live and learn. you other new riders need to read this

[wes]

tools,ribs, and slag. thanks for your advice. have a laugh, or atleast a grin on me. had a bro over. hes an old school HD man but he admits and respects the fact that these cb750s almost put hd out of business. he showed me that what i thought was oil on my plugs is actually half burned gas. when i put the carbs back on the bike, i clamepd the choke cable on the cable itself. not the lil triangle shaped metal tip that is made to be clamped down on. so that got a lil lose, causing the choke to stay open just enough to flood bowls and foul the plugs really bad. this guy swears i wasted money on iridium plugs and convinced me to buy the ngk ones. he then showed me how far off i had adjusted the gap on the plugs. so with a lil reassembly on choke and a new set of properly gapped plugs. i was ridin in just a few. he also convinced me to keep an extra set of plugs under the seat. its been a long day. suppers ready. i think i still need some carb synch/adjustments. but thats a whole lot better than piston rings!!!

[Piute]

 NGK are what i run in my Elc.only.

[Peterwh]

I'm not sure if you mean the iridium plugs or the NGKs but I think you are not supposed to adjust the gap on the iridium ones. It is pre-set.

[sgtslag]

Actually, I am relieved!  Bad piston rings have sent many a bike to the junkyard!

Iridium plugs are made by NGK (as far as I know, other companies make similar plugs, by a different name?) -- NGK is the only plug I will run in a motorcycle of any make/model.  As far as 'wasting money' on the Iridium plugs, that is wrong:  the ignition system (coils, mostly) on these bikes, are weak; the Iridium plugs require less energy to create a spark so they fire more consistently, and they last for 50,000+ miles in a bike (will last 100,000 miles in a car...).  The gap on the Iridium's is pre-set at the factory, so there is no need to adjust them, unless you believe they are out of adjustment due to being dropped, or something.

Bottom line is that you did not waste your money on unneeded plugs (my bike starts remarkably fast with the Iridium plugs, and it fires more smoothly than it did on regular plugs, too; they will likely outlast the engine!), and you have your bike running -- that is what it is all about!!!

Glad you had an experienced friend to assist you.  Getting information on a forum is great, but it is no substitute for hands-on diagnosis.  Don't feel bad.  You probably learned a lot along the way -- namely that your bike was nowhere near as bad off as you thought.  Hopefully the weather will allow you to get some miles on that bike now.  Thanks for sharing the good news with us.  Cheers!

[shinyribs]

AWESOME!!!!That is great news!!!!So glad you got her fixed...without going inside!HAHA  I bet you'll be mighty careful with that choke cable from now on

[wes]

joe, my hd buddy showed me the difference in the gap on the irridiums. there was a good .2mm difference. he gave me the talk that these bikes were made for regular pugs, irridiums were this and that. i bought the regular ones cause he was with me. we lubricated the choke cable, it still wants to slide back open. maybe one of those irridiums was dropped. he also says that the porcelain insulatorson these plugs is ruined if they get flooded one good time, and that sanding them clean does no good.have a gud munday yall!

[sgtslag]

I really wonder how the porcelain insulator can be damaged by flooding.  Never heard that before.  The ceramic material is porous, so it may absorb gasoline, but gasoline will evaporate out of the porous material, over time.  Not saying he is wrong, just wondering about how it could happen.

I have not flooded my bike since the first year I got it, and that was when I had regular plugs in it.  I have not had any issues with the Iridium's, after more than 7,000 miles.  Never heard/read of anyone having issues with them, but I have not researched them since before I bought mine, around three years ago.  I usually Google things before I buy them, to see what other people have experienced with an item -- not foolproof, but it has helped me make decisions whether to proceed, or not.  This is the first I've heard of any issues with them.

I was told that older engines should not be filled with synthetic oils.  I've run a "synthetic" in my '79 for over a year, now.  No problems at all.  I even loaded my '75 Ford pickup with the same, "synthetic" oil:  no problems at all.  I say "synthetic", because on the MSDS sheet, it lists it as a Type III oil, which is not synthetic, but it sure performs like one, in January.  It is also approved for long drainage periods, which is another reason I run it in all of my vehicles -- will soon be running it in all my small engines, as well.  Sometimes you have to challenge old ways of thinking, and make an educated guess.  If there is little or no risk, then go for it, I say.  Cheers!

[shinyribs]

Just like carbon build up on an intake valve,it the same with plugs.Once it's there,it's there.You can sand blast the "crust" off,but like you said,it is porous and will absorb.If you foul them a little,run them a bit and see if they burn clean.If you foul them to the point of no spark,toss them.That has been my experience