Do You Talk To Your Plugs???

You should.  It is really a lost art that a lot of people don't seem to do anymore.  Even I need a refresher.  Nothing gives you direct information of what is going on inside the cylinder like your spark plug.  Aside from telling you if you have the right plug in there all together it will let you know of your mixture quality, and if something fishy is going on inside the motor.

Did you know that the spark plug your manufacturer recommends may not be the best plug for your engine?  Depending on how and where you drive can change the needs of your spark plug.  If you tend to ride hard and really push the engine most of the time you may find the manufacturers recommendation too hot.  Too hot a plug can cause damage to the plug hurting maximum engine performance and can cause a hot spot and pre-ignition in extreme cases.  On the other hand if you tend to just loaf the engine and just cruise everywhere and never open it up, you may find the spark plug your manufacturer recommends to be too cold.  Too cold a plug wont be able to burn deposits off and will reduce your spark energy which will have an effect on performance.

Do you have a carbureted bike, or a custom computer to tune your fuel injection?  Have you changed the induction design (i.e. removed air box) or changed your exhaust system?  Is your tune correct?  The spark plugs can tell you.  Reading the plugs will let you know if you need to step up to that richer main jet or bump your fuel injection timings.

So take a few minutes and learn to talk to your plugs, your bike will thank you for it.