HIGH-TENSION (HT) LEAD

Dealing with high-voltage current requires specific hardware, especially when extremely high-voltage current has to be delivered with split-second accuracy to the spark-plug several dozen times a second to power the heart of the engine. The HT lead carries the current required to create the spark jump at the plug electrode, usually over 20,000 volts to as high as 45,000; not something a simple wire can handle. Some high-performance sports bikes have moved on from HT leads and now use an ignition control system integrated into the spark-plug wiring.