Author Topic: Plugs sooty round edge white on centre  (Read 1399 times)

Offline Topdad

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Plugs sooty round edge white on centre
« on: 30.06. 2015 16:40 »
I've guessed that my bikes gone abit lean as the pipes seem to have blued a bit  ,dismissed it due to being a) a lazy sod and b) as  I just wanted to put a few miles on it . However sense and expensive repercussions taken into account decided bout time I looked . The plugs are sooty on the edge but on the electrode are clean rather than white . Can I get this a little richer by moving the needle a notch or by increasing main jet size , I'm running a concentric with a 240 main jet no airbox, also probably using more throttle at times due to a pillion being on the  back at present and I 've got to add purely on the grounds of self preservation that my wife has not put on weight since she last rode pillion it must simply be the crap fuel these days  *bash* look forward to your fixes , Bob.
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Offline metalflake11

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Re: Plugs sooty round edge white on centre
« Reply #1 on: 30.06. 2015 19:58 »
I run mine with a 930 Concentric, 250 main, 106 needle, No3 cutaway slide. Perfect running, idle and plug colour. I will only use Denso W20ES-U plugs these days as well, Champion and NGK give me similar problems as you're having.
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Online muskrat

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Re: Plugs sooty round edge white on centre
« Reply #2 on: 30.06. 2015 20:36 »
G'day Bob.
Don't touch the needle yet. Try turning the pilot screw in 1/4. The pilot will affect not just idle but all the way up. Next you could try a colder plug (up #'s for NGK, down #'s for Champ).
Most of your riding would be on the slide and needle jet. Clip position and main jet is mainly acceleration through the gears and motorway speeds. Cruising at 50-60 on flat ground you'd only have the throttle cracked 1/4.
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Offline Topdad

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Re: Plugs sooty round edge white on centre
« Reply #3 on: 01.07. 2015 10:15 »
Thanks Musky and Metalflake, I was hoping for a fix like that, I'll get onto it tonight early enough ,hopefully, for a good ride out in this great weather. Bob
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Offline Johnny J

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Re: Plugs sooty round edge white on centre
« Reply #4 on: 09.07. 2015 19:10 »
I will only use Denso W20ES-U plugs these days as well, Champion and NGK give me similar problems as you're having.

Bought these, didn't think about the length, too long for mine, maybe fits the alu head...
Well spark plugs aren't that expensive...
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Offline Gus Keating

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Re: Plugs sooty round edge white on centre
« Reply #5 on: 26.07. 2015 17:24 »
Hi Chaps, I am new to the forum and I may be wrong but the state of the plugs with soot would indicate rich running to me and hence I would be inclined to weaken the mixture by adding more air which would mean turning the pilot screw out rather than in.  Gus

Offline East_Coast_BSA

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Re: Plugs sooty round edge white on centre
« Reply #6 on: 07.08. 2015 06:34 »
Hi Chaps, I am new to the forum and I may be wrong but the state of the plugs with soot would indicate rich running to me and hence I would be inclined to weaken the mixture by adding more air which would mean turning the pilot screw out rather than in.  Gus

You want to read the electrode, not the circumference.  I would leave the air screw alone and pick up the needle.  The needle will effect throttle from about 1/8th to a little over 1/2 throttle.  They usually don't limit all the way up to 3/4 throttle.  If you're curious about that, take out the main jet and see how far you can open the throttle before you drown the motor.  Riding around on the pilot circuit isn't turning the pipes blue, it's most likely on the needle at that point.  Running the motor a little fat doesn't really hurt anything anyway.  It will run cooler and save your pipes.

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Re: Plugs sooty round edge white on centre
« Reply #7 on: 07.08. 2015 09:30 »
Generally, blue pipes can indicate weak mixture, retarded ignition and / or poor quality chrome. One problem is that lots of our bikes are non-standard, the obvious example is that lots of us run without air filters which makes a big difference to the main jet you should use. Also, lots of us are running round with worn carbs, or concentrics which naturally run richer so need smaller main jets. An additional issue is, of course, today's fuel - otherwise known as P155, which requires the ignition to be retarded slightly, but overdoing it will cause the pipes to blue. One slightly 'left field' suggestion is, have you checked your points gap recently? If the gap has closed this will retard your timing and cause the engine to run hotter. In my experience blue pipes are caused by retarded ignition more often than weak mixture. I'd be interested to know what the spec is of your engine, i.e. which, cam, pistons and cylinder head?

Offline Topdad

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Re: Plugs sooty round edge white on centre
« Reply #8 on: 07.08. 2015 10:23 »
Well guys thanks for all the additional input but in my case the pilot screw has done the trick ,plugs a nice choco brown ,bike running easier than ever .For instance last night I got a pass out from "DE Boss " to go out on a run with a mate whose on an SV650, we over stayed our time at a nice country pub chewing the fat ,as you do ,so with the sun  (first time I'd seen that for nearly 2 weeks ) dropping we set back and got home far quicker than it took to the pub . The bike had no trouble keeping up on the A roads we were on at about 55-65 mph  and has we went our different waysat the last junction  in Formby the bike was ticking over like a clock. even the lights were working fine , first time I've needed them as well, cheers Bob
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