Spark Plug Question

[TrainMaster]

Yamaha calls for changing spark plugs every 8,000 miles. I changed mine today at 12,441 and the old ones really looked good. Why 8,000? I will not consider changing for another 12,000 minimum. I welcome comments and advice.

 

Ken

[BMW]

Did mine at just over 14,000 and they didn't look bad either.

[Orrin]

Did Mine At 16,300 And They Looked Great. I Thought Previous Owner Had Changed Them.

[Monsta]

Why 8,000? I welcome comments and advice.

Because sparkplugs are cheap. Why not?

[BOO]

Yeah I change mine every spring. Usually 10,000 miles or less. They probably don't need changing but like he said they are cheap. I just use the standard plug.

There are several things I change in the spring or winter that don't have to be changed but that's the time of year I have the most time to do it.

Jerry

[Sleeperhawk]

I change mine every 8,000 to 9,000.

I did it just because the manual said so, now I find my self looking at all the cables and such that is hidden by the gas tank.

 

Besides, just a piece of mind, knowing that if the plugs are looking okay, then most likely nothing is wrong on the inside, and at a 1.50 per plug, I like the piece of mind.

 

[SilvrT]

How often do we change plugs on a car nowadays? Seems to me it's several thousand miles...like 30k, 50k, 100k? N-E-Wayz, my point being, why would we change the plugs on a M/C more often than in a car?

 

I put the Irridium plugs in mine... I don't plan on changing until they cause a problem...seems to me if they're working fine, then why change them "just cause"... (if it ain't broke, why fix it?)

 

Similarly, I put new plugs in my '85 when I got it and ran those for 4 years (roughly 30k kms and then went to Irridium). When I changed them out, they looked very "normal" and the gap was still correct.

[heatonmt]

Is there a better plug out there then the OEM. The OEM is OK but sometime it is not the best.

 

:7_6_3[1]::7_6_3[1]:

[BradT]

I too never understood this.

 

When a plug gets old, does it loose the amount of spark (current), as most of the time they look good when there removed.

 

Only once, did I remove a set and they looked good but the bike ran much better after the new ones were in. The reason I changed them was the bike did not run at all, but they looked good when they were removed.

 

Brad

[wizard]

I've noticed a improvement after changing the plugs. I try to replace them at the recommended intervals, 8000 miles, and just use the OEM which I can buy at Auto Zone. When replacing the old plugs, they look fine to me. Some here say they only replace them when they look bad...

Leonard

[Monsta]

I too never understood this.

 

When a plug gets old, does it loose the amount of spark (current), as most of the time they look good when there removed.

My 2 cents on the subject (albeit with no real technical data to back it up) is that since a motorcycle's engine can and usually revs beyond that of a normal passenger car/truck it must pass more spark though it over it's service life. Undoubtedly, that has to "wear" the inside out more. The center core breaks down, the ceramic can lose some of it's insulating property etc. etc.

 

The electrode may look good and in most cases that's good enough for me. But the every 8K is a good time for me to dig a little deeper under there to find/fix/prevent problems or issues that I would otherwise not do during the normal 4K oil changes I do. Of course, this is just me.

[Lone Eagle]

I read somewhere on here (I think) about using different plugs if you use an aftermarket CB / XM radio unit installed as it could cut down on the static in the ears. I have the J & M CB-2003 and get a lot of static - to the point of not wanting to use the unit / radio. Is this true - if so - what plugs would you all recommend? Thanks.

[KiteSquid]

Some bikes are wired so one plug fires 2 cylinders so the plugs wear twice as fast HOWEVER on the RSV there are 4 coils for 4 cylinders, but I dont know if the low voltage side of the ignition circuit fires each coil independently of each other or not, and I dont have an Oscilloscope to test it.

 

 

Electricity likes to jump from a point to a point, if you look at a new spark plug, the center and ground electrodes have sharp corners. Over time some metal is lost and these become rounded, delaying or in the worst case stopping the spark from jumping the gap and igniting the fuel/air mixture.

 

 

There are LOTS of spark plug diagnosis charts out there on the Internet. Be sure to look at the ground electrode shape as well as the shape of the center conductor.

 

 

 

When you buy Platinum or Iridium plugs you should be buying longer plug life as they are less likely to round off.......... but I kinda like "turning wrenches" for preventative maintenance. It is a relaxing activity for me and gives me more pride of ownership. It also reminds me of the times I assisted my father in maintaining our cars when I was young.

[yamahamer]

They want you to pay the dealer that $130.00 for them to put $12.00 worth of plugs in. The only reson I changed mine is to drop to a #7 since im always at the rev limiter.

[texasrices]

I change my plugs every 8k miles, though like most here, I don't see why. What are your thoughts on standard plugs versus iridium plugs?

[Yammer Dan]

Cheap if you do your own. Why not??

[DavidD]

I'm wondering the samething regarding plug changes. My 02 has the original plugs with 14,000 on them now and they still look new. Sure they are cheap to change but why spend the money if you don't have to.

[BEER30]

Sure the plug looks good to most as you inspect them . But that's what you see on the outside . There's more to a spark plug than the gap and the electrode . During time , but not all the time , the plug can loose voltage and also become brittle due to engine heat . It's worth nothing that spark plugs do not actually create heat but only remove it. Working as a heat exchanger by pulling unwanted thermal energy away from the combustion chamber, spark plugs transfer the heat to the engine's cooling system. The spark plug's firing end temperature must be kept at optimum levels to prevent pre-ignition and fouling.

So spend the few extra bucks in the garage , or pay the Flatbed to come pick you up off the side of the road .

 

BEER30

[rburkeen]

50,000 Miles on iridium plugs I love:bighug: them cotton pickers.