Time for a Spark plug Change

[mikefz8]

So I just rolled over 10K on ye olde odometer and I figured I had better change my spark plugs. So I did and these are them

The numbers correspond to the cylinder they were removed from looking at the bike as pictured here.

Pretty dark I'd say and probably should have done them sooner--c'est la vie.

And on a "sidenote" do NOT let your brother borrow your socket set (at least my brother) I am missing some various lengths of extensions that would have been handy for this project. Glad I had some backups

 

[fz8kansas]

The pic shows them as being black, which is a rich condition. Have you done mods to enrich the fuel mixure? Are you running a PCV? I would think that the plugs should be good for many more miles if the FI is adjusted correctly. Are the center electrodes eroded?

 

[mikefz8]

The pic shows them as being black, which is a rich condition. Have you done mods to enrich the fuel mixure? Are you running a PCV? I would think that the plugs should be good for many more miles if the FI is adjusted correctly. Are the center electrodes eroded?

No I dont have a PCV my bike is basically all stock minus the fender eliminator and headlight updgrade. Electrodes seam to be fine on the old plugs just blackened...Any ideas on what I should do to lean her out?

 

[pajkrubi]

Not much you can do to adjust fuel short of getting a juice box or PC. You throw a pipe on it and that would probably lean it out a little. From everything I've read so far you do a pipe with the stock ecu but you can't do a pipe and high flow filter/airbox mod without some sort of fuel controller otherwise it gets too lean. It's not great for the bike but it's definitely better to be rich than lean. Being rich just means you're wasting a little fuel and getting soot build up on your plugs and possibly valves but not much else. Lean means all kinds of bad damage up to and including melting holes in your pistons and burning valves. The optimum plug should be a light brown and dry.

 

[mikefz8]

Not much you can do to adjust fuel short of getting a juice box or PC. You throw a pipe on it and that would probably lean it out a little. From everything I've read so far you do a pipe with the stock ecu but you can't do a pipe and high flow filter/airbox mod without some sort of fuel controller otherwise it gets too lean. It's not great for the bike but it's definitely better to be rich than lean. Being rich just means you're wasting a little fuel and getting soot build up on your plugs and possibly valves but not much else. Lean means all kinds of bad damage up to and including melting holes in your pistons and burning valves. The optimum plug should be a light brown and dry.

So I should have asked Santa for a JB or PCV? Eff

 

[fz8kansas]

I agree with pajkrubi, there isn't much you can do without a tuner. But then you run the chance of getting the system too lean and cause bigger problems. If you can clean the plugs up, save them for the next time. With a stock bike I do not see why you couldn't get 30 to 50k miles from a set of plugs. But I have yet to even get close to that kind of mileage on my bike. I had a 97 Chevy 1500 with a Vortech 5000. I had the plugs changed when the manifold gasket failed( design flaw). It had 130k and my friend that did the work for me said the plugs were in good shape but changing them was a good idea with the number of miles it had. I believe the newer computer controlled motors do a better job with the fuel mixture, quality of spark and timing that they do not wear the plugs out like the older motors. I am not a mechanic but I do try to keep up with technology.

 

[mikefz8]

Guess I;ll have to get a PCV or JB

 

[mikefz8]

So which is better???

Two Brothers Juice Box
or
Power Commander V

 

[pajkrubi]

From what I've read thy are pretty much the same. The PC can hold more maps and has the autotune feature at an extra cost. The juice box takes maps from a PC so you can download any of the many, many maps out there and put on it or have it dyno tuned for a perfect match to your bike. The JB is also a lot cheaper.

Basically from what people say the PCV is for people that like to tinker with their tunes a lot to fine tune it perfect and for those who want to have a lot of different maps but the JB is for people that just want to download a tune that matches what their bike has and let it be.

 

[9 Lives]

If you only buying it because of the color of your plugs, save your money. Its hard to see the pics you posted, what you should be looking at is the color of the electrode itself, from what I can make out from the pics it looks like its a grey color which is a bit on the lean side but is fine, FI bikes will normally run on the lean side. I bought the PCV and am very happy with it, but I have an aftermarket exhaust and need to compensate for it. Both are pretty much the same except for a few minor differences like the number of maps they hold, either one will work fine.

 

[pigdog]

on a side note, i ran denso iridium plugs & at 58,000mi. they looked like they just came out of the box. they claim to ignite with such force that carbon wont stick to them & i believe it. if you look around, they can be had for $4.00 a piece.

 

[mikefz8]

on a side note, i ran denso iridium plugs & at 58,000mi. they looked like they just came out of the box. they claim to ignite with such force that carbon wont stick to them & i believe it. if you look around, they can be had for $4.00 a piece.

Hopefully I did the right thing but I installed NGK CR9EIX Iridium IX Spark Plugs. I paid like $7 a plug--if memory serves

 

[9 Lives]

Hopefully I did the right thing but I installed NGK CR9EIX Iridium IX Spark Plugs. I paid like $7 a plug--if memory serves

I installed the same plugs, they are a step up from the originals ones. There is no problem using these plugs. Since its such a PIA to change the plugs I used longer lasting plug.

 

[mikefz8]

I installed the same plugs, they are a step up from the originals ones. There is no problem using these plugs. Since its such a PIA to change the plugs I used longer lasting plug.

I would have to agree with you on the PIA part! Luckily I had a few different size extensions and a knuckle thingy and a right angle drill adapter thingy.

 

[FastZ8]

My bike is coming up to the 4000 mark and the manual says to take the plugs out and clean and gap them but obviously if I'm going through the trouble of taking them out I'll just go ahead and put new ones in.my question is what do you guys recommend? How many miles have you rode until you changed your plugs or even took them out and even messed with them?

 

[mikefz8]

My bike is coming up to the 4000 mark and the manual says to take the plugs out and clean and gap them but obviously if I'm going through the trouble of taking them out I'll just go ahead and put new ones in.my question is what do you guys recommend? How many miles have you rode until you changed your plugs or even took them out and even messed with them?

I never touched mine until over the 10K mark--which is where I am at now. I changed them. Not sure if it is "really" necessary to clean at 4k, but that is your prerogative. Not much help there I guess, but my bike seemed fine even at the 10k mark with the plugs I pulled out of the bike.