Spark plug advice (Iridium or not?)

[mrmike]

  I currently have my X-Town 300 completely torn down to install new LED headlights. I also installed small LED bulbs where the European turn signals normally go. Now that I have the seat and luggage box removed for better battery access, I'm wondering about installing a Iridium spark plug while it's apart. would it be a good idea? What size socket do I need to remove it?

[Stig / Major Tom]

5/8 deepwell socket with rubber insert to grab the spark plug.
Commonly known as a sparkplug socket.
Cross-reference your current plug for the correct Iridium.....NGK or Denso.
I prefer the slight difference in the behavior of the NGK over that of the Denso in my LIKE200I.
Both increased and strengthened my idle at stoplights - compared to the stock NGK.
I've used them in all 4 of my scooters (Honda, Suzuki,  Piaggio and Kymco)
And. "No", you don't use a cooler Iridium plug.....this from email to NGK.
" Iridium sparkplugs are numbered to match the heat range of standard plugs."
@$8 from O'Reilly autoparts.
Use no thread treatment...plugs have special finish on threads from NGK. Do not gap an Iridium sparkplug.
Stig

[john grinsel]

Based on my experience with 11 new maxi scooters and over 400,000 miles with them.  I would remove stock plug/brush off/gap replace with never seize on threads----they will last at least 50,000 miles.  I see no gain in buying/installing expensive plugs.   check connection on cap.

[Tromper]

On my Burgman 650 the plugs were a PITA. 
Iridium's great claim to fame is durability, so I installed them on that.
I used copper on my old SYM, until the last change.  I could have regapped but I spent a few bucks and got an iridium.

No noticeable change in performance on either bike, but prior experience on my 2k6 burgman and my RAV say the iridium will hold up better so less hassle.

[Iahawk]

John is right...and so are Stig and Tromper...in a way...will a regular plug work just fine? Yes. Will an iridium work fine? Yes. In a blind test would you ever notice any difference?..unlikely.....an iridium lasts longer, which means less changeouts, which can be important in many applications (think transverse V6 in a car).

Is changeout frequency a problem in a simple 1 cyl scooter? Not at all.

It's very similar to synthetic vs conventional oil...both work fine...just use the one that makes you sleep better at night.

(by the way, I have used both regular and iridium plugs and conventional and synthetic oil...neither will affect the longevity of my scoots)

[Neil955i]

John is right...and so are Stig and Tromper...in a way...will a regular plug work just fine? Yes. Will an iridium work fine? Yes. In a blind test would you ever notice any difference?..unlikely.....an iridium lasts longer, which means less changeouts, which can be important in many applications (think transverse V6 in a car).

Is changeout frequency a problem in a simple 1 cyl scooter? Not at all.

It's very similar to synthetic vs conventional oil...both work fine...just use the one that makes you sleep better at night.

(by the way, I have used both regular and iridium plugs and conventional and synthetic oil...neither will affect the longevity of my scoots)

Hawk, on the button buddy!

[Ruffus]

Yes fellers, you ALL are right, little bit offtopic,
 but sometimes if you have big cubatures like on a BMW/MOTO GUZZI 1100 or bigger, normal sparkplugs cannot handle a volume which exceeds 500ccm per cylinder.
Then you have a couple of possibilities.
Either you install a twin spark ignition system
 or
you take this special sparkplugs from BRISK.
Hard to lay hands on nowadays, but ....
Of course mapping is supposed to be changed too.