Ok, so a few weeks ago, I started hearing this tapping, sort of like a valve, but I'm not entirely sure. I'm also burning oil apparently, because the level is continually decreasing, yet never looks dirty or burned. I checked the spark plugs this morning, and what I found I can best describe as...interesting. First, the plugs weren't in that tight, which was sort of odd, but otherwise looked fine. The plug wires were kind of weird though: Two of them looked like they had something (oil I guess?) spattered on at some point, then it got sort of cooked on there. One looked brand new, practically untouched, and one had this orangish powdery stuff on it, looking sort of like rust. I'm not sure of the firing order, but left to right looking down at the engine from the front, this was the pattern:

Brand new ---- Spattered ---- Rust-colored ---- Spattered

We-todd-did appears to be down, so I'll try to post pics later, unless someone wants to host them for me. Any ideas? I'm clueless and getting worried...

 

The small gaskets inside the spark plug holes might be leaking - that may explain the oil on the wires. I would pull the valve cover and replace all the gaskets. While your'e in there, you might as well adjust the valves (might be the source of that tapping).
Could also be your injectors (I know mine are loud as hell) but there isn't much you can do about that...

If the plug wires are that bad, just replace em - try http://www.acuraautomotiveparts.org for cheap OEM stuff (don't get aftermarket wires - the Honda ones are excellent)

Have you checked the rest of the motor for oil leaks? If you don't find any, do a compression and / or leakdown test to determine where all your oil is going. I also recently switched to 15W50 Mobil 1, and the motor seems to like it better (hasn't used a drop yet...). Don't know what oil your running, but you might want to try a heavier weight.

 

I'll host your pics.

Doesn't sound like anything huge...yet.

Could just need valve adjustment.

 

Ok, sorry, wound up having to go to work and then the beach...for a few days...I'll try get the pics up this afternoon, thanks Tweak. Just to let you guys know, I did replace the valve cover gasket about 8K miles ago, and had the valves adjusted around the same time. Somebody suggested that the rust-colored powdery stuff might be water in the cylinder, which a leaky gasket would explain. I haven't driven it for the weekend, so I'll take it for a spin today and see how everything is. As for oil, right now I'm using Valvoline Syntech 10W30. With the 10W50 Mobil stuff, is it so thick it slows the engine down? I've had that happen on other cars, but never the R, so I'm not sure.

 

Well I just put down 166whp yesterday with my stock R on the dynojet. And I was running the 15W50 Mobil 1... didn't seem to slow the car down at all.