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I've been reading on my other favorite website zrxoa.org, or the ZRX Owners Association that many riders recomend as an early mod for this bike an ignition advancer. It advances the bike from stock an additional 4 degrees.

Tell me if I'm right about this part - what this in effect does is make the spark fire earlier. Is that a good thing? Is there a risk associated with doing this on a bike?

They seem to promote this as the first thing you should put in after you buy the bike. Does that seem sensible?

4 degrees doesn't sound like much but to your engine it's a big deal. Advancing the timing will bring your revs up and unless you compensating fuel, air and exhaust I'd leave it where it is. some problems you might have are burnt out plugs causing it to run hotter then it should. Excessive lean causing your rings to burn out all in all bad things. Unless you rejet ad pipes and modify the air box or eliminate all together and ad clamp on air filters. then you might want to advance your timing.

Advancing the ignition is ussually done to increase high RPM power. If it helps out down low, the stock timing was pretty crappy.... not something modern bikes are known for. If you find your spending alot of saddle time bouncing off the rev limiter, the advancer might be worth it. But the real world tends to restrict the amount of full throttle time a bike like the ZRX gets to see.

Sounds like a good idea -if- you are also doing the mods that Q350 suggested. Get all the mods together, find someone with a dyno, and have at it. I don't think it's wise to do this all on its own. The engineers who make these bikes set the timing in regards to optimally (safe) power and heat production. Most bikes probably have a good buffer zone to fool around with, but why take the risk?