Best Motorcycle Spark Plug - Himalayan Spark Plug Change - Iridium Spark Plugs vs Normal

I talk about the best motorcycle spark plug. This Himalayan Spark Plug change, I swap out the normal Bosch copper spark plug and install an NGK Iridium plug CR8EIX. also talk about and show the key differences between the spark plugs and why I am changing to an NGK Iridium plug for the 2021 Royal Enfield Himalayan. I talk about heat displacement, consistent spark etc and why that is important.
On my channel I do all things moto vlog on my Royal Enfield Himalayan. I travel to interesting historic places in Scotland and the UK. I also do install and modifications on my Royal Enfield Himalayan and tips and tricks for adventure riders. Look out for motorcycle gear reviews as well.
Iridum CR-8 EIX Spark Plug Link
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Wee Jaunt.

[@WeeJaunt]

Forgot to mention in the video guys. Double check the code when you buy the plug before installing. I ordered online with Halfords to pick up in store.. I got a handed BR8 rather than CR8.

[@dane4890]

I use the NGK CR8EIX, that is very good on both my 450ccm and 600ccm

[@bmwr1150r]

Great video with really clear advice, I have heard of people swapping to iridium plugs and had no idea why or if they make a difference, I feel a little bit better informed now thanks

[@captparnell]

A simple, yet important, reminder and tutorial. Thanks, Martin!

[@WeeJaunt]

Thanks Kevin. Aye doing lots of little jobs now it's winter time. Thanks again mate 👍

[@williamulyate2392]

Fantastic video. Thanks a bunch!

[@awabac]

Thank you for this. Very well explained indeed!

[@seankearney6915]

I hadn't realised plug life had gone up so much. It used to be clean or replace with every oil change. Then I stopped cleaning them as I got more expensive engines and old mechanic said it was false economy to clean them as unless you were sure you had all the grit out you could be introducing grit into your engine. Nice to see you put them in by hand I have had a few secondhand bikes and cars where previous owners or garages had messed the threads up. I think reading plugs became a lost art with fuel injection and electronic ignition as the mixture and timing are outside your control and you don't really tune the engine now it has become a fitters job remove and replace at the recommended intervals.I would take one out early then keep as a spare that way you know the spare is a working one.

[@WeeJaunt]

That's it Sean overlooked quite often. Iv had plugs rusted into heads before it's no fun and inexcusable given the cost to replace them. There is nothing wrong with cleaning and adjusting a £3 plug. I just wouldn't be doing it at 10k miles eh.

[@peterhobbs7609]

Great educational review, cheers

[@laurenceharrison2647]

Just changed, started from cold no worries after that. Thanks for the top notch content!

[@WeeJaunt]

Thanks Laurence appreciated mate glad it helped 👍

[@guybway]

Very educational to the point video - thanks Wee!

[@WeeJaunt]

Thanks Guy appreciated mate and thanks for watching 👍

[@johnpawson7400]

Really well explained Martin, thanks for sharing and have ordered one on your link

[@WeeJaunt]

Brilliant thanks John I really appreciate that mate and thanks again 👍

[@mimodelorean]

my God gotta love your accent (and thanks for the vid!)

[@stevec-b6214]

nice one, i like to give a wee blast with the air line to expel any crud from around the plug hole before i take the plug out

[@robinsattahip2376]

There are so many fake knockoffs in packaging you cannot distinguish from the real thing don't buy them online. Their main advantage is that they last longer, your bike will not go faster. Great for the bikes that take hours to get to the plugs to replace them.

[@1couple4bikes]

When I did my apprenticeship we had a Champion Plug cleaning machine, it would blast the electrode with fine grit then after check the spark with the attached high voltage adaptor. Many times I was electrocuted by it working on the bench next to it and someone had secretly attached the crocodile clip to the vice. People forget just how important plugs are for engine efficiency and power

[@WeeJaunt]

Wow aye good old apprentice jokes Manny. You're right it's overlooked by many people sadly including service centres sometimes. Thanks again mate 👍

[@dane4890]

Great video ;)

[@bombadil_moto]

Thank you very much for your Video Sand information 👍and the subtitles 😏!

[@WeeJaunt]

Thanks again Bombadil for watching mate I really appreciate it. Glad the subtitles are useful 👍

[@MarshallCant]

Nice to have an explanation of why the NGK Iridium plug is better. I've seen it mentioned many times but never with an explanation. Thanks for that.

[@WeeJaunt]

Thanks Marshall glad you found it useful 👍thanks for watching mate.

[@BikeOpa_Tom]

I use Iridium even on my 50ccm and its cold start and idle behavior in wintertime is way better than with the standard. So, on my future "big" bike (just made my license a few months ago), I'll also use Iridium. 😎👍

[@WeeJaunt]

Thanks Thomas you must be looking forward to getting on a bigger bike mate. Exciting 👍

[@rogerwilkes9704]

Great explanation, but is the gap still to RE specification, TA

[@paulfisher1277]

Thanks for the video. Followed your instructions for fitting the iridium spark plug and now my issues with cold starting my himalayan have disappeared.

[@WeeJaunt]

Brilliant Paul hopefully it helps. Certainly made a difference to mine. Thanks for the feedback mate 👍

[@jacksjaunts8580]

I still fir and adjust my own plugs. Too many times after a service have I pulled it out and it hasn’t been looked at. They are of course much more reliable nowadays than when I was a teenager in the early/mid seventies.

[@WeeJaunt]

Great advice Jack they are better these days but absolutely right..many a car service In particular over the years they get ignored. I bought a wee car this time last year..pulled the plugs out..took almost an hour they musta had 80k miles on them and were rusted into the head. Only one of the many things wrong with it. Absolutely ridiculous mate. Thanks for watching 👍

[@ratdad48]

Thanks for instructions on how to change a spark plug, but too late. I was trying to remove it by turning right! I spent hrs trying to remove it. Even used a cheater bar for more leverage. Then I snapped it off! So I had to take it to a machine shop so the could drill it out. Cost me a small fortune. So before I change another, I'll check back on your video!

[@WeeJaunt]

Oh wow that sounds like a nightmare I'm glad it's fixed now mate yeh sparkplug don't need to be tight 👍

[@mrblues364]

Well that was an expensive lesson for you! So here's something to help you in the future - righty tighty, lefty loosey😃

[@ratdad48]

Haha😁

[@derekm6236]

Always put a little copper grease on the threads before fitting a plug, then it will always unscrew easily, no matter how long you leave it in place.

[@WeeJaunt]

Aye Derek I use Nickel anti slip on all threads that need in and out regularly including plugs. I didn't mention it in this video as majority manufacturers say don't put any kind of anti slip on plugs. People can do what they think is right for them. 👍 Thanks for the feedback mate.

[@derekm6236]

@@WeeJaunt Can't imagine why they say that. It's asking for seized threads! Copper grease is the second best maintenance practice, after frequent oil changes.

[@WeeJaunt]

@@derekm6236 I think it's a problem with people putting copper slip on plugs and then torque too tight stripping the threads. A few cases of folk trying to sue spark plug manufacturers after following torque specs and stripping threads rather than reduce torque by 30% after applying anti slip. Spark plug manufacturers now usually coat with Zinc or some kind of alloy blend and explicitly state not to add anti slip. Of course it will wear eventually if the plugs are not changed as per spec but that's not the spark plug manufacturers problem then. It's nothing more than an anti liable thing. Have a look on Google there's alot of information on it. Hence the reason I don't even mention it lol. I agree with you though I'm an anti slip guy. That said my brother has been a mechanical engineer for 40 + years he doesn't put anti slip in a single thread Iv just been chatting to him about it. His reason...he turns 100s bolts on the daily and always well before they need to be turned or get seized. He works on heavy goods vehicles these days tbf so it's usually steel on steel. He says imagine running spec on thousands of bolts on thousands of vehicles then add to that the math of torque reduction on all of those bolts without making a mistake. For every mechanic who tells you you should there's another who will tell you not to.

[@derekm6236]

@@WeeJaunt Good point. Too many people with no mechanical experience, feel or sympathy , trying to be mechanics? FWIW, Caterpillar mechanics use lots of copper grease, especially where heat is involved.

[@whatsstefon]

It’s also not recommended due to differential metals causing a type of electrolysis which could actually counteract the point of an anti-seize compound. Iridium plugs are great, but were predominantly invented for cars with difficult or near impossible to reach spark plugs. If memory serves me right, some V6 cars like the Mitsubishi Magna where the rear facing bank of 3 cylinders was fitted with iridium plugs, while the easy to reach front bank was fitted with regular plugs. At services, mechanics only changed the front bank.

[@davidinghram2494]

They`re all that I use in my bikes.

[@WeeJaunt]

Good to know thanks David 👍

[@scottykilmer3920]

You should have try out Champion iridium instead Ngk. If your manual calls for copper stick with copper plugs.

[@glen20ca1]

Just ordered mine. Thanks for the help. I found my bike was overheating a bit the last couple of days. Will changing out the spark plug help that? Also, do you recommend cleaning your air to oil filter? I have heard everything from washing it with salt water, to not cleaning it all. Thanks

[@Frightningman]

Sorry Bud, disagree with some of what you say. The electrode on a 'normal' plug is not copper, it's tungsten I believe, the copper is the core, inside the plug. Yes, I do clean and gap plugs BTW. As for voltage draw, the primary winding of coil will take the same current no matter what plug you put in, the current drawn depends on the resistance of those windings. The HT current is generated in the secondary windings, [which are separate] when the primary current collapses so whatever you attach to the end of the HT lead is totally irrelevent. Precious metal plugs are meant for vehicles where it takes hours of labour to access the plugs, to save service costs as they aren't replaced as frequently. As for your bike starting / running better with the iridium plug, you would probably have found that with any new plug - or even cleaning your old one. Some people on Bullet forums have tried iridium plugs and gone back to normal ones because the iridiums foul easier due to the smaller electrodes, but to be fair, some say that they are the best thing since sliced bread. At the end of the day, if you're happy to spend £10 on a plug, when a £3 one will do exactly the same job then fair enough - it's your money.

[@WeeJaunt]

Aye your right Frank the tip is usually some kind of alloy blend, nickel, chromium, tungsten depending on the manufacturer. I just try to explain these things in simple language and often miss things out...and yes the same result would be achieved with an adjusted and/or new plug of any make. I find talking about plugs a bit like talking about oil or what kind of rust protection you use. It's a dangerous subject akin to chatting about Brexit or independence 😂 Thanks for your feedback mate I really appreciate it. In the future when I pull the crudy old fouled up iridium plug out al make a video about it. Might just call it "Frank was right". 👍

[@jacksjaunts8580]

I used to fit Gold Palladium plugs to my DKW fitted with a Sachs 250 seven speed box engine. It was in a mid state of tune with a very narrow power band and was prone to fouling. The dealer said it wouldn’t make any difference. He was wrong. In practice I didn’t suffer anything like the number of fouling/whispering with the Gold Palladium plug fitted. As far as the HT lead goes, better quality generally means lower resistance allowing a higher current for the same voltage (more power in the spark). The same improvement occurs when the plug has less resistance (better conductors). I don’t know if that is true for the Iridium plugs, but at the price I would have expected that to be the case. Not all plugs are equal, some have higher conductance materials used in their construction. The Gold Palladium’s when I was competing were designed for durability and cleaner running and that is what they provided though performance felt better due to the gold content increasing conductance. As was typical, I didn’t change the coil, just made it easier to discharge with a lower resistance HT system discharging to earth.

[@Frightningman]

@@jacksjaunts8580 Whiskered plugs! what fun we had in those days :-)

[@WeeJaunt]

@@jacksjaunts8580 Thanks Jack. Time will tell with the iridium plug I'm gonny pull it out every 1000 mile or so to have a look at it. If it starts to foul I will do an update on it. I'm glad Frank gave me a heads up on this one. I hadn't seen the forums he mentioned about fouling but it's worth keeping an eye on for sure.

[@jacksjaunts8580]

When I was riding competitively (or trying to ride competitively) I had the plug out and checked before every event. With standard plugs, before every special stage. With the Gold Palladium I didn’t need to touch it durning a days riding, practice or otherwise. On my road/trail bikes I check them when the notion takes me, seldom more than a couple of thousand miles. I never need to do anything with them nowadays as engines run so clean and seldom use oil. The technology has come on a bit in the past 40+ years. Many plugs won’t need any intervention over 10thousand mile intervals. I used to run some big gas engines (16cylinder 3MW units). Spark plugs were £150 each and precious metal. The engines ran 24hrs/day except during servicing. These were changed every 2000hrs. Of you equate that to road miles at an average of 45mph that would be every 90,000miles. On road engines I would do it sooner.:)

[@esrider7765]

I purchased one to fit after my first service. That should be in a week or so.

[@wcronin7307]

Silly question... do we have to gap these the same as regular plugs? or just install as it is out of the box?

[@WestSussexBiker]

Its best to fit a better HT lead and NKG plug cap. The cooper in the original HT lead is very poor

[@WeeJaunt]

Aye that's part of the reason it took it apart to have a look. I will probably upgrade it in the bear future 👍 thanks again Iain.

[@pmfsify]

I use Denso IU24 in my Himalayan, less expensive, 2€ less than the NGK and i'm happy.

[@kostasl5922]

Is it better than ngk?

[@pmfsify]

@@kostasl5922 i think it is.

[@rokonman1460]

I just ordered one for my Himalayan. Amazon said it doesn’t fit but it’s the exact same model you have listed. I just picked mine up brand new and it takes around 5-6 tries to get it to start and idle. Hopefully this fixes that problem.

[@edwardkaminsky8142]

Same here...4 to 5 attempts and it's up to 85 degrees in Vegas. Ngk iridium plug came pregapped at .25 Believe it needs to be .08.

[@rokonman1460]

@@edwardkaminsky8142 update. 6 months later no issues. Most times it starts with the first try. If it’s been sitting for a while it may take two tries.

[@danagerds]

Do you have a different plug wire end? it looks like you left the little screw on knob on the plug when you put it in the bike.

[@WeeJaunt]

Haha well spotted. No is the same HT plug I kinda absent mindedly screwed the tip back on whilst messing around with cameras. Only noticed I'd done it after I screwed the plug into the bike. Thanks for watching mate 👍

[@Nomorekindness7]

Himalayan bike just use g power ngk cpr8ea 9 easy. Or ngk red cable replace so smooth combustion. There's no need best spark plug

[@DSN262]

Ya canny call er vanny