Is it possible

Is it possible new plugs are bad, I have spark everywhere and jumping the gap good. I got the iridium plugs in and now it kinda sound like there is a miss and poor acceleration. Is there a way to check the plugs to see if they are good or bad?

 

Living life one curve after the other. Vroom scooting, thru the countryside.

Pull them and Read them.

Yes I had a iridium plug go bad fast

Edited January 21, 2017 by Drews

I have had brand new bad plugs in the past from several manufacturers.

Yes I had a iridium plug go bad fast

 

30 minute ride fast?

Personaly I have not had a bad new plug since the days of Copper Plugs being the big thing. But it is entirely possible. You should be able to pull the plug, leave it plugged into coil and ground it out and see if you have a good spark.

If you bought the plugs at a discount or cheap it is entirely possible that even though you thought they were a brand name, that were they a cheap knockoff instead. On the other hand, if memory serves me correct, NGK are the only ones that seem to work well, with few complaints, in the Venture. Just make sure you buy them from a reputable parts supplier rather than some other outfit that sells cheaper products.

Ironically, I have had exactly that happen more than once Snype and both times were with me playing with Iridium plugs. My Ventures have ALL "favored" good ol NGK standard plugs. I will normally gap to the tight side of .032 so as the plugs wear and the gap widens it's still in spec. A little attention to not over choking so I dont blacken the plugs and its amazing how many miles I can get out of a set of "stock" plugs. Truly, I never did have any luck with Iridiums or other non stock NGK's.. Funny thing is too,, I raced and woods rode a KX500 for many years and that scoot was the same way - being a 2 stroke one would thing the smaller electrode on the iridium plug would be just the ticket to keep from fouling - didnt work = had the same thing going on with it with 10 $ a plug iridium - idle was funky and throttle response not as crisp = stock NGK = run like a top.. Kind of wonder if that iridium electrode was more fitting for high output auto ignition or something:confused24:

When I bought my Kawasaki ZN700 in 2009, it only had 1,054 miles on it. Number 2 cylinder was dead. I verified spark by grounding the wires to the block. Turned out the original 24 year old plug was completely dead. That is the only time I've ever had a completely dead plug, NGK of course.

Well here is the thing the ngk standards i have all read 5ohm resistand like 4.8-5.1 Now the iridiums measure about 4.3-4.8 so I don't know if that has anything to do with the price of tea in china now the standards I have 8 plugs and tested them all the iridiums I only had 4 to try. I know they are resistor plugs and honestly the iridiums seem to have a bigger gap but I am not about to try and gap them with my coin gapper.

For the 150,000 miles I have put on my 83, most all of the miles were with cheap Autolites that I got from Advance Auto and they do have a plug specific to our Venture. Yes, I have used some fancy plugs, but always went back to the Autolites. Also, they are so cheap that I changed them out every couple years. I have had the bike 21 years.

Go buy a set and change them out and see if it fixes your problem. If it doesn't, you have a problem somewhere else.

Randy

Well I pulled them out got them all dried up and cleaned put them back in got to running temp and the bike shut down would not start up. Putting the old ones back in this bike seems to like cheap plugs!!!

 

Living life one curve after the other. Vroom scooting, thru the countryside.

Do as Randy says. I have used a lot of those Autolites when I was trying to get one right. 6311s Randy??

Do as Randy says. I have used a lot of those Autolites when I was trying to get one right. 6311s Randy??

 

Is that an order sir? Shoot I have not been having much fun lately. Them wires up by the coils are :yikes:, But You know I just thought of something too, I think the plugs I took out of it last summer were Autolite's I will have to check the Garage and see if they may still be in there. They could very well be, Because I thought never know if I may need a couple for something. I just changed them as a tune up there wasn't nothing wrong with them plus that is when I the TCI unit was failing. Which I am sure if I can find someone to rework that board was it Diodes Fool said, Anyways I know for a fact they weren't NGK's.

One more thing My dad was here earlier and was talking about his motorcycles and he was saying that his Suziki didn't like NGK plugs but his 2 cycle motor loved them... He said he used Champions or the Autolite's.

Do as Randy says. I have used a lot of those Autolites when I was trying to get one right. 6311s Randy??

I used Autolites in my Virago but have not tried them in my Venture. According to Autolite.com the 4163 is used in the Gen I Venture. I don't recall if they were any less expensive but then this is Canada where we pay way too much for everything.

I used Autolites in my Virago but have not tried them in my Venture. According to Autolite.com the 4163 is used in the Gen I Venture. I don't recall if they were any less expensive but then this is Canada where we pay way too much for everything.

 

That rings a bell on the 4163's, but then again it might just be my ears ringing.

Randy

That rings a bell on the 4163's, but then again it might just be my ears ringing.

Randy

 

As for the Canadian guy they are the same price as my NGK standards or close too, I think NGK may be closer to 3.50 or so but, I have been trying to find some spark plugs that perform as well as my Copper Splitfires did. So Far I have came back empty. The plug I am looking for the bottom looked kinda like a crowbar and the inner peice really had the copper color to it. I haven't seen those spark plugs since 99. I would have never used them in the first place but true story I picked up a flintstone car it was an 84 Chevy Chevette and I got well over 30 miles to a gallon in that car. When I switched to regular plugs as those plugs ran about $5.00 versus $0.78 a piece I was only getting a measly 25 mpg. So when I got paid again I bought the Copper split fires and got my 30+ mpg back. I miss that car minus the times I was pulled over for supposedly laying rubber and the cop leaving my carton of cigs over the flintstone power conversion and losing all but one pack. Lost more then Cigs in that car.....

Got my split fire plugs in today and I have to say I am impressed, Altho not really fair to the other spark plugs as I did totally rewire all my ignition wiring but so far it seems like an improvement all around.