Any kind of electical "spark" generates radio frequency energy. Hell,the first radio transmitters WERE "spark gap transmitters". The spark gap transmitter was how the Titanic reported she was in trouble.
Anyways, the spark-gap transmitter is on the end of your spark plugs. A straight plug has a built-in antenna connected to this transmitter! The RF energy follows the center conductor up through the cap and down the wire back towards your CDI, conveniently located in the same box as the coil/coils. This RF energy might not destroy the computer but it will REALLY confuse it! The computer thinks it hears the trigger coil calling that it's time to fire the plugs again...so it does...firing the plug all kind of strange ways.
Adding a resistor, a special wire-wound one that is also a little rf coil called a "choke" does two important things. The coil in it acts like an RF blockage. The spark current gets through it fine...the RF trying to back up the wire can't. The resistor part of it turns the RF energy into heat, much like the resistor wire in your electric heater. No, the plug doesn't get hot...it's not much heat at all because the RF energy is only present for a few microseconds per spark. You can hear this energy if you carry a radio. It's a low pitched buzzing noise, especially on AM radio. Some cars are awful. So, the resistor in the plug, right where the trouble starts prevents the RF energy from following the wire out of the cylinder and converts it harmlessly into a little heat.
I know on Seadoos it will fry the MPEM if you dont have "R" plugs running. On Yamaha's(650,701,760 platforms) I have never noticed any problems. The first 650 SJ used BH8S... not much has changed with these ingitions... Its still good insurance. I run BR8ES on my 61X ignitions always.