If you are a motorcycle enthusiast, it is always a good idea to know as much as you can about your motorcycle. Knowing about how your motorcycle works will always help you to make most out of it and have best performance from it. You can also repair the bike yourself or can replace some parts without any help of a mechanic.
Spark plugs are important elements of any vehicle. Reading a spark plug correctly can save you a lot of money and time. In this short article, I am going to explain everything you need to know about motorcycle spark plugs:
Motorcycle Spark Plugs
The spark plug is one of the most important and fundamental components of your motorcycle’s ignition system. Located in the head of the cylinder, it ignites the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber, causing an explosion that starts the engine power of the bike.
Types of Motorcycle Spark Plugs
There are hundreds of types, sizes and brands of motorcycle spark plugs in the market offering you a wide range of sections to choose from. But it can often be difficult to find the exact match for your bike.
When you buy one, you should match with your brand of the motorcycle. You should find this article about how to choose motorcycle spark plugs helpful.
Parts of the Spark Plug
Some of the most notable parts of a spark plug include terminal nut, nose of the insulator, threaded piece, gasket, metal shell, hexagonal piece, top insulator piece, corrugated ceramic section, center electrode and grounded electrode. So, a spark plug might be a tiny item but has a lot of parts. Reading the spark plug properly can save you a lot of time and energy. You need to know the normal spark plug color and changes of colors and what each mean:
Reading The Spark Plug Properly
You need to unscrew the spark plug out of the engine and take a look at it. Taking a look at it, you can understand the condition of the engine (good or bad). You can know how it is running (rich or lean) and how much it will cost to fix it if you are facing any problem with your bike’s engine.
Check Carbon Deposits: if you see dry sooty deposits it indicates a week ignition and can cause hard shifting and misfiring. The recommended action to take is checking for a clogged air element, worn ignition points, sticky choke, and high float level. You can replace the spark plug with a new one with a longer core nose for better anti-fouling protection.
Check Oil Deposits: If you find oily coating on the spark plug it may be caused by poor oil control. It can cause hesitation, misfiring and hard starting. Changing of the spark plug is recommended.
Check If It Is Too hot: eroded electrode, white insulator, blistered and absence of deposits are some major causes of too hot spark plug and can cause shortened plug life. Checking for the right plug heat range, sticking valves, intake manifold vacuum leaks, lean fuel mixture, and over-advanced ignition timing can help you solve this problem. It is important to ensure the radiator is not clogged.
Some More Problems: Some other problems with spark plugs can be Pre-ignition, High Speed Glazing, Gap Bridging, and Ash Deposits. Changing the plug or just cleaning it often can solve these problems.
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