Shocking situation, literally...

[C.V.]

as i was checking cylinder firing by pulling spark plug boots, I was getting shocked by the #2 boot. I know the obvious answer is "don't touch the boots while the bike is running" Duh. I did anyway... I didn't get a jolt from any of the other boots.

Is this an indication of faulty boots, as I suspect, or is there something else maybe going on?

[first timer]

as i was checking cylinder firing by pulling spark plug boots, I was getting shocked by the #2 boot. I know the obvious answer is "don't touch the boots while the bike is running" Duh. I did anyway... I didn't get a jolt from any of the other boots.

Is this an indication of faulty boots, as I suspect, or is there something else maybe going on?

run the bike at night, with the lights off, see if you see and sparks around the boots, try misting the boots with water while running at night looks for sparks. I bet you boots are bad.

[Griffin]

as i was checking cylinder firing by pulling spark plug boots, I was getting shocked by the #2 boot. I know the obvious answer is "don't touch the boots while the bike is running" Duh. I did anyway... I didn't get a jolt from any of the other boots.

Is this an indication of faulty boots, as I suspect, or is there something else maybe going on?

You know, some guys pay a lot of money to make their bikes light up at night with LEDs. You get to do it for free.

I had the same thing happen on one of the original boots on my 700. I replaced all the boots (NGK ones are only about $3-$4 apiece) and everything's been fine since.

[bwringer]

Yup, you shouldn't get shocked when you touch an spark plug wire. It's leaking precious electrons...

[isleoman]

I use to have four brothers and sisters and when we were growing up my father would ask who ever was closest to come over and grab the wire from the electrical outlets he was working on and he always say "its fine" "the fuse is pulled" "nothing can happen".

Guess thats why they use to have so many kids in the old days.

[salty_monk]

If it's not the boots it could be cracks in the insulation of the wire itself...

Dan

[mike-s]

Reminds me when i was helping a teacher with an efi project 10 years ago or so. they asked me to pull the boot slightly off the plug to try and load up the ignition a bit. well my hand slipped and i pulled the plug off a couple of cm. bugger leaked up around the outside of the cable inside the boot and earthed, right through my right arm, my chest, and my left arm back out to my hand sitting on the chassis. I remember it like it was yesterday and the memory still makes me cringe!

[C.V.]

Thanks guys, just needed confirmation. New boots it is. Your stories remind of a time when I was building Vespas, and due to overuse of our most essential tool (beer) me and a buddy ended taking turns holding the bare end of the spark lead while the other guy kicked the bike over...

[p_s]

Thanks guys, just needed confirmation. New boots it is. Your stories remind of a time when I was building Vespas, and due to overuse of our most essential tool (beer) me and a buddy ended taking turns holding the bare end of the spark lead while the other guy kicked the bike over...

On a sunny day on a bike with only a kickstarter & one cylinder--that's sometimes the only way to test for spark.

[bwringer]

On a sunny day on a bike with only a kickstarter & one cylinder--that's sometimes the only way to test for spark.

Must be what the beer is for, then... if he still jumps after six beers, the spark is OK.

[Big T]

Must be what the beer is for, then... if he still jumps after six beers, the spark is OK.

Now , that's the line of the day!

Does he have to turn blue?

They do manufacture something called a spark plug boot puller - basically a plastic pliers that is handy for high tension work like this.

[nisom512]

I use to have four brothers and sisters and when we were growing up my father would ask who ever was closest to come over and grab the wire from the electrical outlets he was working on and he always say "its fine" "the fuse is pulled" "nothing can happen".

Guess thats why they use to have so many kids in the old days.

haha

Yeah I have the same problem on my 550T but I was missing a chunk of my boot and I just put electrical tape over it

[argonsagas]

as i was checking cylinder firing by pulling spark plug boots, I was getting shocked by the #2 boot. I know the obvious answer is "don't touch the boots while the bike is running" Duh. I did anyway... I didn't get a jolt from any of the other boots.

Is this an indication of faulty boots, as I suspect, or is there something else maybe going on?

Your story reminds me of a car I had many years ago. One of the mods was an ignition coil that spit out more twice the stock coil voltage and it would push an arc more than half an inch.

I learned about the arc distance shortly after it was installed, complete with brand new cables and boots.

Holding the boot, I pulled the cable off a non-firing plug while the engine was running. The shock hit so hard it bounced my hand off the raised hood.

[chef1366]

Must be what the beer is for, then... if he still jumps after six beers, the spark is OK.

Ahh, the old six pack spark checker.