| Author | Message | ||
     Ourdee |
This is a pic of the OEM plugs from my 08XB12XT @ 3000 mi. Any thoughts / opinions?  Top plug was in the front cylinder. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
They look ok, a bit rich perhaps, especially the front, but it's hard to really form an opinion unless you do a proper plug chop, that is to say, you are riding the bike, then while holding the throttle constant, you pull in the clutch while simultaneously cutting the ignition. Do it at your normal cruising speed. Then immediately check plugs. Don't burn your fingers. If you just idle the bike for a minute or two and then take them out they will probably looks that what you have shown. Here is a typical sparkplug diagnosis chart from the web. http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/engine/plugs.html Anyway, now that you have gone through the trouble of getting the little suckers out, you might want to think about replacing them with some higher quality, longer lasting iridiums. I use Denso IXU24's, there are several other good ones out there, like NGK. | ||
| Ourdee |
I put in the NGKs. Just a little anti seize on the threads and a piece of 1/4" fuel line to get the rear one back in. How do you get your fingers up in there? I will not be doing that with the engine hot. I rode the bike a few times when it was single digits out. I fouled the front once. Main reason for replacing them.  | ||
| Fast1075 |
At 3000 miles I doubt that the engine is fully broken in...the front plug looks a bit sooty...can't tell from the picture if its rich or a bit oiled... Like Jon said...it's about impossible to accurately read plugs that have been idled...unless that is the target area (fouls while idling)...to properly read plugs you need a good viewer...and lots of practice while being guided by someone that knows....if you said that those plugs came out of a race engine that had been run out and throttle chopped...they are both rich...possibly too cold...and I would recommend a leakdown on the front jug...you could have an issue with the front cylinder intake valve seal... | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
How do you get your fingers up in there? That's the tricky part!  Actually not that hard. Remove the "tank" , the inner air box cover, and , ( not sure if I remember this right,) the lower air box. Then snake a spark plug socket, the kind that holds a plug with a rubber insert, on a wobble, attached to an extension. Should come out. Sounds like you got the re-install down. That's really the hard part: easy to cross threads. |
