1st Cylinder not firing

I've been having engine consistency problems and have deduced that it is a result of the 1st cylinder not firing. I'll let the bike idle and pull the first spark plug wire out with no change in the engine idle. I took the plug out (brand new) and checked if it was getting any spark--it wasn't. It isn't a problem with the coil, because the 4th cylinder (1st and 4th come from the same coil) fires no problem. It seems strange that the wire is bad, but that is the only thing I can think of at this point. Is there anything else I should check before taking it in and looking for a new coil?

 

Just for grins why don't you swap another plug in there and make sure you don't have a defective one before going after coils?

 

Perhaps next time to make sure if a cylinder is firing or not, just feel each individual exhaust header (be sure to retract your hand real quick or you might get burned, but when the engine is warming up for the first time during the day, no problem).

You could try twisting the cap off each wire then back on. With the cap off each wire, if you see that the metal inside the wire is green or discolored (corroded), you might want to trim a bit off then twist the cap back on (clockwise to tighten).