Birdoprey's COP (Coils Over Plugs) Mod

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dannymax

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Here is a pictorial of the install for Birdoprey's COP's . I apologize for the poor pic quality and the layout. This is the only way I know how to set it up.
There are 10 pics, Numbered from the left, top row-#1 - #6, bottom row #7 - #10.

#1- COP and wires with crimped spades
#2- Factory spades, removed from plastic connector, showing holding tangs. Tangs must be depressed to remove spades from connector.
#3- Male side of factory connector showing (barely) small access notches on top side of slots. Slide a thin screwdriver or bobby pin in notch to depress tang and remove factory spade. I peened a nail flat and filed it to fit the notch.
#4- COP with factory connector. After the factory spades have been removed simply slide in the spades which come attached to COP wires. Use a test light to determine which side is hot and match the red COP wire to that side. The black, of course, matches with the other terminal. On my bike the red/white wire was the hot one.
#5- COP on #1 spark plug. The COP's slide over the spark plugs in the same manner that the factory plug boots do.
#6- Factory coils for cylinders #1 & #3 removed, COP's connected, wires tucked away.
#7- Under the left scoop is an electronic mounting plate which has to be removed to allow access to #4 coil. There are 3 screws to remove and let the mounting plate hang. The coil which feeds #4 cylinder is above #3 cylinder and vice versa. This cross feed will make sense when you see how the wires are routed.
#8- COP to #4 cylinder connected
#9- Under right side scoop is another mounting plate holding the radiator cap and housing, hoses and some other stuff. There is a plastic shroud which pulls straight off exposing the mounting plate. This plate also has 3 mounting screws which have to be removed. There is little movement in this plate but enough to maneuver the ignition switch shroud out. Then you will be able to find and access the connector for #2 cylinder.
#10- COP to # 2 cylinder connected.

It is not necessary to install the male plastic factory connectorsto the COP's but I like the neatness factor plus I sprayed some 'purple' Mechanics Choice elec. protectant in the female side to prevent corrosion.

This is a very simple mod that I found to be more than worth the little effort it took. My acceleration was quicker, start-ups easier with little or no choke and low & mid range power was noticeably improved. Bike felt smoother and more powerful overall.
I'm very confident that mileage will increase, but haven't been able to get a mileage run in due to weather conditions.
This explanation prolly creates more questions than it answers so feel free to PM me and I will try to answer them.
Also, although my bike seemed to be running fine before this mod, after removing the back 2 coils and inspecting both the front coils, I noticed 3 had one or more cracks in them.
 

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  • Factory connector, male side.jpg
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  • COP on #1 plug.jpg
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  • Factory coils removed, COP's  connected to #1 & #3.jpg
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Last edited by a moderator:
Very nice Danny - I especially like the way you installed the factory connectors! Birdoprey and I were talking about sourcing those to make the mod more complete, but you just sorted it out! Out of interest, how are the new spade connectors being held in the factory plastic? Do they also have those tangs, or did you superglue?

And for future reference, if you want to make a thread inserting the pictures within the text, just upload your pics to photobucket.com or equivalent, then paste the appropriate links in your text.

Now, have you gained weight by removing those front coils too? I missed the explanations to do that if you did.

Thanks for the nice write up and pics! :clapping::clapping:
 
Very nice Danny - I especially like the way you installed the factory connectors! Birdoprey and I were talking about sourcing those to make the mod more complete, but you just sorted it out! Out of interest, how are the new spade connectors being held in the factory plastic? Do they also have those tangs, or did you superglue?

Hi G, The friction of the red bands on the COP spades holds them very well in the connector. After I plugged the connector halves togetger I just used a phillips head to snug them in tight. They will stay just fine. Another option is to deform the COP spades just enough to make them catch inside the factory connectors, but I didn't see any reason to do that as they hold well the other way.

And for future reference, if you want to make a thread inserting the pictures within the text, just upload your pics to photobucket.com or equivalent, then paste the appropriate links in your text.

Uh-OK. Prolly what I'll do next time G is get hold of you BEFORE posting and maybe you can show me then.

Now, have you gained weight by removing those front coils too? I missed the explanations to do that if you did.

Nope you didn't miss a thing, I forgot and left it out. I haven't removed the front coils yet. I prolly will at some point, but they are better hidden than the back ones so I left them in for now. JIC

Thanks for the nice write up and pics! :clapping:
Thank you for the nice comments. :worthy:
 
Great stuff. I'll add the front coils removal to this thread when I get round to it - hopefully this weekend or next. Most people probably won't bother though, as it looks like it's only gonna be easy for me because I've already got my carbs off! These guys are well hidden..
And anytime you want help to post pics up or anything just let me know - always happy to help.

I love this forum :punk:
 
what exactly does this mod do?

I am a bit of a noob on this part of the bike and if theres another thread on what exactly we're discussing thatd be great!!

We're talking about the coils that do the firing for the plugs, right?
 
what exactly does this mod do?

I am a bit of a noob on this part of the bike and if theres another thread on what exactly we're discussing thatd be great!!

We're talking about the coils that do the firing for the plugs, right?

Garrett,
This is a simple mod that allows you to get rid of the "prone to crack" stock coils and "prone to fail" plug wires and caps. You are replacing them with the COP's (coil on plug). This opens up a fair amount of room where the stock coils used to be and seems to help with startups and smoother running.
Jeff
 
what exactly does this mod do?

I am a bit of a noob on this part of the bike and if theres another thread on what exactly we're discussing thatd be great!!

We're talking about the coils that do the firing for the plugs, right?

Yes, the COP's go directly on the spark plugs, replacing the stock coils, and look very similar to the spark plug boots on the stock set up.

As I see it the advantage is a hotter spark because you're eliminating the coil to plug wires and associated connections.

I noticed an immediate increase in performance and very pleased with the result.
 
what was the cost to do the change over to the COPs very nice mod and eliminates the crap plug wires.
Chris :th_peace:
 
Thanks Danny for showing the ease of install. I've not had the time, and i could not have done as well either. You've also had the same results i've seen.
For those that have questions, here is a link of a post of mine with more indepth info. There is also a link(on that link!) that has a vid and even more info(quite long though).
http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=5656

In a nutshell, this mod is:
A performance mod. Dunno about peak hp, but definate gains down low with better response, quicker startup, etc. MPG gains will follow sometime later.
A cheap replacement alternative to the crack/failure prone stock coil/wire/boot setup. Stk coils run around $70 EACH. Then you have wires and boots. If you do it yourself, one can swap to the COPs for around $50-60. Possible to score them a lil cheaper, but not often. MUCH cheaper than aftermarket alternatives. And if you do happen to have one or all cop's fail(i've never seen one fail), all you need to do is replace the cops(sets of just cops can be had for $20-35shipped). Pick up a set and throw then under your seat...
A showy mod for that "COOL" factor. Pretty slick having COP's on a dinasaur!
A COOL way to shed some weight AND make more room on your bike. Mr. Max has never been refered to as "lithe" or "un-cluttered"...!!! The COP's are lighter/smaller and less complicated than the factory setup or even the aftermarket alternatives.
 
:punk:Great job on the write up Danny! This should take the fear out of the upgrade for anyone who wasn't sure how to do it.:confused2:

And thanks to Bird of Prey for the idea! There is no reason why anyone who needs new coils or just plug wires should not do this. It will save you a good bit of money and better performance to boot.

Too bad it wasn't thought of sooner. Shuriken never would have bought those cracked coils off ebay from pinwall. :bang head:
 
One thing I did a little differently for those that dont want to use the factory spade connectors on the wiring harness.

I snipped off the spade connectors and used a marine butt splice (butt splice with heat shrink) to permanately attach the COP harness to the bikes wiring harness. One advantage to this is the weather proofing of the connection and you can still pull the COP harness at the COP.

Also remember for those who dont know on the FRONT cylinders. The factory wiring harness connection on the LEFT side of the bike powers the RIGHT cylinder and vice versa.

I have been able to do a mileage check. Had these installed for 2 weeks now.

In town, not a big difference really. Stop and go traffic just sucks regardless of the coil.

Highway driving increased 2-3 mpg depending on whether or not I was riding 2 up or not.

Great mod!!!!
Cheers
 
Plan on doing this mod as soon as I get my bike back from the dealer, they have been dinking with it for a week now, sigh.

Anyone have a cheap source on COP sets, or is it less trouble to just grab em at your local dealer?
 
Plan on doing this mod as soon as I get my bike back from the dealer, they have been dinking with it for a week now, sigh.

Anyone have a cheap source on COP sets, or is it less trouble to just grab em at your local dealer?

I think BirdOprey has some he is selling. Much cheaper than the stealership
 
One thing I did a little differently for those that dont want to use the factory spade connectors on the wiring harness.

I snipped off the spade connectors and used a marine butt splice (butt splice with heat shrink) to permanately attach the COP harness to the bikes wiring harness. One advantage to this is the weather proofing of the connection and you can still pull the COP harness at the COP.

Also remember for those who dont know on the FRONT cylinders. The factory wiring harness connection on the LEFT side of the bike powers the RIGHT cylinder and vice versa.

I have been able to do a mileage check. Had these installed for 2 weeks now.

In town, not a big difference really. Stop and go traffic just sucks regardless of the coil.

Highway driving increased 2-3 mpg depending on whether or not I was riding 2 up or not.

Great mod!!!!
Cheers

RagingMain to the rescue! Thanks for the added info! I figured the MPG would be better. The few test rides i've taken indicated a decent amount of improvement, but i was also beating the snot out of it to see if there would be any problems. Thanks again!
 
Question here, are you guys using COP's sourced from the R1, or another particular model, or does it not matter?
 
Here is the info. Should make it a lil easier than sifting through the links.


So far, i've run across two types of Denso COPs. The type that the Hayabusa/GSXR's use work very well. There is another type that is a little longer and they neck down just before the rubber boot that sits over the plug(The Honda F4 and F4i use these). These work well, but their length makes it harder to get on the plug. They both use the same electrical connector on the top. They are not a ton trouble, but personally i like the looks/ease of install/removal of the shorter type.
Here are the bikes that use the SHORT COPs(that i've found so-far):
98-2000 GSXR600 SRAD
01-03 GSXR600
98-99 GSXR750 SRAD
00-05 GSXR750
01-08 GSXR1000
99-08 Hayabusa(GSX1300R)
02-08 R1
99-02 R6
04-07 R6
03-08 CBR600rr
03-06 ZX6/ZX636(maybe the 07-up as well, just have not verified that yet)
98-03 ZX9
00-05 ZX12
06-08 ZX14


I found one set of R6 coil sticks that said they were 03 and they were the long type. Not sure if that was a typo or what. So, on the R6 coil sticks, i'm not 100%. Might be good to shy away from the R6 cops anyway due to the previously posted problems with some of them, at least on the 03-04 R6's.
These use the longer type COPs:
CBR929(all years)
CBR954(all years)
CBR f4/f4i
CBR1000rr(04-08)
98-02 ZX6
Looks like the wiring harnesses from ANY of these bikes will work on any of the coil sticks(long or short).

Just wanted to pass the info along. Hope this info is helpful.
 

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