Is it running lean?

[photomike666]

Just done a minor service, probably a little late (7000k) since major. I didn't do the last service, but I think they changed the plugs. I think they show signs of running lean, what are your opinions?

[Strika]

Unleaded motors are a little harder to read than the old leaded ones, where you could read the plug easily. Without getting a good pic Mike it's hard to say, but usually they look pretty sooty if they are running right. Can't you use one of your super dooper cameras and get us a sharper pic Photomike666.........

[Smitty]

Mike
as Strika sez

but also....
the Hoooonda runs EFI does it not?
and an EFI will always run a bike as close as it can to
the stoichemetric (spelling?) ratio
which means clean plugs..no soot


hth

[photomike666]

2001 on had efi, mine is a lowly 99 and has carbies. Will try and dig plugs out for updated photos.

*edit* Orig pic taken with 2Megapixel phone camera, just sorting pics from digi slr. how detailed did you want the pic????

[photomike666]

Lets see if this works...

[javaman]

Isn't lean = better though ?

[Tones]

Hey mike,

Pic looks detailed enough. Plug looks fine, if anything maybe a bit rich. Unleaded is a diff read to the good ol leaded plugs. These days with the materials and technologies plug reading is not so great. It is more so to detect a difference between cyclinders, more so than a representation of how the motor is running. Usually motors will rich and lean, depending upon load, fuel, revs, air density, humity, etc, etc. Of course fuel injection helps even some things out, but yours is carbs. Some people prefer carbs as injection can always be improved upon. Anyways my point was that plug reading aint all that accurate as they may indicate what the motor was like when you shut it off, but may have been very diff under full load and 8 grand. Best way to tell is to measure on a dyno and hope it can simulate most conditions. Some dynos use a "sniffer" to measure the gases at the pipes, but again that is an average of perhaps more tha one cyclinder. Most accurate (and of course expensive) is to measure each cyclinder. Which usually means welding a bunge onto each pipe near the head and using lamba sensor to measure exhaust heat etc. I see carb tune have clear plugs so you can see the colour of the burn and they have a chart you can use to reference rich/lean. I havent used them so cant comment, other than to say would wanna used those plugs on a dynoto simulate load. Remember unleaded motors also have higher combustions temps than the ol leaded motors too.

cheers

[Rossi]

better to run rich rather than lean .........never seized an engine that was running a bit rich but done a few by going too lean, then again I am an old fart so I used to have to start mine with 1 set of plugs and then change them when it got warmed up...............I somehow cannot imagine a few of you lot doing that

[icebreaker]

that's not very lean.. it'd be alot whiter if it was...

[photomike666]

Thanks guys. I guess I used to the ole leaded plugs where the whole ceramic area took on a nice golden glazed look when it was running nice.