plug of choice

[Guest]

I picked up a 83 GS1100L this week and it runs well but can be a little fussy to start and the plugs look a little old. I'm looking to get new ones and while I usually run NGK in my rides I was wondering what people here choose to run. I know that I can get NGK from Oreilly here in town and for an 1100 it seems I would go with the 24111/B8ES is that what you are running or do you have an other option that you prefer? The bike has a V&H 4-1 and the carbs were redone to match from what the PO said.

[cowboyup3371]

Most of us will run the NGK B8ES plugs

[Brendan W]

I'd second that based on exhaustive trials of other heat ranges and other manufacturer's plugs
If the bike is pretty much stock the 8s should be ok.
Fussy starting could simply be a volt or two being lost by the time it gets to the coils - a very common issue with machines of this age. When you get the time that's where I would focus effort before pointing fingers at plugs or carburation.

[Steve]

And the "a little fussy to start" condition likely has nothing to do with the plugs.

Since you just got the bike, you probably know nothing about its maintenance history. There is a decent chance that the valves have not been adjusted, and if the bike has not been used regularly, the carbs probably need to be rebuilt, as well.

Please consult the Top 10 Newbie Mistakes thread, follow the advice there and you will have a happier bike.

Where are you? There might be a member close enough to help. Please update your profile to show your location. It is also handy to generate a signature that mentions your bike, so you won't have to remember to mention it every time you ask a question.

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[Agemax]

I use B8EV's in my GS1000

[TheRangerSteve]

I don't know much about the history of the bike, it is obvious that at some point someone went through the top end, from the look of the bolts you can tell they have been removed and replaced. I figured on a learning curve with it when I bought it, you never can be sure what the PO tells you is accurate. Once it warms up it's alright, but when it is cold it doesn't want to fire right up unless you get just the right spot on the choke. So a couple times I've played with it till I got it over just far enough.

https://instagram.com/p/2CVmsVSkvt/?taken-by=therangersteve

[Steve]

Since you don't know the history, click on the link I gave you in post #4, then break out the tools and get busy.

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[Grimly]

Answering the original question - NGK, all the way. Yay.
Champion were good, once, but let me down too many times. Indeed, the one and only time I fitted four brand-new plugs that were dead out of the box, guess what make they were?