Iridium Spark Plugs

Message

Aladinsaneuk · #16 Post by **Aladinsaneuk** » Wed May 27, 2009 10:57 pm

nod andy

i was chatting to griff about this - and he is not convinced

i think what we need to do is to persuade some one who works for a national magazine to arrange a test on a dyno etc for these plugs to give us an answer

and am serious - i do think it would make a very interesting read for many bikers in the uk - ie, is this worth it....

over to you ben :)

D-Rider · #17 Post by **D-Rider** » Wed May 27, 2009 11:00 pm

Oh BTW plugs need to be more than finger tight.

I do it by feel but I seem to remember the rule of thumb for a new plug (with new plug washer) is finger tight plus a quarter to half a turn.

D-Rider · #18 Post by **D-Rider** » Wed May 27, 2009 11:07 pm

Aladinsaneuk wrote:nod andy

i was chatting to griff about this - and he is not convinced

i think what we need to do is to persuade some one who works for a national magazine to arrange a test on a dyno etc for these plugs to give us an answer

and am serious - i do think it would make a very interesting read for many bikers in the uk - ie, is this worth it....

over to you dan :)

To be meaningful, this would need to be done on a number of different engines and compare much more than just power.
Would need to test ease of starting with various states of battery condition, effect on fuel consumption and a long-term test of degradation over lifetime (although a set of iridiums should easily outlive most bike engines).
I agree - a test of all these parameters would be very interesting.

Maybe you could interest Ben Wilkins ..... ?

Aladinsaneuk · #19 Post by **Aladinsaneuk** » Thu May 28, 2009 7:05 am

you are one of those moderator types, and you have shit loads of time on your hands as you are on holiday for several weeks now - so you can right him a nice personal message

:)

let me know when he wants my bike to fit assorted plugs to to try

D-Rider · #20 Post by **D-Rider** » Thu May 28, 2009 10:35 am

Back at work next week

HowardQ · #21 Post by **HowardQ** » Thu May 28, 2009 12:16 pm

D-Rider wrote:Back at work next week

That's good news mate, hope it all goes well!

On the original thread I would tend to agree that combustion performance should be pretty good on a twin plug head, as you say that is why they go to the expence of twin plug heads.
Then again combustion has to be good on any modern "Clean" engine, you would want any nasty unburnt fuel getting out and killing everybody or even just the cat!
(Remember the horrible days when cars had Webber carbs or similar with pump jets. You could see when somebody in front had floored it, when all the black smoke of unburnt fuel came out the exhaust, how did we ever survive? There were never any flat spots then).
What I think we need is someone in the business to arrange for a free supply of DENSO plugs so that they can be fully road tested by a suitable group of people.

Sure you can sort this on your first day back Andy!

D-Rider · #22 Post by **D-Rider** » Thu May 28, 2009 12:44 pm

HowardQ wrote:
D-Rider wrote:Back at work next week
That's good news mate, hope it all goes well!

On the original thread I would tend to agree that combustion performance should be pretty good on a twin plug head, as you say that is why they go to the expence of twin plug heads.
Then again combustion has to be good on any modern "Clean" engine, you would want any nasty unburnt fuel getting out and killing everybody or even just the cat!
(Remember the horrible days when cars had Webber carbs or similar with pump jets. You could see when somebody in front had floored it, when all the black smoke of unburnt fuel came out the exhaust, how did we ever survive? There were never any flat spots then).
What I think we need is someone in the business to arrange for a free supply of DENSO plugs so that they can be fully road tested by a suitable group of people.
Sure you can sort this on your first day back Andy!

Hardly my first day back Howard - went back after my "tumble" about 6 weeks ago .... just been using up some holiday this week (good news is that I've still 3.5 weeks leave to take in the remaining 4.5 weeks 'till the end of June ... so will only be in next week before a nice really loooooong break.

As for getting hold of plugs (or anything the company makes) it is nigh on impossible.
You have no idea the perseverance employed to get just one set for myself .... and that was when the guy with (difficult) access to them was a fellow biker .... and he's left now. No chance of getting any more - even for me! Thank goodness the Iridiums should out last the bike.

#23 Post by **mangocrazy** » Thu May 28, 2009 7:37 pm

D-Rider wrote:just been using up some holiday this week (good news is that I've still 3.5 weeks leave to take in the remaining 4.5 weeks 'till the end of June ... so will only be in next week before a nice really loooooong break.

So Andy - sounds like you're a lot more healed than when I last heard (been in France since the 8th May). How's things? And (more importantly) is a trip to the South of France in June any kind of possibility?

D-Rider · #24 Post by **D-Rider** » Thu May 28, 2009 8:25 pm

mangocrazy wrote:
D-Rider wrote:just been using up some holiday this week (good news is that I've still 3.5 weeks leave to take in the remaining 4.5 weeks 'till the end of June ... so will only be in next week before a nice really loooooong break.

So Andy - sounds like you're a lot more healed than when I last heard (been in France since the 8th May). How's things? And (more importantly) is a trip to the South of France in June any kind of possibility?

Hi Graham
Yes I'm fine - seldom get any pain any more.
I didn't get round to sorting out the trip to France - when they originally told me I couldn't ride for 12 weeks (which would have taken me right up to the day I would have needed to leave) it didn't seem to be a realistic proposition.
Even when they reduced that to 6 - 8 weeks I had no idea what it would be like to ride for a while. As it is, it's been fine but a bit late to sort out the trip and anyone to go with (sooner do a trip like this with one or two others than by myself).
All that said, I really do want to visit that part of France ..... so I'll keep in touch .... maybe early autumn? maybe next year? certainly no later than that.

#25 Post by **mangocrazy** » Fri May 29, 2009 12:25 pm

I'm tentatively planning a visit to S of F in late June/early July, but work commitments may yet get in the way. Hope not. But even if we manage those dates, there's nothing to say we can't do it again in the autumn.

September is probably the best month of the lot, anyway. Still plenty warm, but all the holiday makers have gone home. In fact July/Aug can be too warm at times, especially in leathers...

Last year in mid-Oct the temps were in the low 20s C and we had some lovely days out on the old VFR.

D-Rider · #26 Post by **D-Rider** » Fri May 29, 2009 1:53 pm

mangocrazy wrote:I'm tentatively planning a visit to S of F in late June/early July, but work commitments may yet get in the way. Hope not. But even if we manage those dates, there's nothing to say we can't do it again in the autumn.

September is probably the best month of the lot, anyway. Still plenty warm, but all the holiday makers have gone home. In fact July/Aug can be too warm at times, especially in leathers...

Last year in mid-Oct the temps were in the low 20s C and we had some lovely days out on the old VFR.

Yeah - obviously things would be at your convenience ..... but I've got my eye on September. Felt Aug would be too hot - no chance of July after having virtually all June off work (with holiday that has to be taken by the end of June). Thought September would be more pleasant both from a temperature and less people about perspective ....