Spark Plugs

I found out that NGK offers an Iridium plug for the Bandit, and I was wondering if anybody has tried them in their Bandit, and if so, did you notice any improvements with them, compared to the stock conventional CR7E plugs.

I have bought Iridium plugs from this place before, www.sparkplugs.com, and here is the info I found out on the NGK Iridium available for the Bandit 1250S.

Also, I have not had any luck finding a Platinum plug replacement for the stock NGK plug, so if anyone has found a Platinum plug that works in the Bandit, please post up about it.

Scott,

I used the Iridium plugs in my VS1400 Intruder V-Twin and liked them a lot. I noticed easier starting, cleaner running, crisper throttle response and maybe just a tad improvement in MPG in a tank of gas.
The other reason I went with the Iridiums is you could basically run them for 30,000 miles without cleaning before replacement.
I will run them in my Bandit 1250 when I replace the NGK Standard plugs at 15,000 miles.
That reminds me I have 4 new Iridiums for my DL650 and SV650 on the shelf. However both bikes were traded for my new Bandit.

A1A said:

Scott,

I used the Iridium plugs in my VS1400 Intruder V-Twin and liked them a lot. I noticed easier starting, cleaner running, crisper throttle response and maybe just a tad improvement in MPG in a tank of gas.
The other reason I went with the Iridiums is you could basically run them for 30,000 miles without cleaning before replacement.
I will run them in my Bandit 1250 when I replace the NGK Standard plugs at 15,000 miles.
That reminds me I have 4 new Iridiums for my DL650 and SV650 on the shelf. However both bikes were traded for my new Bandit.

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Rich,

I will also probably switch to the NGK Iridium plugs when I switch out the stock ones. I have almost 5,000 miles om my bike, but I haven't pulled the plugs yet to see what they look like, but I may do that this weekend since the weather is so crappy here.

How did the stock plugs look at 7,500 miles, as that it actually the first recommended replacement interval for the plugs.

I assume this Phil is the Phil you're talking to. I am only at 3100ish miles and will go for inspection/replacement in March or so.

I am real curious why Suzuki would not put the better plugs in from the factory if it only meant a buck or two difference in cost on the whole bike - especially if it burns better, has better throttle response, requires less maintenance, and cures sicknesses from several third world countries . just kidding.

Please post an objective review of the difference, if any, when yuns put 'em in.

Phil

PhilS said:

I assume this Phil is the Phil you're talking to. I am only at 3100ish miles and will go for inspection/replacement in March or so.

I am real curious why Suzuki would not put the better plugs in from the factory if it only meant a buck or two difference in cost on the whole bike - especially if it burns better, has better throttle response, requires less maintenance, and cures sicknesses from several third world countries . just kidding.

Please post an objective review of the difference, if any, when yuns put 'em in.

Phil

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My mistake Phil, I meant to address my reply back to Richard.

El Bandito said:

Rich,

I will also probably switch to the NGK Iridium plugs when I switch out the stock ones. I have almost 5,000 miles om my bike, but I haven't pulled the plugs yet to see what they look like, but I may do that this weekend since the weather is so crappy here.

How did the stock plugs look at 7,500 miles, as that it actually the first recommended replacement interval for the plugs.

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Scott,

The stock plugs in my 1400 Intruder were OK at 7500 miles, just dirty. I replaced them anyway with another set of stock plugs. I waited until 15,000 miles before switching to Iridiums. I had pipes with a Stage 1 jet kit and was using 93 octane fuel to keep the thing from pinging under hard throttle and high speed cruise. While having a slightly borderline rich condition the bike did run better with the Iridium plugs installed.

HTH's

I’ve run iridiums in my last two bikes (V65 Magna and 1100 Spirit, both Hondas). The plugs burn cleaner and the bike starts and idles a little better –not a huge difference, but better. The regular plugs are fine but from what I understand the iridiums last a long time (I thought 30-60,000 miles) so that’s why I’ll go to them at 4-6000 miles.

Right or wrong I use the same plug gap as the stock plugs althought I believe you can increase the gap slightly with the iridiums. On my last set for the Honda Spirit 1100 the gap on all 4 plugs (this twin uses two plugs per cylinder) were sitting at .032 - just what's called for on that model.

Regards,

Ol Dave

dwoodul said:

I’ve run iridiums in my last two bikes (V65 Magna and 1100 Spirit, both Hondas). The plugs burn cleaner and the bike starts and idles a little better –not a huge difference, but better. The regular plugs are fine but from what I understand the iridiums last a long time (I thought 30-60,000 miles) so that’s why I’ll go to them at 4-6000 miles.

Right or wrong I use the same plug gap as the stock plugs althought I believe you can increase the gap slightly with the iridiums. On my last set for the Honda Spirit 1100 the gap on all 4 plugs (this twin uses two plugs per cylinder) were sitting at .032 - just what's called for on that model.

Regards,

Ol Dave

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Dave,

I run Iridium plugs in my 1800 VTX, as they are the stock plugs for it. I know one of the benefits of running Iridium plugs is they require less voltage to fire and they do last quite a bit longer than conventional plugs, so I am going to spring for a set for my Bandit when it comes time to replace them.

They are not worth the extra cost in my opinion. I've put over 70K on normal NGK's (on 1G/2G bandits) without any issues or problems. I think y'all are splitting hairs but also may have extra money to burn too. Its all good.

terrebandit said:

They are not worth the extra cost in my opinion. I've put over 70K on normal NGK's (on 1G/2G bandits) without any issues or problems. I think y'all are splitting hairs but also may have extra money to burn too. Its all good.

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+1

I totally agree.

I pulled the OEM NGK's and installed NGK Iridiums at 12,000 miles. The standard OEM NGK's didn't look too bad and I have not been able to detect any improvements that I can attribute to the Iridiums. I only have about 3000 miles on them so I can't speak to the claimed longer life of these plugs. I was glad I changed them if for no other reason than I found the rubber seal not properly installed on the rear cylinder which could have allowed water into the spark plug well.

Terrebandit and Roy, I think you guys are absolutely right – there’s little difference between the iridiums and regular plugs. The regular NGKs are fine. One thing did I noticed; on both my Magna and Spirit, the iridiums ceramic end runs “cleaner” than the stock NGKs. The stock had a little carbon buildup and was a dark chocolate brown while the iridiums ran a very light tan with no buildup. I don’t really know what this is telling me except maybe the iridiums run a little hotter??? Also, the iridiums supposedly help the coils etc. last longer as they pull less voltage. I’ve never seen any first-hand evedence of this so I suspect this is another hair-split. Don’t forget the sparkplug grease when changing these things out and pull/inspect those plugs every so often as they can tell you a lot about how the bike is running.

okay since we are talking iridium plugs here is one for ya.

My '07 RM-Z450 takes a $55 plug that is a NGK and can only be obtained from Suzuki. Yep that is correct its $55 bucks. The '05~'06 models took a $10 iridium plug that will work in the '07 model, I bought two of them after buying one $55 model plug. The difference was the expensive plug was 2mm longer at the electrode to get the ignition point away from the hot head. Makes no difference it runs the same with either plug, go figure.

Roy said:

$55 bucks

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My '07 RM-Z450 takes a $55 plug that is a NGK and can only be obtained from Suzuki. Yep that is correct its $55 bucks.

be glad it only take one and not very often.

Irridium plugs and it's smaller electrode have the benefit of having more spark intensity than the others. Too many people think that a wider gap is better. Wrong. Energy is lost trying to jump across too large a gap. What is better is a more intense, hotter spark. This is what the irridium plugs do best. They work well on all bikes but shine on high rpm screamers. They also do a better job of self cleaning due to the hotter spark. Any dark residue on my plugs have always been some fluffy soot, which is ideal and the combustion chambers and piton crowns are prtty darn clean, no varnish. Black and wet (any wetness) is not ideal and is a symptom of incomplete burn.

The comment about being able to use lower voltage isn't really corect. You can, but you just get a weaker spark. What the irridiums were designed for is to get the required spark intensity but at a shorter duration to allow the coils more time to recover between spark cycles. This is why they shine on RRs.

I've used them for about 6 years and wouldn't go back.