Changed the stick coils

[whitelightning]

Ever since I bought this bike, it's never run smoothly. The day I bought it, the bitch unceremoniously spit me off onto the previous owners driveway. Thought it was just the nature of the beast. The final straw was when a non-riding co worker told me I looked stupid on the bike. It was having a particularly bad day, stalling, coughing, bucking, surging, ya know, just bad behavior. I had a chat with Beemer Boneyard, and they suggested the stick coils might be bad, so I took their advice and changed them. DAY and NIGHT! Smooth as good scotch whiskey, and silky like, well silk! Best money I've spent on a bike in a while. Might actually decide I like it.

[whitelightning]

Actually got to ride it today and it was marvelous. Smooth power, good torque in the middle, no sputtering, no coughing, no bucking, no farting; just like a BMW should be.

[towerworker]

It's probably not uncommon for many to be riding machines where the coils are slowly failing. Finally it becomes a total failure and we change them out. As you have found out it's night and day. I replaced mine at around 30K. 55K now on the bike. If they fail again I'll externalize a coil and be done with stick coils.

[CycleRob]

"If they fail again I'll externalize a coil and be done with stick coils".

Wayne, This winter would be a good time to externalize the existing stick coils running your bike now, before the hot engine summer riding kills them. It's something your transmitter/receiver TowerWorker skills could easily do. Two clamps, 3 feet of sparkplug wire, 2 sparkplug terminal connectors, matching rubber insulators and you've got a system whos coils will never fail again. Here's a Belgian rider that came up with a very simple stick coil relocation solution:
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread ... ost3778322

[skylarmav1]

Follow up question-
I bought my bike 7 months ago with 13k, now it has 15k. Low milage but it is an 02. It runs well but I don't know how good it could run. Should I replace the coils due to age of bike?

[riceburner]

"If they fail again I'll externalize a coil and be done with stick coils".

Wayne, This winter would be a good time to externalize the existing stick coils running your bike now, before the hot engine summer riding kills them. It's something your transmitter/receiver TowerWorker skills could easily do. Two clamps, 3 feet of sparkplug wire, 2 sparkplug terminal connectors, matching rubber insulators and you've got a system whos coils will never fail again. Here's a Belgian rider that came up with a very simple stick coil relocation solution:
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread ... ost3778322

Nicely done - but not sure how it protects the stick coil from the weather....

[towerworker]

It's not difficult to protect against weather, it's the heat deep inside the head that kills 'em.

[Keppelj]

Skyfarm, as an '02 I dont think your bike has stick coils. Believe they were introduced later, maybe '04.

[racurley]

I looked in my Clymers manual for stick coils for my '03 1150R and it didn't say anything about these in a single spark. I'm guessing maybe this isn't something I need to worry about?

[skylarmav1]

I guess I'm thinking of a stick oil as the long rubber piece that goes in and affixes to the top of the spark plug. Something different?

[Keppelj]

That's called a coil cap. Basically conducts the spark from the visible spark wire down through the overhead valves to the plug. They can get cranky though as I found out recently when the engine was rough for no apparent reason except a heavy rainstorm. Replacing them smoothed a roughness that almost felt like a regular miss. You have a single coil under the tank.

[skylarmav1]

Got it-thx.

[riceburner]

It's not difficult to protect against weather, it's the heat deep inside the head that kills 'em.

Although I used to think that - I think its IS the wet that kills them. Remember - they were initally designed for use in cars - where they are stuffed deep into head, with a cover placed over them - would be a very hot environment - but extremely dry.

On an air-cooled bike they're very vulnerable to getting wet, and every one that I've seen fail has had corrosion issues - corrosion isn't caused by extreme heat....

I've taken to smothering mine in high-temp grease and haven't had a failure since I did (several years now).

[craigd]

Relocating does solve either problem, hot or wet. Corrosion is typically not a result of getting wet, but of staying wet. A relocated stick coil would almost certainly dry faster and therefore not corrode. Also, any corrosion would be easier to see and remedy before it becomes a problem.