Iridium plug
 

Afternoon all,

The other day i fitted a brand new iridium plug as many owners on here said it works well.

The bike was running perfect before i did this.

Now i have some funny things happening.

My idle speed has gone up by 200rpm..it was a bit low before anyway but it's instantly up.

I get a strange burning or musty smell now from the engine....like something is buring off on the exhaust but it's clean.

I have taken the plug out and checked it and it's clean and looks good...oh and yes the gap is perfect.

On the plus side the pick up is better from 3k.

So any ideas on the above issues?

Mike

Iridium plug
 

They don't idle well and stall more readily with old/worn plugs. Trouble is as a plug ages you don't notice the drop in idle speed and smooth tick-over, as it's gradual. My guess is that any fresh plug would have had the same effect on the tick-over.

As for the musty smell, mine often does that after I've fiddled with things due to the fact I leave greasy fingerprints everywhere, which then burn off when the engine is started.

Thanks for the reply and thats a good point.

I also forgot to mention that it's harder to start now. i have to use more throttle than before and can take several cycles to get going. The battery is fine as well.

Mike

Did you set the gap on the new plug to the OEM setting (0.7-0.8mm)? Or did you just bung it in straight out the box? An incorrect gap, too small or too large will make starting more of a challenge.

maybe it was running 'dirty' and now its cleaner and hotter thus burning the cat clean? totally guessing mind you :)

I set the gap at 0.75 and a mate checked it so that should be fine.

Seems to be running better this morning.

Mike

You have to give it some throttle to start it?

I've never had to do that...

Mine starts up with a button push, first time every time.
It begins idling around 2,000. Then I usually roll a ciggy and wait.

When it's dropped to around 1,600, I know it's warmed up.

You should never have to touch the throttle at start at all. Especially at a cold start it is giving lots of extra wear as the oil films are not in their place yet. The EFI regulates everything... The Ten is not an old carburettor bike anymore eh!