cop or new wires?

[max03]

Hello! Just wondering what the best way to take care of this? Last year I purchased a set of NGK wires and they need to be replaced. Noticed that the wires were arching out everywhere, these are new wires!!! I was thinking of putting my own together msd or taylor wires and boots etc... I was
also considering cop, I would rather shit can the stock coils and wires setup. How much money to get setup with cop? And what all would I need?

 

[tmosel]

I made my own COP setup for my '94 two years ago. Can't go wrong with them in my opinion.

 

[Fire-medic]

C-o-p!

C-o-p!

C-o-p!

C-o-p!

Just my opinion. I got Gannon's kit and finally got-around to installing them this past week. I like 'em! Thank-you, sir!:worthy:

 

[jfeagins]

If your new wires are installed properly, and still are arcing out everywhere, chances are GOOD the charging system is chit, and the voltage is so low while running that the CDI is f'ing up. Don't quite know why that is, but for sure happened to me. I put new plugs, new wires, new everything, only to have the arcing continue sporaticly. About pulled my hair out trying to figure why until I figured out the voltage was going low when arcing occurred. I fixed my charging system and now the CDI box fires the sparkplugs, and nothing more. Weird, I know. But new wires, if properly installed should not arc.

 

[max03]

If your new wires are installed properly, and still are arcing out everywhere, chances are GOOD the charging system is chit, and the voltage is so low while running that the CDI is f'ing up. Don't quite know why that is, but for sure happened to me. I put new plugs, new wires, new everything, only to have the arcing continue sporaticly. About pulled my hair out trying to figure why until I figured out the voltage was going low when arcing occurred. I fixed my charging system and now the CDI box fires the sparkplugs, and nothing more. Weird, I know. But new wires, if properly installed should not arc.

Thank you everyone for your feedback! What did you find wrong with your charging system? so I could look for the same thing. The bike always starts, I've never had an issue with dead a battery, I should check to see if its over charging. Was there an issue with your regulator or harness? I'm hoping get this figured out. Then I would like to get setup with cop...

 

[Bill Seward]

I bought a set of COPS on Ebay for $15.01 - shipped! A few years ago.
Came off a Suzuki GSX something or other.... Got a harness from a Honda 600, to use the plug connectors. Evidently all COPS use the same connector. My coils were toast, so I cut off the connectors, and wired them to the connectors I cut off the Honda harness. Polarity didn't seem to matter. Plugged them in, and never looked back.

Costs: $15.01 for the COPS, about $12.00 for the harness, and a buck for heat shrink tubing. Less than $25.00 got me there.

Works great, and is the best mod I've ever done to the Max....

 

[88vmx12]

I bought a set of COPS on Ebay for $15.01 - shipped! A few years ago.
Came off a Suzuki GSX something or other.... Got a harness from a Honda 600, to use the plug connectors. Evidently all COPS use the same connector. My coils were toast, so I cut off the connectors, and wired them to the connectors I cut off the Honda harness. Polarity didn't seem to matter. Plugged them in, and never looked back.

Costs: $15.01 for the COPS, about $12.00 for the harness, and a buck for heat shrink tubing. Less than $25.00 got me there.

Works great, and is the best mod I've ever done to the Max....

Not to be picking at you Bill, but please share some pictures of your handy work.:clapping: Show this guy how it is done

G

 

[jfeagins]

For me, when the bike was warm, and the fan kicked on to keep the bike cool, my voltage (below 2000 rpm) would drop to around 12.75volts, Then my spark plug wires would begin sporadically arching to the valve covers. I soldered a bunch of connections. Also reworked the left rear footpeg assy to where the R/R bolted there had a better ground and so, my charging system had a better voltage -up around 13.25 at idle. I ended up swapping out the OEM R/R for the newer style that has a separate ground wire, and properly grounded it so that I now get over 14 volts most all the time. I have since converted to the larger battery for better CCA's as well. When my voltage increased, the stray arching went away w/o replacing another set of otherwise good plug wires.

 

[max03]

For me, when the bike was warm, and the fan kicked on to keep the bike cool, my voltage (below 2000 rpm) would drop to around 12.75volts, Then my spark plug wires would begin sporadically arching to the valve covers. I soldered a bunch of connections. Also reworked the left rear footpeg assy to where the R/R bolted there had a better ground and so, my charging system had a better voltage -up around 13.25 at idle. I ended up swapping out the OEM R/R for the newer style that has a separate ground wire, and properly grounded it so that I now get over 14 volts most all the time. I have since converted to the larger battery for better CCA's as well. When my voltage increased, the stray arching went away w/o replacing another set of otherwise good plug wires.

When you say you replaced the oem r/r for a newer style with a separate ground. Was it a newer one for a vmax or after market? The funny thing is I noticed this problem with my wires arching out once I put my new battery in. It seemed to pick up a slight miss cruising through town with the throttle slightly cracked. Then realized the wires were arching out. Was it something yo do with switching the battery? I swapped the stock battery out for a gel cell battery that was recommended on here and the battery is amazing. Should I check for a loose ground?

 

[Fire-medic]

I suggest you go to the "Electrical" thread, read the stickies, do what they say, and start from that point. My COP's are great, Gannon did a great job w/them, and when other VMaxers ask about them, I always tell 'em to come-on here and to look up Gannon's contact info by doing a 'search.'


The three things I've done to my bike that got the most questions asked at Boxenstopp's in Daytona Beach 2013 (well, "Holly Hill," technically) were

• UFO Dragstar 4/1, because it's hard to ignore, if the bike is runningunk:
• my 7" round halogen headlamp, superior in so-many ways to the anemic stocker, which I should have replaced twenty years ago:damn angry:
• the COP's:worthy:

I am currently looking-into fabbing a surround for the plug/COP bodies to fill the gap between the cylinder head cavity and the shaft of the COP's, to lessen the potential of water entering and accumulating. I was considering Armaflex pipe insulation, which is quite dense and light, and compressible.You can cut & glue it.

 

[naughtyG]

Not to be picking at you Bill, but please share some pictures of your handy work.:clapping: Show this guy how it is done

G

I posted a 'how to' with pictures when I fitted COPs to my '86, I think it's still up. No-where near as good or easy a job as fitting your kit, but it worked a treat and it cost near nothing from fleaBay :biglaugh: