R1DER Posted November 8, 2009 Report Share Posted November 8, 2009 I have now officially scoured the site and found several product brands recommended, but no one even mentions a preferred brand of spark plug. I bought an NGK for my lawn mower, and can't imagine that cheap of a plug for my new (to me) R1. I've contacted both Bosch and Splitfire, and both told me to go elsewhere, their plugs burn too hot and will "Blow up your bike". I find this hard to believe since sportbikes have such high-performance engines, and I distinctly remember Splitfire sponsoring a Kawasaki racing team. This is my first winter with a bike in over 15 years, and I want to do everything right; so spark plugs are a pretty important piece of the winterization process. What brand does CSS endorse (no offense if its NGK)? If it is NGK, is there a premium version or model that is recommended? And lastly, am I over-thinking this whole topic? Are they so simple that any type/brand will do? By the way, my R1 is a 2000 with 8000 miles on it and has been meticulously cared for by the original owner (a good friend of mine). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Kane Posted November 8, 2009 Report Share Posted November 8, 2009 my R1 is a 2000 with 8000 miles on it and has been meticulously cared for by the original owner (a good friend of mine). ...so what kind of spark plugs did he meticulously maintain in your R-1? Rainman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R1DER Posted November 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2009 He used NGK, but like I said, when you see the iridiums and Splitfires going for $6-$8 a piece, the $2 NGK's just seem inadequate. And also like I said, I may just be over-thinking the subject; I was just hoping for some professional advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sof Posted November 9, 2009 Report Share Posted November 9, 2009 He used NGK, but like I said, when you see the iridiums and Splitfires going for $6-$8 a piece, the $2 NGK's just seem inadequate. And also like I said, I may just be over-thinking the subject; I was just hoping for some professional advice. Hey R1DER. I just fitted some NGK Iridium plugs in my 06 R1, but they really don't make that much difference. I just like knowing that they're Iridium! The same plug will fit your 2000 (Part number CR9EIX). They're cheaper online, but I bought them from a dealer because I was in a hurry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R1DER Posted November 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2009 Yeah, I guess I didn't research the topic as thoroughly as I thought. I went to NGK's website and their reputation is pretty impressive. Add to that the fact that Rossi's YZR-M1 has NGK's in it and that's some pretty potent "professional advice". Thanks for the input and model #, Sof; It helped me find a dealer on ebay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sof Posted November 11, 2009 Report Share Posted November 11, 2009 Yeah, I guess I didn't research the topic as thoroughly as I thought. I went to NGK's website and their reputation is pretty impressive. Add to that the fact that Rossi's YZR-M1 has NGK's in it and that's some pretty potent "professional advice". Thanks for the input and model #, Sof; It helped me find a dealer on ebay! You're welcome. Always a pleasure to help a fellow rider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobie Fair Posted November 11, 2009 Report Share Posted November 11, 2009 NGK has been around, and pretty sure they have been in all kinds of race bikes for years. I'll ask Will (our chief mechannic) if he has any relevant info on this. Best,. Cobie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balistic Posted November 11, 2009 Report Share Posted November 11, 2009 I have just recently made an interesting discovery that may or may not apply to other brands. I have had one bike that has not been running right and I had been chasing it for two months. I had changed the fuel pump, coils, injectors, and finally the wiring harness. at every point it seemed to be fixed only to start running poorly again with a slight miss just off idle and then falling short on power above 10,000 rpm. after talking with the tech line at Kawasaki and checking all the sensors at the ECU I changed the spark plugs and bam it was fixed? It appears the ECU is capable of interpreting resistance in the coil and going into a limp mode to protect the catalytic converter. On the Kawasaki at least there is no way to monitor the ECU to see the decisions it is making? At any rate my advice on modern EFI bikes is to use the recommended plug and replace it when recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTNYC Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 There's nothing wrong with NGK. They're standard in a lot of bikes (including my Triumph). From what I've read, the more expensive iridium plugs actually do no perform as well as the cheaper version... the only thing they're good for is their longer life. This is because iridium is not a good conductor (but this is part of the reason they can last so long). Silver and copper are better conductors, and therefore provide better performance, but do not last as long. It's easy enough to replace the spark plugs so I would suggest sticking with the stock plugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OveRReV Posted December 24, 2009 Report Share Posted December 24, 2009 NGK & Denso are the 2 biggest sparkplug manufacturers in the world, they are also the leaders in manufacturing premium sparkplugs for special (racing) applications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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