NGK Iridium plugs

[gearjammer]

Anybody heard or used these iridium plugs before.

http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/part_finder/motorcycles/step4.asp?id=2309&type=ir

Im trying to find a new brand to see if there's a diff, been using champions for the past 20k. Running a 99 B12s.

[PaulVS]

your link is bad, but yes, NGK Iridium plugs are available.  I use them, and am very happy with them.

What is it you want to know?

[gearjammer]

Thanks PaulVS! Is there any difference between the standard and iridiums (noticeable?) Do the iridiums run longer?

[PaulVS]

That's the primary point of the Iridiums... to last longer. 

They also seem to help with quicker warmups... which is helpful on a cold-blooded bike like the Bandit.

There is no performance increase.

[Red01]

I've never been a fan of Autolite plugs, but when Holeshot recommended their plug, I decided to give 'em a go and have been using them ever since.  I doubt they'll last as long as an iridium plug, but they are cheap enough to get new ones whenever I pop the cover off for a valve adjustment inspection, which for me is ~10,000 miles. And I can pick them up at the local auto parts store without having to order them in.

IIRC, the book says to change the stock style every 15K.

[pmackie]

IIRC, the book says to change the stock style every 15K.

Oops says the ex mechanic..."You're suppossed to change those things?" 60,000 kms and counting on the origional plugs...I guess I should change them before I sell the  bike to my brother though (so I can say that I actually changed the plugs  ).

Likely those stockers are getting a little worse for wear, but the bike still starts and runs just fine.

[H2RICK]

Strangely enough, Paul, I feel the same way about my stock plugs.....
but it always SEEMS that ANY bike benefits from fresh plugs, no matter how well it ran before.
My problem is with OEM versus replacement plugs. An AC Delco rep recently told me a little story about how the stock plugs that go into GM engines are of a FAR better quality than the AC's you can buy at Cambodian Tire or the other mass market stores. I thought about this and wondered if it made economic sense for AC to run 2 plug assembly lines. I'm sure AC's accountants know to the 1/10 of a cent if it makes sense or not. I'm also sure that if this IS true, then NGK will be doing the same thing.
It would be nice to get verification of this "urban myth" ???
If it IS true that there are two "qualities" of plugs, then a guy would be crazy to bin the stock plugs without reason.
OTOH, if the myth is NOT true, then a guy can change plugs with no worries.
Sometimes I wonder if I worry about (mostly) inconsequential things too much.....although spark plugs are not exactly inconsequentia itemsl, IMO.

[Bazza]

I ran Iridiums in my bandit and have them in my FJR.

I will use nothing else in a bike now. You will not get anymore performance out of your bike, but Iridium plugs will last 3 times that of a normal plug.

In my Bandit they amounted to a silky smooth idle for 2 seasons. I have had a set in the FJR for 25,000 km and still not considering changing them at all.

NGK Iridium IX spark plugs provide unsurpassed performance in auto/light truck and powersports applications. The iridium alloy electrode is extremely durable to heat, corrosion and electrical wear. The fine wire electrode reduces the amount of energy required to create a spark while providing increased ignition efficiency and superior ignitability. The center electrode of Iridium IX spark plugs has an extra anti-fouling mechanism. A thermo edge between the center electrode and the insulator nose provides a gap for a secondary micro-discharge to jump and initiate a self-cleaning process.

[Red01]

I have iridium plugs in my Geo Tracker and I have to change them out -all 4 of them- every 100,000 miles. 
And the damn engineer put the plugs right there where you can get to them.  What were they thinking?  Must have been designed on a Wednesday.

[Bazza]

Still have your S.C. GM? 

Should have seen how my plugs welded themselves to the cylinder heads after 160,000 KM.

[Red01]

You mean the Supercharged Regal?  Yes, I still have it.  No problems yet.  It's got ~140K miles on it now and changed the plugs last fall.

[Bazza]

I changed the plugs on my SSEI Bonneville last fall and they had almost welded themseves to the head. Lets just say I have a very large snipe.