Melted spark plug?

[Neon]

Been away all weekend so have only just got back to looking at it - checked down the plug hole and can't see any damage to the piston, put 1 x new plug in (8) and she fired up sweet. I'll change the others to 8s this week when I can get to the shop.

I would seriously doubt that the shop that serviced it would be able to tell me what plugs came out of it being over a month ago, but looking at my service records this is the first time they have been changed since I bought the bike as a fresh import. It had a bunch of go-fast bits on it so it's fair to assume the plugs were probably colder than the ones in it now.

I wonder what the Honda service manual says about plug temp for 250 Hornet? Guess I could ring around and find out... wonder if I have a case for some replacements at no cost - seeing as it's $90 a set?

[CookMySock]

wonder if I have a case for some replacements at no cost - seeing as it's $90 a set?

I'd ask them. Nicely. It almost certainly had the wrong plugs in it.

Steve

[Neon]

I'd ask them. Nicely. It almost certainly had the wrong plugs in it.

Right you are. I had the nice people at Botany Honda do a chassis no. lookup in the Honda parts system, and sure enough it came up with NGK CR8-EH9 as the recommended plug.

And, the shop has come to the party and will change the plugs and check the mixture too to make sure nothing else weird is going on. Bike goes in tomorrow.

[dipshit]

Sadly this is a problem with many bike shops in NZ. You can't even trust them to do simple jobs like changing spark plugs or oil changes without getting it wrong and stuffing something up. A "mechanic" taking a guess at what plugs it could run before actually looking it up is the typical sort of thing you will find in lots of motorcycle workshops.

Let's hope the melted plug didn't do too much damage to the top of the piston and cylinder.

If future the more work you can do on your bike yourself... taking your time and doing lots of research first can help you avoid running the gauntlet of useless NZ motorcycle workshops.

[CookMySock]

If future the more work you can do on your bike yourself... taking your time and doing lots of research first can help you avoid running the gauntlet of useless NZ motorcycle workshops.

This is true, but then the individual has their inexperience to contend with, and this can be just as risky.

Write down what you want the shop to do, and check their work before you leave the shop. Don't insult them, but ask questions about what they did, and how they did it.

Doing your own work, collect lots of opinion and use it to formulate your own line of thinking, and then get that line of thinking checked. Then make sure you have time up your sleeve to fit the whole job in. Don't hurry.

Steve

[dipshit]

Doing your own work, collect lots of opinion and use it to formulate your own line of thinking, and then get that line of thinking checked. Then make sure you have time up your sleeve to fit the whole job in. Don't hurry.

Yes, with workshop manuals available online and dedicated forums to particular bikes with people who have had lots of hands-on experience with your type of bike, allows you to work out first if it would be a job you would feel capable enough to do or not. Doing your homework and taking your time will probably result in much better work than dropping it off at a workshop and having who knows what do god knows what to it.

The trouble with larger workshops is that you only get to deal with the workshop supervisor and you never really know who the mechanic is that is actually doing the work. More than likely it will be a different mechanic each time.

If you can find a smaller workshop where you are dealing with the mechanic himself - you can only then build some trust. And if you can find a good competent trustworthy one then great! Look after him like a member of the family... pay your bills on time without moaning... and even drop him off a sixpack of beer for Christmas or something thanking him for his help over the year. Good mechanics are worth their weight in gold.

[rok-the-boat]

Unrelated, but a mate of mine had a GSX250 way back when and at night, the exhaust pipes would glow red hot. I mean RED.

[The Pastor]

its should have 9's mate

these are the cbr250r and RR's required plugs.

Spark Plugs :
Type : NGK CR9EH–9 or (CR9EHVX–9)
Gap : 0.8 – 0.9 mm