Lean burn combustion is an important concept for improving the fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. However, the lean burning is associated with increased cycle-to-cycle combustion variations due to the ignition instabilities and redu- ced flame propagation rates. Engine stability under lean mixture conditions could be improved by increasing flame speed through enhanced flow characteristics and by securing ignitability with improvement of ignition systems. The effects of flow motion and ignition characteristics on the combustion performances were investigated in a 4-valve SI engine. Flow motions of tumble-swirl were varied with a swirl control valve attached at the inlet ports, while ignition energy and its distribution were controlled in a high -frequency ignition system by changing spark duration and spark frequency. The improvement of lean burn performance by the optimum flow motion and ignition characteristics is discussed.