How do my spark plugs look?(too lean?)

[Guest]

Alright guys, I feel like my bike has been running lean lately.
(who knows, maybe it's just in my head!)

It seems like I richen the carbs up, bike runs good for a day. Then it seems like it feels lean again the next day!
I've checked for air leaks with WD-40 and found NOTHING......?

I've been using Berrymans B-12, and it seems like my plugs mysteriously started to get cleaner afterwards.....because a few days ago, they were black and dirty, when I wasn't using fuel treatment.

So do my plugs really look lean or is it just the fuel treatment playing tricks on me....

Note: the rims are actually quite a bit more black than they appear in the picture....the Flash made it look screwy.

[Steve]

Personally, I vote for LEAN.

Now, how did you run the engine just before pulling the plug?

Was it idling, and this shows the idle circuit?

Was it at 1/4 throttle, and this shows the pilot circuit?

Was it at 1/2 throttle, and this shows the needle circuit?

Was it at full throttle, and this shows the main jet?

If you ran it at full throttle, then idled to find a place to pull over and pull the plug, the reading is wasted.

For proper plug readings, you should be running straight gas, no additives.

One last thing, ... what bike are we discussing?

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[1_v8_merc]

Right, sorry, 82 gs650g
25k miles

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See i took the bike for an easy ride yesterday and checked the plugs, they looked blacker than this.

But today.....I took the bike for 2 rides.

First off....I let the bike Idle and run for a few minutes.
Then drove it pretty easy, then hit Half Throttle, then Full Throttle.
(I usually tend to do this, just to get a feel for how strong it's running that particular session)

I drove back home, shut it off, then eventually checked the plugs.
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BTW: My Air/Fuel screws are a Tad more than 2 1/2 turns out......I guess I could go more than that right?

[1_v8_merc]

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Cylinder #1
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Cylinder #2
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Cylinder #3
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Cylinder #4
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[tkent02]

I drove back home, shut it off, then eventually checked the plugs.
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Unless you have one hell of a driveway, those plug readings are telling you only about the pilot circuit, which you used the last little bit up the driveway? The plug's appearance changes constantly, so as Steve implied, you need to do proper chops to read them correctly.

[1_v8_merc]

So....

I can just do this test in Neutral, sitting in the driveway?

Let the bike idle, check the plugs.
Run it 1/4 throttle, check em.
1/2, check em
Full, check em

Will that work?
That way I get isolated readings?

Because I already drove the bike in the different throttle positions, and then checked them.

I guess i'll just wait until this fuel treatment is out of the tank guys!

[Steve]

You can do the idle test in the driveway. That's it. The rest of them have to be done on the road.

The proper procedure has been written many times, but here it is again.

Start with new plugs, if you can.
Warm the bike up so you are off "choke".
Mark the throttle so you have 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 and full throttle openings.
Hint: it looks like this:


Get on the bike, ride with the throttle on the 1/8 setting ONLY for a couple of minutes. This will involve a lot of low-speed stuff through town, so choose a large-ish suburb, if you can. Shift gears as necessary to maintain that 1/8 throttle opening. When you have a safe place to pull over, hit the kill switch and pull the clutch at the same time, coast into your safe spot. Pull the plugs, record the readings.

Put the plugs back in, go for another ride, this time at 1/4 throttle ONLY. Yeah, you can close it down momentarily to shift, but get it back to 1/4 throttle as soon as you can. You might find yourself in top gear at 25 mph to keep from acellerating too much, but that's what it takes. It's throttle position, not engine speed that determines what circuit of the carb you are using. Again, kill switch and clutch, coast to a safe stop, read the plugs.

Repeat at half throttle, it helps if there is a slight uphill to hold your speed back. Good news here is that it only takes a minute or less to show proper color. Again, kill switch and clutch, coast to a safe stop, read the plugs.

The last one does not take long at all. Give it full throttle, shift early, get to top gear, hold the throttle open, then kill switch and clutch, coast to a safe stop, read the plugs.

If you don't use the kill switch, just a few seconds of idling is enough to distort the readings.
That is why you can't do this in your driveway. That is, unless you live so far off a road that you have your own zip code.

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