Confirm my thinking please.

[IanC]

So I have a dead miss on #1. I checked the coil and was getting juice, checked #3 and it has spark but #1 has nothing. Since they are both run by the same coil (right?) it would have to be in my plug wire? The wire looks fine externally but maybe it's bad. Going to swap a plug just to make sure it's not a plug bad somehow. This is driving me nuts.

[Big T]

No, one coil does 2/3 and the other 1/4

You might just need a new spark plug cap

[IanC]

Bad plug. I swapped plugs between 1 & 4 and the problem reversed. Off to pick up a new plug. No visible cracks or anything though. Weird.

[Spyderman]

Bad plug. I swapped plugs between 1 & 4 and the problem reversed. Off to pick up a new plug. No visible cracks or anything though. Weird.

don't forget to check the plug caps it could be your problem and is also a cheap fix

[Steve]

Bad plug. I swapped plugs between 1 & 4 and the problem reversed. Off to pick up a new plug.

How new are the plugs?

If they are not BRAND new, for all the effort of going to get A plug, I would spend another $6 and get the other three, too.

.

[hikermikem]

If they are not BRAND new, for all the effort of going to get A plug, I would spend another $6 and get the other three, too. .

+1 on that...

Good idea to twist off each plug cap & trim the wire back a bit as well (approx. 1/4") to make sure you are connected into fresh wire.

[sachsaca]

I'm with Steve on tis one. If it were me I would get all new plugs. If one is going bad the others may not be too fer behind there brother. Better safe than sorry. Yes it is a GS and yes we know it could run on junk forever but...

[IanC]

They were pretty new plugs so I just got the one cause I'm a cheap **s. Also I need to check my wires anyway. Had the coil off at 1:30 last night while I was checking things and I could have sworn it was 1 and 3. On the other hand it was 1:30 and I was drinking. They are labeled so if it somehow is off it's been that way since I got it.

[Steve]

They were pretty new plugs ...

"Pretty new" as in 'started my winter tune-up last week' or ...
"Pretty new" as in 'I put them in back in July and only have a thousand miles on them'?

.

[Steve]

Had the coil off at 1:30 last night while I was checking things and I could have sworn it was 1 and 3. On the other hand it was 1:30 and I was drinking. ...

I can understand the late hour, as I frequently do that, too, but drinking while working on an inherently dangerous machine that you are going to depend on to keep you out of danger just boggles my mind.

By the way, unless the wires from the ignitor have been swapped, the left coil will power cylinders 1 & 4, the right coil will power cylinders 2 & 3. Just to make sure we're on the same page, all references to directions you will find in manuals are made as if you are sitting on the bike. That means that LEFT is clutch hand, RIGHT is throttle hand.

.

[IanC]

New as in a couple hundred miles but she's fixed. Running strong again. Took a ride out through the country and we both enjoyed ourselves.

[Octain]

Bad plug. I swapped plugs between 1 & 4 and the problem reversed. Off to pick up a new plug. No visible cracks or anything though. Weird.

With any missing or skipping problems I always install *new*(did I say new?) plugs first. Usually a dirtbike problem.
Plugs can look fine and not work properly.
Replace all of em and then find out why it fouled.

[Octain]

I can understand the late hour, as I frequently do that, too, but drinking while working on an inherently dangerous machine that you are going to depend on to keep you out of danger just boggles my mind.



.

PFFT, lol..
I work on my stuff stoned all the time.

[Octain]

New as in a couple hundred miles but she's fixed. Running strong again. Took a ride out through the country and we both enjoyed ourselves.

Were you drinking again?

[tkent02]

PFFT, lol..
I work on my stuff stoned all the time.

It hardly matters when you are just cutting things off. (-: