It's a always sumpthin'...

[Larry D]

SO, i just spent the last week or so swapping engines on my '81 GS750L. All went well and took it for a nice spin today. You would think that swapping engines is one job. Actually, it's about 50 small jobs...

After the engine cooled down, I thought it would be a good idea to check the tightness of misc. nuts and bolts. When I got to the valve cover the spark plugs wires were kinda in the way. When I the pushed #4 wire out of the way it snapped at the top of the plug cap. NO RIDING TO WORK TOMORROW.

I want to get new caps tomorrow and replace them all !!! I've read several post on the subject and all should have to do is trim back the wire a little and screw in the new caps. At this point I don't care if they are straight or 45. I just want to ride !!!

Indianapolis is a big city, I should be able to pick up them up somewhere.....but, where ?? Also, what diameter is the wire that screws into the cap?

Thanks All,
Frustrated in Indy

[bwringer]

Dang, Larry... sorry to hear about this latest small setback.

Cycle Recycle II downtown will have them, of course, but they're closed on Mondays. Cycle Outfitters is about the only motorcycle-related place that's open on Monday, but I don't know for sure if they'd stock these.

Also, your bike is wearing new-ish aftermarket coils, not the originals. The wires are probably 7mm.

[Larry D]

I took a peek at the coils to see what I could see....not much. I just didn't have the gumption to pull the tank tonight to see what exact brand they are.

Just the caps are required. There has to be someplace I can get them off the shelf. As long as one is able to screw the wire into the cap securely and it fits the plug, what else matters ?

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. Larry D,

Oh man! I hate it when I do silly stuff like that. The "stock" replacements are 2 each of NGK XB05F and VB05F. But if you're not worried about the exact angles then just about anything similar will do.

I don't get to ride to work tomorrow either.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[hikermikem]

Hey Larry,

Sorry to hear about your set back...

I got my NGK caps (as Cliff mentioned) from Z1 for my '81 750. Good prices & quick shipping.

Can you not just re-connect the broken cap somehow until the new ones come??

Or, if you have Dyna coils (or similar) get a new set of wires instead of caps.

good luck,

Mike

[Larry D]

I'll see if I can locate a NGK dealer in town. Thanks for the numbers, Cliff.

You're right, I should count my blessings. I have a nice job and truck to get me there. Hope you and Jessie are both mending well. Going to miss you at the GP this year. Perhaps you can make it for 2010.

[mriddle]

Tough break.. but the BIG part is over..

Ride on Larry D

[Larry D]

Hey Larry,

Sorry to hear about your set back...

I got my NGK caps (as Cliff mentioned) from Z1 for my '81 750. Good prices & quick shipping.

Can you not just re-connect the broken cap somehow until the new ones come??

Or, if you have Dyna coils (or similar) get a new set of wires instead of caps.

good luck,

Mike

The top of the cap is hard plastic. I don't have anything small enough to grab the remaining wire to try and twist it out. There's honestly not enough to grab anyway, as it snapped flush where the threads inside the cap begin.

[terrylee2u]

Perhaps you can take the broken one with you to size up a new one next to?
Good luck on finding one on monday.. only b9ike shops open here are the harley dealers..

[Larry D]

It was a little more work than I anticipated Mike. Only really found three issues with that engine. The valve cover was warped terribly, the starter was shot and there was an exhaust bolt broken off.

On my 20 mile ride today it seemed like it had more pep than the old engine.

[Larry D]

Perhaps you can take the broken one with you to size up a new one next to?
Good luck on finding one on monday.. only b9ike shops open here are the harley dealers..

You bet. I'm taking the cap and a short piece of the wire. I have to trim them back a little anyway.

Doesn't actually be a cap for a bike, does it ? As long as all the pieces will fit, what's the difference ?

[almarconi]

On my 20 mile ride today it seemed like it had more pep than the old engine.

Glad to hear your back on the road..since your new engine felt like it had more pep, maybe your old engine was on its way out and you just didn't realize it.

[Larry D]

Glad to hear your back on the road..since your new engine felt like it had more pep, maybe your old engine was on its way out and you just didn't realize it.

Thanks. It was a nice little ride this afternoon.

I don't know about the engine being on it way out. It only had +-15,000 on it. I guess they could've been tough miles.

It was almost certainly an oil delivery issue. The pump didn't fail. One of the oil passages became clogged and starved #1 intake cam end and lobe.

[Larry D]

I can admit when I'm wrong.....

The cap for the spark plugs have a threaded post with a spike on the tip. All that was needed was to trim a little off the wire and twist and squish it back on. The sharp ended post threads into the wire jacket making contact with the spark plug wire and securing it into the wire jacket at the same time. I did the the other three too. Easy fix !!

The bike is running nicely. I'm going to change the oil and filter when I get home this evening. At that point I will have +-100 miles on this oil that was put in after draining out a mixture of gas and oil. I guess the PO of this engine had some petcock problems.

Rode to work this morning !!!

[hikermikem]

Good job Larry - those new NGK caps are a nice upgrade from stock when using OEM coils.

Maybe a set of Dyna coils in your future .

Mike