Blood, sweat, tears & beers . . .

I've changed my plugs 3 times already and haven't even put 100 miles on the bike. That was mostly because of the carb issues & because I was flooding and fouling the plugs and idling too long. I got to change my ways! BTW, since I used to ride back in the day, I did carry extra plugs and points/condensor but I somehow managed to forget to include a plug socket in the tool kit. Doh! Got one now.

Yup, service manual says to change 'em every 5000 miles. It would be nice to get that many miles on a set.

Cowboy, will look into heel rests. Didn't know about them.

Change plugs with every oil change??Geeze...Thought HD plugs were supposed to be good... I think he shoulda said "Check them every 5000 and change them every 50,000 miles"
That might have held true with a Shovel,if you could get 5000 without fouling one...but I've never seen a plug worn on an Evo or Twinkie to the point it needed replacement....if the center electrode is not rounded or the ground strap isn't rounded they're fine...

With my shovel manual it does says to change the plugs after 5000 miles, maybe earlier. You have to constantly monitor the plugs & points. By that time, points and condensors should be changed, too. I don't mind the extra maintenance, after all, anybody who has a shovel is going to work on their bike more. I enjoy tinkering, that's why I got a shovel. If a guy doesn't like working on his bike, then he better not get a shovel!

I guess with the more modern bikes, you guys get much better milage with everything. You guys are spoiled rotten! :roflmao:

:roflmao:Spoiled is right...I guess sales for those chrome spare spark plug holders really dropped off
My service manual for the Evo says inspect at 5000 and replace at 10,000...I change them every couple of years and really don't notice any change in performance,fuel mileage nuttin... I have spares if someone fouls one though
My Shovel manual also says replace at 5000 miles

Since we are on the subject of spark plugs; I use Champion RN12YC. Supposed to be shovel plugs according to J&P. Tattoo says I should switch to Autolite 4265. Says the Champions are crap.

Here is a pic of the plugs I took out yesterday after only 70 miles on them. Plug on the left is the front one. I think the rear cylinder was the one that was misfiring yesterday. Not fun . . . lurching . . . home . . . the last . . . few . . . miles . . . .

Here's a suggestion: File the ground ellectrode back so as to expose more of the center electrode to the combustional mix in the cylndrs. Called 'Half gapping', old hot rod trick, better combustion,more HP. Also index(by using extra plug washer if needed) your plugs so that the gap lines up with the intake port. In a car,about 5 hp alone.

I didn't get my plugs from Harley - J&P. Are they the same?

Charlie, is this what you mean? (See drawing).

Here's a cross reference chart....Champion has been making plugs for Harley for a long time...Champion plugs made in Mexico are junk...check the box before you buy...
Back in the shovel days I highly doubt there was any difference between the Harley 5R6A plug made by Champion for Harley and the regular Champion RN12YC...now days with the ion sensing gizmos Champions low production Harley plugs 6R12 could very well be specked differently than the mass produced Champion RA8HC

http://www.harley-performance.com/harley-spark-plug.html

I'm not bragging boys, but I still have the original plugs in my '08 with 89,000 miles on em. Starts and runs perfectly. They're supposed to last 100,000 but I may break down and spend the $4 for new ones this summer. Sorry Josh.

Hmm . . . Well, I'm using the right plugs for my motor, and since I have 3 more sets I guess I'll use 'em up before switching. Might try some Harley plugs when I run out of the Champions . . . I bet they're expensive, though.

I guess with EI the sky is the limit for plug life - I'll take 5000 miles (if I can get it) and be grinning ear to ear!

You might be able to get the HD plugs for yours since they're the same ones used in Evo's,but I wouldn't pay a premium price for them just to have the HD logo...I'd probably go with the Autolite or NGK...

I've used NGK, Autolite, and Champion, I've switched back to HD they just seem to burn cleaner, NGK seemed to be a little hotter plug.

Yup,That's how to half gap a plug.

Just went for my first evening/night ride. Headlight was too low - pulled over and raised it up to a reasonable level.

Before the ride, I started it up after many kicks, (too many) and it still missed some, so I checked the timing - it was good, then changed the points/condensor to a higher quality set from Accel. Started it up and no more missing. Go figure. By the way Charlie, I did file the new plugs some, exposing about half of the center electrode. Don't know if it helped, but it definitely didn't hurt. Rode about 50 miles or so. Tired now. I have to keep remembering that I'm riding an ANTIQUE! Nothing is ever gonna be smooth and perfect running. Going out again tomorrow evening for a Church meeting (men only) and we're gonna fellowship and eat fresh venison. Everybody's supposed to wear camo stuff, but I don't have any. So my chiropractor, who invited me, said they'd let me wear anything I want so long as I ride the scooter there!

Here is a quick little innovation I came up with to keep my eyes from tearing up until my goggles come back. I made a sort of wind deflector out of a piece of cork and super glued it to my old glasses frame. It worked great - very little wind got in my eyes. (See pics).

Half of center electrode is perfect. I do it in all my vehicles. Hey even if it's 1hp,why not.

The Autolite 4265's are for Hi-Compression (they"colder"), the "NGK U-groove" plugs are cheaper ($4 vs. the $16 custom chrome wants for the 4265), than the hi-perf "SplitFire" plugs, which work good with rich mixtures; they don't foul out. Running under load on one cylinder is hell on your motor's lower end, also.

Fortunately, I only ran that way for a few miles. Hated doing it, but I had to get home. I'm still using the Champions I mentioned earlier. They have the right heat range and seem to work well enough. I don't have a high compression motor, only about 8 to 1, so maybe sticking with the Champions is okay with my stock motor.
Maybe the reason Tattoo recommended the Autolite 4265's is because his shovel has more displacement and considerable more compression.

I'll take every little advantage I can get - and this one's free! Thanks for the tip.