cars , I want to put new wires on my GS1150es so I think I'm going to go this route again with the TAYLOR wires , but I have to look on their website and see if they sell what bike 'Zuki needs , I'm gonna run the Irdium plugs as well , good luck to both of us

[jimcor]

Thanks FGH for the tips.
Do you just pull the old wires out of the coils?
Do I just strip the wire end and push it into the coil using silicone adhesive to hold the wire in place?
Do I need to put some kind of clip on the end of the wire first?
I have gone to auto parts stores in search of plug wires for the bike only to be told they do not carry plug wires for motorcycles. How do ask for or determine what wires to get for the bike? What kind of wire did you ask for for your bike?
I notice when checking out bike wires on line that they talk about 8MM wire and 8 1/2 MM wire....I'm confused.
I cannot find in my owners manual or my Hanes manual anything that tells me about my spark plug wire specs.

In regards to ohms and caps:
I think these must be the original wires. Do the caps just unscrew from the wire? Would I just buy wire and use my old caps?
How do I determine what I need for cap ohms and do the guys at the auto parts store know what I am talking about?
Can I just use the new caps that come with the new wires on the spark plug end and strip and use silicone adhesive on the coil side.
Sorry for all the questions. I just want to be clear on what I am doing.
Several have told me that it is possible to replace the plug wires on my G6750E without replacing the costly coils. But I'm still not real clear on what kind of wire size, core, ohms, caps, etc. to ask for or exactly how to prep the coil end of the wire for connection to the coil.
Am I making too big a deal out of this? Are caps just caps and wire just wire?
Thanks for your help and suggestions!!
GS750GUY

The resistance measurement for you plug caps is 5000 or 5k ohms. You can purchase new ones made by NGK from Dennis Kirk www.denniskirk.com for about $4.00 each. They should also be available from your local dealer, no matter what brand of bikes he sells. Just 'unscrew' them and take them in to match the shape. My bike uses different size caps for the inner and outer plugs.

I haven't changed plug wires in some time, but the last time I did I just bought a roll of automotive ignition wire, stranded copper core, from the parts house. It's no big deal. It was used on a coil that did not have sealed wires, so I can't recommend a procedure for changing wires on the GS coils.

[bonanzadave]

The resistance measurement for you plug caps is 5000 or 5k ohms. You can purchase new ones made by NGK from Dennis Kirk www.denniskirk.com for about $4.00 each. They should also be available from your local dealer, no matter what brand of bikes he sells. Just 'unscrew' them and take them in to match the shape. My bike uses different size caps for the inner and outer plugs.

I haven't changed plug wires in some time, but the last time I did I just bought a roll of automotive ignition wire, stranded copper core, from the parts house. It's no big deal. It was used on a coil that did not have sealed wires, so I can't recommend a procedure for changing wires on the GS coils.

This is good advice. Thanks Jimcor

Get the NGK caps and spark plugs at your dealer. Remove the old caps from the wires and change the spark plugs (use ant sieze) Cut off the last 1/2" of you old wires and screw in your new caps. Put the new caps on the new plugs. If you get no results then go after new wires. The new caps and plugs were the ticket for me. Good luck.