High speed spark plugs

10098 Views 14 Replies 11 Participants Last post by chrisashbrook, May 21, 2016

Hardway

Discussion Starter · Mar 8, 2009

I asked about the stock plugs or high speed plugs for my mostly highway riding here on this forum. I got mostly, "stay with the standard plugs".

I've done a search and the subject of high speed plugs is somewhat rare on this board and there aren't too many rare Gold Wing subjects on this board.

My plugs were pretty white on the ceramic around the electrodes and there was absolutely no carbon build on any part of the plug after 17,000 miles. The gaps were still within range. This indicated to me that maybe the plugs were too hot for my riding. So, I put in the high speed plugs Honda recommends for extended high speed riding. I went for a 100 mile ride on the highway. "Seat of the pants" opinion was that the bike had more power and it seemed a bit smoother accelerating from 65 mph on up. Probably a result of new plugs, not necessarily the high speed plugs.

Anyway, I will let you guys know how the bike runs overall in slower and higher speed traveling and how the gas mileage works out. I'll pull the plugs after 5,000 miles to see how they look as well.

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Waldo

· #2 · Mar 8, 2009

Colder plug worked very well in my Valkyrie after I advanced the timing 6° and I have run the HOTTER plugs in my Prairie 650 quad since day one (that's my stump puller). I also ran cold plugs in my Zuk LT-Z400 for obvious reasons. I was happy with them and got the same impression you did.

My wing plugs were a very nice amber when I swapped them out, but I don't run the superslab much at all. I set my GPS to "Avoid Highways" every time I ride any distance.

Just as a final note, when folks say "OEM IS BEST" they are probably referring to NGK as opposed to Champion, splitfire, iridiam etc. Usually, they don't mean just the "medium" heat rating. NGK has lower numbers for hotter and higher numbers for colder plugs. Dunno why. Seems to defy logic but there ya go.

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Tim Vipond

· #3 · Mar 8, 2009

Here is the NGK recommended premium Iridium spark plug for the GL1800:

NGK3764 (BKR6EIX-11) . You can read more about them at https://www.amsoil.com/storefront/ngk_iridium_ix.aspx?zo=1181889 .

stick405

· #4 · Mar 8, 2009

I've been running these plugs in my Wing for the past 60K. Still like the day I put them in. Ran them in my BMW oil head for quite a while. They can sometimes be bought off Ebay cheaper. Cheers...:doorag:
http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-4418-Spark-Plug-+4/dp/B000BYGGVC

laen

· #5 · Mar 8, 2009

oem ngk

Hardway

Discussion Starter · #6 · Mar 8, 2009

To clarify, I stayed with the NGK plug. The stock OEM plug is the NGK BKR6E-11 and I put Honda's recommended NGK BKR7E-11 plug for extended high speed riding in the bike. This is a slightly colder plug that Honda recommends for running mostly at higher speeds. Time will tell.

31261

· #7 · Mar 8, 2009

The high speed plugs, (colder plugs) in theory if used for normal riding would help stop heat build up in the engine. They are made to transfer heat to the heads quickly and allow it to be cooled quickly.

As for me, I use the Iridium number 6 plug at the first plug change. Coat the threads with a thin coat of anti-seize, torque them to specs and forget about them. Just one thing not to have to worry about.

Kit

Mark Rowell

· #8 · Mar 8, 2009

Sounds to me like the plugs you recently replaced were doing an admirable job. Motorcycle Consumer New March 2009 issue had an excellent article by Editor Dave Searle about sparkplugs on page 2. To quote "Keeping the insulator in this 'self cleaning' range without allowing overheating... is the reason for sparkplugs of different heat ranges". To summerize the point, the temperature of the plug has to be hot enough to burn off carbon deposits but not so hot that it caused pre-ignition or detonation.

Multi-tipped or "ring of fire" plugs are a mostly a gimmick so I wouldn't waste your money, but the Iridium tipped plugs will last longer because they don't erode over time as fast as regular plugs. I think Jim Vipond's suggestion of "NGK recommended premium Iridium spark plug for the GL1800: NGK3764 (BKR6EIX-11)" is probably a good idea.

The article also goes into the regular vs long cone variations of plugs, but I came away thinking that the engineering is already done by Honda so use the cone length recommended by them. Dave Searle says that spark plugs will only perform best when brand new, so you should expect any plug replacment to make your bike run better... unless you have mucked around and picked the wrong plug. :-(

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Kamhwy

· #9 · May 20, 2016

Hardway said:
To clarify, I stayed with the NGK plug. The stock OEM plug is the NGK BKR6E-11 and I put Honda's recommended NGK BKR7E-11 plug for extended high speed riding in the bike. This is a slightly colder plug that Honda recommends for running mostly at higher speeds. Time will tell.

so what was your result? I was trying to look up the speed ranges associated with the high speed plug myself and have not found anything. The Honda shop here also doesn't know what I am talking about when I asked them about it. The service manual doesn't state much on the subject.

Pigeon Roost

· #10 · May 20, 2016

The need for higher speed plugs in this bike is probably only for folks like you who live in hot, wide-open country with high speed limits or limited enforcement. Here in WV, the highest posted limit is 70 mph where this bike is just puttering along and most of our roads are as crooked as a barrel of fish hooks and extended high speed is not common. Good to have choices. OE heat range plugs on this bike get wide gaps rather quickly, maybe your colder plug will suffer less.

prs

Waldo

· #11 · May 21, 2016

Pigeon Roost said:
Here in WV,most of our roads are as crooked as a barrel of fish hooks

prs

Well put! I hear if they ironed out all the wrinkles in WV it would be bigger than Texas! Been through WV on 64 seven times in the last 5 months.

techdude2000

· #12 · May 21, 2016

Kamhwy said:
so what was your result? I was trying to look up the speed ranges associated with the high speed plug myself and have not found anything. The Honda shop here also doesn't know what I am talking about when I asked them about it. The service manual doesn't state much on the subject.

Welcome to the board! Hardway hasn't been active here since 2013, so he may never answer you about his results. I've never met anyone who runs anything other than the normal heat range plugs, so I have no data to support or refute the results.

Pigeon Roost

· #13 · May 21, 2016

Waldo said:
Well put! I hear if they ironed out all the wrinkles in WV it would be bigger than Texas! Been through WV on 64 seven times in the last 5 months.

I use I-64 on occasion, esp if in the PU, but on the bike I US-60 or other old two lane roller coasters. Besides, I am too cheap to pay all of those tolls. As you noticed, some WV interstate is pretty crooked too and lots of drivers do not know how to handle it, even the big rigs.

prs

Kamhwy

· #14 · May 21, 2016 (Edited)

Thanks everyone for the info. Yes here in FL where I will typically ride in traffic to from work, or down to the fort lauderdale area. I am typically on 95 running 80-85 average for 2-3 hours at a shot. with an outside air temp of 88+. I am just surprised the dealerships parts and service folks don't know what these plugs are. I do 95% of my own service, so when I'm in picking up parts I'll ask questions and they look at me with huge saucer eyes and a blank stare.

chrisashbrook

· #15 · May 21, 2016 (Edited)

Hardway said:
I asked about the stock plugs or high speed plugs for my mostly highway riding here on this forum. I got mostly, "stay with the standard plugs".

I've done a search and the subject of high speed plugs is somewhat rare on this board and there aren't too many rare Gold Wing subjects on this board.

My plugs were pretty white on the ceramic around the electrodes and there was absolutely no carbon build on any part of the plug after 17,000 miles. The gaps were still within range. This indicated to me that maybe the plugs were too hot for my riding. So, I put in the high speed plugs Honda recommends for extended high speed riding. I went for a 100 mile ride on the highway. "Seat of the pants" opinion was that the bike had more power and it seemed a bit smoother accelerating from 65 mph on up. Probably a result of new plugs, not necessarily the high speed plugs.

Anyway, I will let you guys know how the bike runs overall in slower and higher speed traveling and how the gas mileage works out. I'll pull the plugs after 5,000 miles to see how they look as well.

Spark plugs can look good, but build up resistance. That is why Honda recommends changing them, I suppose. My wife's Honda car uses Iridium plugs which are good for 100,000 miles... but... I suspect the ignition system is a lot hotter than the coils on a Gold Wing. I see no reason why the Honda recommended plugs would not work... But you never know. The problem will arise when you get stuck riding in slow traffic, if that happens. Then the could "load up" and cause misfiring if they are not "hot" enough.

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